Opel Insignia demonstrates low speed and highway speed automated driving
Rüsselsheim/Detroit. General Motors and Opel are demonstrating their commitment to the future of automated driving and connected mobility at the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress (September 7-11) by showcasing an Opel Insignia research vehicle, an automated Chevrolet EN-V 2.0 concept vehicle and a Chevrolet Cruze equipped with vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) connectivity.
“GM will put its first V2V-enabled car on the road in about two years. What’s more I am announcing that we will bring an advanced, highly-automated driving technology to the market in the same time frame,” said GM CEO Mary Barra.
“At GM, we have a renewed passion, the financial resources, the technology and the talent to think big, to step up our investments and take calculated risks. I am listening to customers and they want unfettered personal mobility. They expect us to help mitigate if not eliminate the congestion, pollution and traffic accidents. To me, these aren’t noble causes but imperatives,” continued Barra.
Opel Insignia Research Vehicle
An Opel Insignia will demonstrate intelligent and connected technologies on the south side of the city island. This vehicle, equipped with cameras, LiDAR sensors (Light Detection And Ranging), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication technologies, demonstrates a future vehicle that can handle both low-speed, stop-and-go city driving and highway-speed automated driving.
The six LiDAR sensors in the bumpers of the Insignia constantly use light scanning to identify objects around the car. The forward pointing camera on top of the car reads lane markings and detects other objects. The V2V and V2I technologies located in an antenna on top of the car work to communicate with other objects that the vehicle encounters. The car also uses GPS satellite to constantly remain aware of its position on the roadways. All of these inputs are fused through GM’s sensor fusion technology to enable 360 degrees of awareness and object detection.
EN-V 2.0 Concept
The Electric Networked-Vehicle (EN-V) 2.0 showcases the latest in intelligent and connected automotive technologies. After debuting the original two-wheeled EN-V concept in 2010 at Shanghai World Expo, this iteration offers a four-wheeled drive system that combines cameras, Lidar and V2X to offer a hands-free, low-speed electric driving experience.
The EN-V 2.0 has many of the same technologies that power the Opel Insignia research vehicle at low speeds. The small electric concept vehicle, however, is built strictly for low speeds. The EN-V 2.0 and the Opel Insignia research vehicle will interact on the same road on Belle Isle.
Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) Technology Demonstration
GM is demonstrating other potential uses of V2X communication technology by presenting a Chevrolet Cruze equipped with vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication technology.
At Belle Isle, mock construction sites are set up on the road course, and participants will be driven in the Cruze toward the work areas. Mannequin “workers” in the construction area are blocked from the view of the driver and passengers, however, they are equipped with arm bands that communicate their location to the oncoming Cruze via warning lights blinking on the “head’s up” windshield display. In the future, V2P communication technology could be integrated into more aspects of pedestrian life, enhancing driver awareness of pedestrians.
“Being at the vanguard, we clearly have a lot of work ahead of us. But we will put the time to good use by accelerating our R&D and vehicle engineering efforts, engaging with regulators around the world and most importantly, talking to the customers,” concluded Barra.
