GoMentum Station, along with Honda and the City of Concord, showcased Honda’s automated vehicle testing program at GoMentum Station with miles of paved roadway on a 5,000-acre site.
The automaker’s second-generation automated development vehicle a modified version of the Acura RLX Sport Hybrid SH-AWD luxury performance sedan thas been fitted with a new suite of radar, Lidar, camera and GPS sensors, complemented by higher performance CPUs and GPUs, and improved cabling, heat management and circuitry.
Honda intends to put automated driving technologies into practical use on highways around 2020, supported by inter-connected research efforts in Japan, Europe and the U.S. Honda’s research at GoMentum Station is spearheaded by Honda Research Institute USA.
The demonstration of connected and autonomous vehicles at GoMentum highlights the need for federal action to preserve the 5.9 GHz radio spectrum for the use of Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC), a wireless technology optimized for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) safety applications. The use of DSRC can help address up to 80% of non-alcohol-related vehicle collisions according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
“DSRC-enabled vehicles can make the nation’s roads safer for all users, including pedestrians,” said Edward Cohen, vice president, Government and Industry Affairs, Honda North America. “To accomplish the goal of enhancing road user safety, we need the support of policymakers to preserve 5.9 GHz radio spectrum.”
“Spectrum is a prized resource – and there is no better use of the portion dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems than to save lives on our nation’s highways,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Association of Global Automakers. “We need to ensure that public policy encourages the significant societal benefits that come with connected and automated vehicle technologies.”
The area was the former Concord Naval Weapons Station in Concord, Calif. The Concord Naval Weapons Station is best known for the Port Chicago disaster in 1944. A massive ammunition explosion caused the largest number of African American deaths in any incident during World War II. The Concord NWS is a Superfund cleanup site.
Honda Research Institute USA (HRI-US) conducts research in the areas of computer and materials science, and develops strategic partnerships with public and private institutions to foster innovation.