Honda looks to first commercial driverless car in 2026
Honda Motor is aiming to be the first company in the world to ship a commercial driverless car in 2026.
The Honda 0 Series is a completely new electric vehicle platform that will be shown at the CES show in January and launched in 2026.
The technologies it plans to use in this next generation software defined vehicle can expand eyes-off automated functions to all driving situations, the first such vehicle, it says. It is already testing the systems in India.
Automated Driving and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (AD/ADAS) are key, using unsupervised learning from Helm,ai, along with internet of things (IoT) and connected technologies.
Honda showed two concept models of the Honda 0 Series, the Saloon and the Space-Hub, at CES this year with plans to launch a production model of the Saloon that is 100kg lighter than previous EVs. It plans seven 0 Series models globally by 2030, including small-, medium- and large-size vehicles.
The company is developing its own vehicle operating system for a software defined vehicles with Nissan that provides over the air (OTA) updates, and teams with Renesas Electronics for the controllers.
In 2021 Honda launched Level 3 automated driving in its Legend equipped with Honda SENSING Elite Lidar laser sensing system with conditional driving automation in limited areas. The 0 Series models will use this to offer more affordable automated driving vehicles and eyes-off technology in traffic congestion on highways that will continue to evolve via OTA updates for driverless car functions.
Mercedes has been shipping cars with level 3 autonomy in the US and Germany and is working to L4, while Tesla has Full Self Driving software which is also L3, but Honda has gone further to aim at full self-driving in all driving situations, which would be Level 5.
This is enabled by AI technology that combines unsupervised learning technology of Helm.ai and the behaviour models of experienced drivers, which enable AI to learn with smaller amounts of data and provide highly accurate driver assistance.
This will allow the system to accurately predict risks and smoothly avoid them, even while driving on roads that are new to the driver/vehicle, enabling Honda to quickly expand the range of automated driving and driver assistance.
The motor and inverter technologies Honda has amassed through the development of hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs) will be used for a compact and highly efficient e-Axle. The inverter is 40% smaller, which made it possible to achieve a horizontal layout package where the inverter is placed side by side with the motor, something that has been difficult to achieve in the past. This compact e-Axle enables low-height styling and maximises the cabin space.
The Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) battery case will be made approximately 6% thinner by using mega casting and 3D friction stir welding (FSW) technology and reduces the number of components from more than 60 to 5.
The body structure is designed to disperse the impact of a collision, reducing the space needed to protect the battery will be reduced, which will result in a larger area available for mounting a battery. With these technologies, a lighter and thinner battery pack will be installed with maximum efficiency, contributing to a longer range.
Honda also aims to limit the degradation of battery capacity to less than 10% after 10 years of use by applying battery degradation diagnosis and prediction technology that taps into driving data from 5m hybrid vehicles.
The thin battery pack and a newly developed compact e-Axle, the original Honda low-floor technology enables a low centre of gravity and low inertia by placing heavy components low and in the centre of the vehicle. This stabilizes vehicle behaviour and enables sporty driving.
Honda has developed an active aerodynamic system that will automatically activate the front aero deflector according to the vehicle speed and other factors. The front aero deflector is installed under the floor to reduce air resistance for all vehicle body types including the ones with high vehicle height or with styling that is susceptible to air resistance, such as SUVs.
High-precision attitude estimation and stabilization control based on 3D gyro sensors, which Honda has developed through its robotics research so that the behaviour of the driverless car will be stabilized before it becomes unstable to achieve smooth turning. During acceleration, the electric motor and brake system will work together to control tyre grip promptly and accurately, ensuring stable and comfortable acceleration on various types of road surfaces.
By combining battery management technology, developed originally for hybrids with newly developed thermal management technology, including that of the battery, the Honda 0 Series models will improve efficiency for a range over 300 miles.
To cope with winter weather, when the decline in range due to the use of the heater and other equipment is a concern, the 0Series driverless car will use radiant infrared heating and a heat pump to reduce energy consumption by 13%.
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