Hyundai Motor Activates Universal Solutions to Realize Mobility for the Vulnerable

*This content was translated by AI.

Hyundai Motor will launch a new social contribution project called "Hyundai Universal Solutions" starting in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, to improve mobility convenience for vulnerable populations. On the 27th, Hyundai Motor held a vehicle donation ceremony at Seosan City Hall with officials including Lee Wan-seop, Mayor of Seosan, and Jeon Hyeon-cheol, Head of Business Development & Sustainable Management at Hyundai Motor.

The "Hyundai Universal Solutions" project supports specialized vehicles that can be conveniently used by pregnant women, people with disabilities, the elderly, and residents in underserved areas to enhance access to essential public services. Hyundai Motor selected Seosan, a city where the total fertility rate exceeds both the national and South Chungcheong Province averages despite the rising trend of the elderly population ratio, as the first project city.

The vehicles donated this time are specialized cars for pregnant women based on the electrified PBV "ST1" with universal design applied. The ST1 features low-noise and low-vibration characteristics from its dedicated electric vehicle platform, a low-floor body structure, high interior clearance, an automatic sliding step, and an "AI Guide" that detects the rear-side area when boarding or alighting. Additionally, it is equipped with a storage space for strollers (created by removing the front passenger seat), a dedicated safety belt to minimize abdominal pressure, and a newborn seat capable of 360-degree rotation.

Seosan City will recruit users who are pregnant women at 16 weeks or more gestation up to six months postpartum residing within the city and will deploy vehicles on a dedicated route for pregnant women connecting Seonyeon-myeon and the city center starting in September. The project applies Hyundai Motor Group's demand-responsive transit "Shuttle" platform, allowing users to select boarding and alighting locations via a smartphone app; an AI then operates the vehicle along the optimal route. Fares are the same as those for city buses, and adjacent seats are assigned when traveling with a newborn.

In addition, Hyundai Motor plans to conduct traffic safety education in cooperation with the Citizens' Alliance for Safe Living and will build maps providing walking information from alighting points to destinations together with LBS Tech. Hyundai Motor intends to continuously expand the scope of beneficiaries and regions to include people with disabilities, the elderly, and residents in underserved areas in the future.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.