Loading

Search

:

Honda Launches Next-Level Autonomous Vehicle

  • Category:Other

Honda Motor Co. released the world’s first commercially available vehicle equipped with Level 3 automated driving technology on Friday.

When Honda’s Legend luxury sedan is in self-driving mode, the system can take control enabling the person in the driver’s seat to engage in such activities as watching TV or using a smartphone while in transit.
The race to develop such models is accelerating worldwide with automakers and information technology companies focusing on automated driving technology.

Initially, Honda will produce 100 units of the Legend, which is only available on a three-year lease and is priced at ¥11 million.

Level 1 and Level 2 functions that autonomously control steering, accelerating and braking have already been installed in some commercially available vehicles. These functions only assist the driver: The driver is responsible for operating the vehicle. The most advanced classification is Level 5.

Level 3 autonomous vehicles can now be used on public roads due to a revision in the Road Traffic Law in April last year.

The Legend can switch to autonomous mode in traffic on an expressway. The system takes charge of key functions such as steering, accelerating and braking while traveling at speeds up to 50 kilometers per hour.
Drivers do not need to look at the road but they are not allowed to leave the driver’s seat as they must operate vehicles in the event of an emergency.

In addition to onboard cameras and radar, Legend’s Level 3 system uses satellite positioning and highly accurate map data.

To improve the accuracy, vehicles covered a total of 1.3 million kilometers in testing, a distance equivalent to about 32 trips around Earth. The system uses artificial intelligence to analyze the surrounding conditions and has 10 million pieces of data on such factors as weather and road surfaces.

Last November, the system received preliminary approval from the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, a requirement before a vehicle can be released on the market.

“For Honda, this symbolizes the start of a new challenge,” said Hitoshi Aoki, the head of the model’s development team, at a launch event on Thursday.

Automakers around the world are engaged in fierce competition for the development of automated driving technology. Companies are working together to develop the technology, as it costs huge amounts of money and requires expertise in various fields such as communications and IT.

Honda has invested in Cruise LLC, a company under the umbrella of U.S. automaker General Motors Co., and is working to jointly develop Level 4 technology, which will enable fully autonomous driving under certain conditions.

Toyota Motor Corp. is conducting joint research on automated driving with its capital alliance partners Suzuki Motor Corp., Mazda Motor Corp. and Subaru Corp.

In February, Toyota also formed a partnership with Aurora Innovation Inc., a U.S. firm that develops self-driving technology.

The three-way alliance of Nissan Motor Co., France’s Renault S.A. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. has tied up with Waymo LLC, a Google affiliate that operates self-driving taxis in the United States.

German automakers BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz AG are also scheduled to launch Level 3 models by the end of 2021.

Automakers are also racing to develop Level 4 commercial vehicles. However, technical issues must be solved before they can be driven safely on public roads. A fatal accident occurred in the United States during the testing of an autonomous vehicle, sparking calls for further technological development to enhance safety.
 

 

Comment(s) Write comment

Trackback (You need to login.)