Delphi to attempt coast-to-coast automated drive

Delphi Automotive is to demonstrate the full capabilities of its active safety technologies with the longest automated drive ever attempted in North America. The coast-to-coast trip will launch near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco on March 22 and will cover approximately 3,500 miles/5,600 kilometres.

The journey will allow Delphi engineers to gather critical data and further advance the company’s active safety technology 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.”    

Recently demonstrated on the streets of Las Vegas at CES 2015, Delphi’s automated driving vehicle leverages a full suite of technologies and features to make this trip possible, including 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.

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 manoeuvre 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.

“Our comprehensive product portfolio and vehicle integration expertise uniquely positions Delphi as one of only a handful of companies with the ability to provide automakers complete automated driving solutions,” said Owens.