Chapter 245: A Reversal in Atmosphere
Even as Elon Musk was contemplating a complete overhaul of the autonomous driving system, Kang Tae-joon’s test drive continued uninterrupted.
[KTalk LIVE] — Real-time viewers: 5,276,189
Jongno Intersection.
The EV-Nova navigated through the tourist-heavy area of Bukchon, entering the vicinity of Anguk Station.
The yellow glow of streetlights stretched across the wet asphalt.
The HUD displayed updated information in real-time.
-LAD v0.8.1
-Mode: Full Passive
-Precision Map Sync: Normal
-Real-time Feedback: Recording
-Location: Jongno-gu, near Anguk Station
-Weather: Cloudy
-Visibility: 240m → 210m (due to fog density)
-Scenario: Complex Risk Pattern
A taxi suddenly entered from the left alley without signaling.
The EV-Nova immediately applied 0.12g of braking and a +13.9-degree steering angle, smoothly evading the taxi and returning to its original lane.
As before, there were no warning lights or honking.
The live comments section exploded.
└Wow, did you see that? It avoided the taxi so naturally, like it knew it was coming.
└lol, it drives better than me, and I’ve been driving for 15 years.
└Tesla’s FS would’ve done ‘full brake → hesitation → re-acceleration’ in that situation.
Just past Anguk Station, in a construction zone.
Cones were half-toppled by the rain, and temporary lane lines were blurred by reflections in puddles.
The EV-Nova instantly switched to multi-model lane recognition mode.
A yellow dot blinked on the HUD.
-Lane Confidence: 0.71 → 0.54
-Temporary Baseline Generated: Polylines Triple-Redundant
-Response Scenario: #0321 Applied
-Estimated Intervention Probability: 0.6% → 0.5%
The vehicle reduced speed from 37 to 29 km/h, flexibly navigating between the cones and puddles as if drawing an ‘effective path.’
The car behind briefly honked, but the EV-Nova remained steady.
At that moment, Kang Tae-joon’s first comment appeared in the video.
“It’s still a bit conservative, isn’t it?”
He added,
“This will be further improved in v0.9.”
There were other moments of imperfection as well.
At the entrance to Samcheong-dong.
A large LED sign flashed, momentarily obstructing the view.
On the left side of the HUD, an intent-signal mismatch appeared for about 0.2 seconds before disappearing.
The vehicle briefly applied a ‘micro brake’ of 0.08g before releasing it.
-Event: #A-297 (Light Source Flicker)
-Critical Response: 94ms
-Ledger Record: Complete
└It hesitated at the sign’s light, right?
└lol, it seemed startled.
└Not a full brake, just a slight flinch, like a novice driver.
└Still, for a first test drive, this is impressive.
└Kang Tae-joon will fix this in no time.
The vehicle then re-entered Jongno.
In a section with consecutive unsignaled intersections.
At the third intersection, the stop line recognition was slightly conservative.
Judging the stop line to be close, it stopped early, then rolled forward about 50cm.
A so-called ‘Creep’ reaction.
The car behind honked briefly again.
Kang Tae-joon explained calmly,
“There’s still an issue with camera recognition of wet stop line paint reflections. This will also be resolved in v0.9.”
-Issue: #L-219 (Wet Stop Line Reflection)
-Critical Response: 118ms
-Temporary Adjustment: Creep 0.5m
-OTA Status: Patch Pending
└I trust him more because he openly addresses the issues.
└But is that really an issue? I do the same thing when driving—stop at the line, then slowly inch forward.
└When can we actually use LAD?
└It’s only available as an assistant for now, and government regulations need to be lifted first.
└I hope it’s commercialized soon.
[Live Ended 00:37:12]
Total Viewers: 6,726,182
Feed Views: 28,104,663
At the end of the video,
Kang Tae-joon added one last comment.
“Today, we weren’t out here to show off. We wanted to ease any anxiety EV-Nova users might feel about autonomous driving.”
As the live stream ended,
The comments section exploded once more.
└Honestly…… I had no idea autonomous driving could be this advanced.
└Me neither, I thought it was just for assisting in sudden situations.
└It’s a bit slower than human driving, but with a few more improvements, it’ll be far better than humans.
└Kang Tae-joon is…… a genius!
└…….
Within just one day of the video’s release, views surpassed 45 million,
And Kang Tae-joon’s followers soared from 208 million to 213.98 million.
The market reacted immediately.
After the success of the Polar Orbiter, Dojin Frontier’s stock had risen to $39, but recently hovered around $35.
Thanks to the autonomous driving video, trading volume surged, pushing the stock to $40.23.
└$40 mark hit.
└Dojin Frontier is a graveyard and hell for short sellers lol
└People are still shorting it in this climate?
└lol, as they say, the PER is over 100.
└It’s probably over 150 now.
└Which will come first—the bubble bursting or the PER gap closing with performance?
└Performance, of course!
└…….
＊＊＊
Dojin Group Executive Meeting.
“Public interest in LAD has skyrocketed since the autonomous driving video was released.”
Park Cheol-jin’s report prompted me to nod in agreement.
