Honda is the last carmaker to join the Level 3 automated driving tech bandwagon, launching the new ‘Sensing Elite’ Level 3 driver-assistance system in the Legend at its home market in Japan. The Japanese carmaker will offer a limited number of Legend Hybrid EX models fitted with the new Level 3 hands-free driving assistance system via leasing in Japan, starting on March 5.

Honda has integrated the new automated driving sensors into the body panels of the Legend Hybrid, “while discreetly highlighting the vehicle’s automated driving capability”. In addition, there are new indicator lights for the Sensing Elite inside the Legend Hybrid, together with a 12.3-inch screen to provide an intuitive understanding of how the system works, the current driving situation, and any requests for the driver to take over control of the vehicle.

 

Honda has already received the appropriate certification from the Japanese authorities for the Traffic Jam Pilot, which is included in the new Sensing Elite suite of systems, allowing drivers to legally take their hands off the wheel under specific conditions. Honda’s Level 3 automated driving system determines the position of the vehicle and road conditions using data from 3-dimensional high-definition maps and via the global navigation satellite system (GNSS). The vehicle’s surroundings are detected via several external sensors which provide a 360-degree input. The system also utilizes a monitoring camera to track the condition of the driver.

The Japanese carmaker says that they have developed the system on highways, with the testing phase covering around 1.3 million km and simulating approximately 10 million patterns of possible real-world situations.

 

Honda’s new Sensing Elite system can perform lane changes on its own, either via confirmation from the driver or autonomously under certain conditions, drive and steer the vehicle with no hands on the steering wheel on the highway, and take control of driving during a traffic jam.

In case the driver is unresponsive to multiple system requests for a handover, the system will safely bring the vehicle to a stop while alerting other road users around with hazard lights and the horn. If the system has detected the presence of a road shoulder, it will also make lane changes until the vehicle reaches the shoulder of the road for a safe stop.