Mirrorless cars to be allowed from next year

Mirrorless cars will be available next year at the earliest. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport said Monday it is pre-announcing legislation of certain revised bills on "rules on the automobile and auto components' performance and standards," which contains regulations on mirrorless cars.

According to the revision, a camera monitor system can be installed instead of a side mirror as an indirect visibility device that is needed to secure visibility of the front, rear and side of the car. This is to embed an ultra-small camera on the front and back side as well as on the front doors, and to secure visibility in the car through a display screen.

Mirrorless car is expected to reduce accident risks as the blind spots of the driver are eliminated. In addition, air resistance will be reduced so as to improve fuel efficiency by 5-10 percent, while car design will be drastically changed.

However, the blurring of the screen when it rains, as well as the possibility of function errors of the electronic device will have to be solved. Such cars may not be able to go on sale next year depending on the conditions of technology developments.

The revised plan also includes easing the length of electric three-wheel cars and standard of maximum load. Length will be extended from 2.5 meters to 3.5 meters, and maximum load from 100 kilograms to 500 kilograms, meaning such cars will be efficiently used on city street deliveries.

Jae-Young Kim redfoot@donga.com