en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mars Auto (마스오토) and LX Pantos (LX판토스) have expanded their autonomous freight route between the East and West Coasts of the United States to over 7,000 kilometers round trip. After delivering cargo from the West to the East Coast, the return leg is also fully loaded, reducing the empty running rate to one-third of the U.S. industry average.

The two companies announced on the 19th that the transcontinental autonomous freight route in the U.S. has been expanded from the previous one-way distance of approximately 3,500 kilometers to over 7,000 kilometers round trip. The west-to-east segment transports auto parts for Hyundai Mobis (Hyundai Mobis), while the east-to-west return leg carries construction materials from Korean manufacturing companies.

Previously, the route primarily operated one-way from west to east. By securing return cargo, the companies have established a round-trip transportation system. They stated that this has reduced the empty running rate to approximately 5%. This figure is about one-third of the U.S. freight industry's average empty running rate of 16.7%.

Empty running refers to a vehicle traveling without cargo on the return leg after unloading. Securing return cargo improves vehicle utilization and reduces transportation costs.

Mars Auto operates long-haul freight routes using its camera-based end-to-end artificial intelligence autonomous driving system, "Mars Pilot." This system does not require LiDAR or high-definition maps, relying on camera data to recognize the driving environment. According to Mars Auto, the cumulative mileage driven domestically and internationally has exceeded 20 million kilometers. In November last year, the company was selected for the "Large Truck Freight Unmanned Autonomous Driving Commercialization Technology Development" project, worth 18.2 billion KRW, by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea.

The two companies also plan to respond to ongoing discussions on the institutionalization of autonomous trucks in the U.S. The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has proposed a bill containing provisions related to the commercialization of autonomous trucks.

Park Il-soo (박일수), CEO of Mars Auto, stated that this round-trip route is not just an expansion of distance but a case study validating the economic feasibility of autonomous transportation in the North American logistics market, and the company will expand its business based on operational experience and network. Lee Beom-in (이범인), head of CL Operations at LX Pantos, said that the company will combine autonomous driving technology with logistics operational experience to develop a new transportation model.

This article is compiled by Wedoany. All AI citations must indicate the source as "Wedoany". If there is any infringement or other issues, please notify us promptly, and we will modify or delete it accordingly. Email: news@wedoany.com