Delphi to launch coast-to-coast automated drive [WATCH]

GILLINGHAM, U.K.—Delphi Automotive PLC will embark on the longest automated drive ever attempted in North America to demonstrate its active safety technologies. The coast-to-coast trip will launch near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on March 22 and will cover approximately 5,632.7 kilometres.

Delphi engineers will gather critical data to advance development in this rapidly growing segment of the auto industry. During the cross-country trek, the vehicle will be challenged under a variety of driving conditions from changing weather and terrain to potential road hazards—things that could never truly be tested in a lab.

“Delphi had great success testing its car in California and on the streets of Las Vegas,” said Jeff Owens, Delphi’s chief technology officer. “Now it’s time to put our vehicle to the ultimate test by broadening the range of driving conditions. This drive will help us collect invaluable data in our quest to deliver the best automotive-grade technologies on the market.”

Delphi’s automated driving vehicle’s technologies include:

• Radar, vision and Advanced Drive Assistance Systems (ADAS)
• Multi-domain controller: High-end microprocessor to seamlessly drive multiple features and functions
• V2V/V2X: Wireless vehicle communication technology extends the range of existing ADAS functionality
• Intelligent software that enables the vehicle to make complex, human-like decisions for real-world automated driving
• Traffic Jam Assist
• Automated Highway Pilot with Lane Change (on-ramp to off-ramp highway pilot)
• Automated Urban Pilot
• Automated Parking and Valet

Delphi’s active safety technologies enable the vehicle to instantaneously make complex decisions, like stopping and then proceeding at a four-way stop, timing a highway merge or calculating the safest maneuver around a bicyclist on a city street. Many of these driving scenarios have been a limitation for much of the current technology on the market today.

Check out this video of Delphi maneuvering an Audi Q5 utility vehicle outfitted with the autonomous driving technology. Notice that the “driver” is wearing no safety equipment:

Delphi Automotive PLC is a global supplier of technologies for the automotive and commercial vehicle markets.