“That was the whole point of the video. We need to shift public perception so regulations ease, and we can set the standards.”
Many still viewed autonomous driving as merely a ‘driver assistance system.’
Breaking that perception required more than just a video.
The LAD itself needed rapid improvements in completeness.
I gestured, and the secretary displayed the prepared slides.
[LAD Grows Through Experience]
[Road Data = Autonomous Driving Completeness]
I pointed to the central phrase on the slide with the laser pointer.
“As you can see, to enhance LAD’s completeness, we need more experience…… which means more data.”
The experience and data I referred to boiled down to ‘total miles driven on the road.’
How to gather that quickly?
My gaze turned to Park Cheol-jin, who smiled and replied,
“……So, I need to make more cars, and make them faster.”
I nodded.
“Which brings me to my next question—how’s the development of the EV-Nova’s successor models coming along?”
The slide changed.
Silhouettes of the new vehicles under development at Dojin Frontier gradually emerged from the darkness.
“As you know, the models currently in development are two types: a large SUV and a compact urban hatchback.”
Park Cheol-jin highlighted the specs appearing on the screen.
[EV-Orion (6/7-Seater Large SUV)]
-
Platform: Teracasting Integrated Frame (Front and Rear Fully Cast)
-
Length/Wheelbase: 5.1m / 3.1m
-
Full Charge Range: 630km (high-speed driving)
-
Autonomous Driving: BlackRobin2 Chipset / OTA Ready
-
SOP Target: H+8~10 months (concurrent production in Busan, Pyeongtaek, Shanghai, and North America Nevada lines)
[EV-Velo (Compact Urban Hatch)]
-
Platform: Teracasting Lightweight Frame (Front Fully Cast + Rear Floor Integrated Design)
-
Length/Wheelbase: 3.8m / 2.45m
-
Full Charge Range: 480km (combined), enhanced regenerative braking
-
Autonomous Driving: BlackRobin2 Chipset / OTA Ready
-
SOP Target: H+7 months (concurrent production in Pyeongtaek’s new B-line, Shanghai, and North America Nevada)
“Both models are designed to rapidly and stably accumulate LAD data, with planned selling prices of $55,000 and $27,000, respectively.”
“Is the LAD cost separate?”
“Yes. Once commercialized, customers can choose it as an option, priced at around $15,000.”
An additional $18,000 for LAD on top of the vehicle price.
It might seem expensive, but considering it’s like having a dedicated driver available 24/7, it’s not excessive.
“Still, some might find it pricey, so consider a monthly subscription model too.”
For a subscription, I’m thinking of a monthly fee of $150 (approximately $180,000 won).
“Understood. And for mass production capacity, we’re targeting 6,000 units per month for the Orion and 8,000 for the Velo, with construction and setup underway. The new Pyeongtaek B-line and Dongtan line will also include integrated LAD production cells.”
“What about battery supply issues?”
This time, Lee Hye-ryeong responded.
“Battery supply won’t be a problem. The Cheongju ESS plant, completed last quarter, will produce 120kWh packs for the EV-Orion and 80kWh packs for the EV-Velo. EV-Nova batteries will continue to be produced at the Dongtan plant, ensuring we meet demand.”
“Aren’t vehicle batteries in high external demand too?”
Everyone’s attention turned to Lee Hye-ryeong at my question.
Dojin Tech’s batteries, proven through the PRIME and EV-Nova, were already in high demand.
Not just smartphone companies, but electric vehicle manufacturers were also reaching out.
Lee Hye-ryeong elaborated,
“Not just Tesla, but also China’s BYL and Zik Motors are proposing long-term contracts for over 10,000 packs per month. We need to make a decision.”
Electric vehicle batteries are typically divided into LFP and NCM types.
We primarily produce the cost-effective LFP batteries.
Seong-hwan, attending the meeting after a while, smiled and added,
“Our LFP batteries are cheaper than NCM but perform even better, so everyone’s eager to buy them.”
“They’ve seen the performance difference with PRIME and EV-Nova.”
Without our batteries, electric vehicles simply couldn’t compete.
It wasn’t a decision that required much thought, so I made it on the spot.
“Maximize battery production. Supply as much as they want.”
“Supply competitors with batteries on par with what we use?” Park Cheol-jin asked, confused.
He seemed to think that giving competitors access to our high-performance batteries would hurt our vehicle sales.
But I shook my head.
“We can only produce so many electric vehicles anyway.”
With current production capacity, we could barely meet 20% of demand.
Instead of fixating on sales, it was more important to grow the market and secure related infrastructure like charging stations.
Park Cheol-jin quickly understood and nodded.
“Got it. I’ll focus on expanding capacity then.”
“Right. We need to sell as many cars as possible to gather LAD data.”
The meeting was wrapping up.
Then, Park Cheol-jin suddenly added,
“Oh, and one more thing.”
“Yes?”
“After the video, public interest in LAD has exploded……”
He smiled and continued,
“But among businesses, inquiries about Luna and the BlackRobin chipset far outnumber those about LAD. It’s…… overwhelming.”
Even the semiconductor industry, once a money magnet, seemed to be shifting.