A Look At Honda’s Self Driving Car

Honda have been given clearance to drive their self driving cars in California, similarly to a number of other manufactures who are currently testing. Here at Cox Motor Parts we have taken a look at how the self driving car is shaping up, and what to expect when it is released which is said to be 2020.
The Honda prototype is a version of an Acura RLX that has been modified to accommodate all of the necessary technology. The car was road tested in Detroit last year. To navigate, the car uses cameras to monitor the lane markings and a number of rear sensors both on the sides and front.
It also uses a laser beacon positioned on the top of the car which continually scans the vehicles surroundings. This innovative piece of technology is similar to the ones used on other prototypes currently being tested in the US like the Google , Toyota and Ford models.
During its test in Detroit the car was manually driven onto a motorway, at which point the driver handed over to the car. The car is said to have comfortably got up to speed, managed lane changes and navigated around some road works before pulling off at the correct junction and slowed down appropriately on the exit ramp.
Google have been extensively road testing their prototype in California and have clocked up over a million miles this year after California passed legislation to all self-drive vehicles to take to the states roads. Now all manufacturers looking to enter the world of self-driving are setting up camp in California to take out extensive tests.
1,775 people died in Britain last year from road accidents and over 30,000 in the USA, and one of the driving forces behind these new cars, as it is thought it can reduce the numbers due to the fact that human error is removed.
The prototype’s chief engineer Hironobu Kiryu said “Honda is aiming to eliminate accidents, not just for the driver but for pedestrians and drivers of other cars”.
In fact the Google prototypes already driving around California have already been involved in over 14 minor collisions, however not one has been the cars fault, instead the fault of human error.
It is hoped the the cars would help ease congestion, lessen the need for traffic lights and would eventually take away the headache of parking, by dropping you off and finding somewhere to park themselves.