Audi is participating in the “Cooperative Highly-Automated Driving” initiative (Ko-HAF).
Ko-HAF will develop standards and technologies that enable cooperative driving between highly-automated vehicles in road traffic – such as merging with traffic on highways. At first, testing will be computer simulations. Then there will be test drives on closed sites and later on public roads.
Also working on the project are German car manufacturers, suppliers and universities.
The project will develop precise street models for creating digital maps and locating cars via digital/environmental sensors. There will be ways to allow the driver to safely take control of the car while driving. Anticipatory automated driving will be explored for optimized traffic flow, more comfort and increased road safety
In July 2015, a Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept car completed a series of faster laps on the Californian Sonoma Raceway.
The initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy.
For CES, an Audi A7 self-driving concept car drove from Stanford in Silicon Valley via Bakersfield to Las Vegas. At CES Asia in May 2015, journalists also had an opportunity to experience piloted driving – in the heavy traffic of the Shanghai city highway.
A consortium of German automakers (AUDI, BMW and Daimler AG/Mercedes-Benz) announced that they will acquire the Nokia HERE mapping and location services business for precise maps for autonomous driving.
The Delphi Road Runner self-driving car was the first autonomous vehicle to self-drive across the United States. Audi is one of the leaders in the self-driving car race.