honda testing innovative automated vehicle technology at bay
TRANSCRIPT
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ·∙ 1919 Torrance Blvd. ·∙ Torrance, California 90501-‐2746 ·∙ Phone (310) 783-‐3170 ·∙ Fax (310) 783-‐3622 Media Web Site: www.hondanews.com Consumer Web Site: www.honda.com
CONCORD, CA – Today, Honda announced that it has commenced testing of its automated and
connected vehicle technology at the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS) in the San Francisco Bay
Area. Under the terms of an agreement reached with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA)
in conjunction with the City of Concord, Honda will use the newly branded “GoMentum Station” test-‐
bed site at the CNWS to advance its technologies. Honda also plans to participate in a consortium
committed to making Contra Costa County home to a premier testing facility for automated drive
technologies.
GoMentum Station, a 5,000-‐acre facility, is the largest secure test-‐bed of its kind, located at the
CNWS. The CNWS was officially closed in 2007 and is currently in the process of being transferred to the
City of Concord. GoMentum Station contains 20-‐miles of paved, city-‐like roadway grids, buildings and
other urban infrastructure, providing a realistic environment that will help accelerate the development
of automated and connected vehicle technologies. The public will not have access to the test-‐bed site,
and the automated vehicle testing will be restricted to GoMentum Station.
Honda will leverage modified versions of Acura’s flagship RLX sedan for development and
testing at GoMentum Station. New prototype sensors and cameras added to the vehicle will work hand-‐
in hand with the extensive array of forward, reverse and corner sensors that enable a suite of
AcuraWatch™ safety and driver assistive technologies on the production RLX.
Honda Testing Innovative Automated Vehicle Technology at Bay Area Navy Base
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
CONTACTS:
Matt Sloustcher Corporate Affairs & Communications, Honda 310. 357.5711 [email protected]
Linsey Willis Director of External Affairs, CCTA 925.256.4728 [email protected]
ISSUED BY:
Press Release: Honda Testing Innovative Automated Vehicle Technology at Bay Area Navy Base Page 2
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ·∙ 1919 Torrance Blvd. ·∙ Torrance, California 90501-‐2746 ·∙ Phone (310) 783-‐3170 ·∙ Fax (310) 783-‐3622 Media Web Site: www.hondanews.com Consumer Web Site: www.honda.com
Supporting Statements
“The Concord Naval Weapons Station is an ideal proving ground to augment Honda’s research
and development efforts because it is a controlled environment that can be continuously modified to
represent a wide array of settings that an automated vehicle must navigate, especially for urban
operation,” said Paul Cummings, Group Lead for Systems Integration, Automated Vehicle Research,
Honda Research Institute USA. “This program will bring a new level of robustness to Honda’s industry-‐
leading efforts in the area of automated and connected vehicle technology.”
“The Contra Costa Transportation Authority is committed to supporting innovative research
that will influence transportation and enhance safety for all road users,” said Randy Iwasaki, Executive
Director. “We are very excited to add Honda as a partner as we prepare for the launch of GoMentum
Station. Their impressive study of automated and connected vehicle technology will help us accelerate
the next generation of transportation infrastructure that will make the future of driving safer around the
world.”
“The City of Concord is very pleased to see Honda bring its advanced automated vehicle
research to Contra Costa,” stated Tim Grayson, Mayor of the City of Concord. “We’re very hopeful this
partnership will continue to support economic growth and spur excitement for hi-‐tech jobs in our
community.”
Honda Advanced Technology Leadership
Honda is steadily building its automated and connected car technology portfolio, while bringing
industry-‐leading capabilities to current generation vehicles. In September 2014, the company
demonstrated several of its latest innovations, including a vehicle capable of automated freeway
merging, exiting and lane changing, as well as a unique vehicle-‐to-‐vehicle (V2V) “virtual tow” capability
for assisting a driver in distress, at the ITS World Congress in Detroit.
Consistent with its pursuit of a collision-‐free society, Honda is also broadly deploying advanced
driver-‐assist and early-‐stage automated driving technologies in current vehicles that help improve
drivers’ situational awareness, such as Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Adaptive
Cruise Control with Low-‐Speed Follow, Collision Mitigation Braking System™ and Road Departure
Mitigation. Honda is also leading the industry in the deployment of rearview cameras, to be offered as
standard equipment on all model year 2015 Honda and Acura vehicles.
Press Release: Honda Testing Innovative Automated Vehicle Technology at Bay Area Navy Base Page 3
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ·∙ 1919 Torrance Blvd. ·∙ Torrance, California 90501-‐2746 ·∙ Phone (310) 783-‐3170 ·∙ Fax (310) 783-‐3622 Media Web Site: www.hondanews.com Consumer Web Site: www.honda.com
Complementing this new effort in Northern California, Honda is also a founding partner in the
University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC), a major public-‐private R&D initiative
that aims to lay the foundation for a commercially viable system of connected and automated vehicles,
including the implementation of a working system in Ann Arbor by 2021.
About Honda Research Institute USA
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. HRI-‐US was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Silicon Valley. Learn more at honda-‐
ri.com/HRI_Us/.
About The Contra Costa Transportation Authority
The Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) is a public agency formed by Contra Costa
voters in 1988 to manage the county's transportation sales tax program and oversee countywide
transportation planning efforts. CCTA is responsible for planning, funding and delivering critical
transportation infrastructure projects and programs that connect our communities, foster a strong
economy, increase sustainability, and safely and efficiently get people where they need to go. CCTA also
serves as the county's designated Congestion Management Agency, responsible for putting programs in
place to keep traffic levels manageable. As a transportation leader, CCTA is working to create a stronger
economic future for Contra Costa County by building partnerships that make transportation safer, more
reliable and increasingly efficient. Rather than exclusively trying to “build our way” out of congestion,
CCTA’s vision centers around the use of emerging technologies and public-‐private partnerships to meet
transportation demands and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Contra Costa County. More
information about CCTA can be found online at ccta.net.
About City of Concord
Concord, California is located 29 miles east of San Francisco, adjacent to beautiful Mt. Diablo.
The city covers 31.13 square miles. With a 2010 census count of 122,067 residents, it is the largest city
in Contra Costa County. For more information about the City of Concord, or the redevelopment of the
Concord Naval Weapons Station, please contact Leslye Asera at 925.671.3272 or
About GoMentum Station
GoMentum Station in Concord, California is where the Contra Costa Transportation Authority
leads and facilitates a collaborative partnership among multiple automobile manufacturers; original
Press Release: Honda Testing Innovative Automated Vehicle Technology at Bay Area Navy Base Page 4
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ·∙ 1919 Torrance Blvd. ·∙ Torrance, California 90501-‐2746 ·∙ Phone (310) 783-‐3170 ·∙ Fax (310) 783-‐3622 Media Web Site: www.hondanews.com Consumer Web Site: www.honda.com
equipment manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers; communications suppliers; technology companies;
researchers and academia; public agencies and other partners. At GoMentum Station, technology,
innovation and commercialization will converge to define the next generation of transportation network
infrastructure. More information about GoMentum Station is available at gomentumstation.net.
# # #
Photo: Acura RLX at GoMentum Station