The World’s First SAE L3 Certified Self-Driving Car Is Here, But It Is Not From Tesla
The Honda Legend Hybrid EX will take credit for becoming the world’s first SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) L3 (Level 3) certified self-driving (i.e. autonomous) car. L3 autonomy is not yet fully driverless, that would require L5 certification. What this allows is for the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel for a considerable amount of time, leaving complete control to the car’s autonomous driving system. This means the Legend is the first car to be L3 certified (per SAE and the US Department of Transportation standards) in the start of 2021.
The Honda Legend is a luxury sedan, which is one of the flagship models of the Japanese automaker. Incorporating an autonomous driving system adds more features available to the driver. The system is called Honda Sensing Elite and is a form of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System). Among the many features it allows are self-driving capabilities on the highway and overtake and pass vehicles to cross onto another lane without the driver’s help.
We have become accustomed to SAE L2 vehicles.This is what you see with the Audi Traffic Jam Assist, Cadillac Super Cruise, Mercedes-Benz Driver Assistance Systems, Tesla Autopilot and Volvo Pilot Assist. They provide some level of self-driving, but require more involvement from the driver. On some of the vehicles, drivers are recommended to keep their hands on the steering wheel to show the system they are paying attention to the road. L2 does not afford the driver to fully trust the autonomous feature since there are limitations to it. It is at best partial driving automation.
SAE L3 Autonomy
With L3 autonomy (Conditional Driving Automation), the driver does not need to be engaged with the car during operation. That does not mean that the car is fully capable of autonomous driving. This is under certain driving conditions as explained further (from Synopsys):
Level 3 vehicles have “environmental detection” capabilities and can make informed decisions for themselves, such as accelerating past a slow-moving vehicle.
The driver can still override the system and take over control when it is needed. This is part of conditional automation. This allows the car to manage most aspects of driving that also includes monitoring the environment around the car.
A fail-safe measure that is part of the system is calling for driver intervention when the car encounters a problem it cannot handle. When this scenario occurs, the car will send an alert and allow the driver to take over.
Honda Sensing Elite
At the hear of the Legend’s autonomous driving system is the Honda Sensing Elite. According to Honda:
The name “Elite” represents the outstanding and “elite” technologies included in this latest variation.
The Traffic Jam Pilot is one the Honda Sensing Elite’s premium elite features. This allows the driver to give total control to the driving system in certain conditions that include congested traffic and highway driving. The car takes control of the acceleration and braking without the driver’s permission, and steering on the driver’s behalf.
The Hands-Off function engages the autonomous driving used in Traffic Jam Pilot, Adaptive in Lane Driving and Active Lane Change Assist. The system is disengaged when the driver puts their hands back on the wheel. During the time the driver has the system engaged with their hands off the wheel, they can do other things. The driver can listen to music, watch movies, play games and even relax. Perhaps taking a nap is the worst thing to do since this is not a fully driverless car.
When the system encounters problems that it cannot resolve it resorts back to the driver. When disengaged the system will inform the driver in the form of visual, auditory and tactile alerts to take back control. If the driver does not respond, the car will engage the Emergency Stop Assist feature and pull the car over to safety while slowly decelerating and turning on the hazard lights. This is an advanced safety feature that could aid a driver in the case of a medical emergency or if the driver suddenly passes out.
From the looks of it, the Honda Sensing Elite is a complex interaction of software using AI and advanced sensors. The system incorporates LiDAR with cameras and radar to work with the software. Systems like this can easily fail due to bugs as a result of their complexity. Another concern is how secure the system is from external attacks. It doesn’t have to be connected to the Internet for a successful attack, just ask the guys who hacked a Jeep SUV. In any case, if there are systems in place for cybersecurity and fault-tolerance then it is better off.
Synopsis
The Legend will only be available in limited release for leasing purposes in Japan. It doesn’t appear like Honda wants to mass produce this particular vehicle, although there have been headlines that this is what is going to happen in 2021. Most reports and even Honda themselves have stated that these cars are for limited release with only 100 in production. It is also only available for lease at retail $102,000.
Honda has leap-frogged everyone in the autonomous or self-driving car industry that includes Audi and Tesla. While this is an accomplishment, I would say that it is mostly on paper as some form of validation of Honda’s technical accomplishments. This is because Audi would have been the first L3 certified car but they abandoned its implementation. There seems to be some regulatory concerns with the system, so Audi decided to push for it perhaps to avoid liability in case of any incidents. Honda will soon introduce L3 features to its other models, but just how soon that is will depend on how they can mass produce to keep pace with demand.
Does this accomplishment take anything away from Tesla? For years it seems Tesla has the most advanced autonomous driving system, yet they have never been certified at L3 or beyond. For the most part, Tesla’s Autopilot is classified as L2 so Honda going to L3 seems to have overtaken Elon Musk and his engineers. Actually, I don’t see it that way. Tesla has a grander plan for self-driving cars, and it is getting ahead of everybody by going for fully autonomous driving or L5. That would be the ultimate feat in accomplishment since many critics have been saying that the technology is still decades away. According to Tesla, it could be possible as early as 2021 as FSD (Full Self-Driving) is now under beta testing.
Honda could make good use of L3 features, but it doesn’t seem it is headed for the retail market just yet. The infrastructure is not quite up to it too since there are not that many cars with autonomous features. It would still have to deal with the whole concept of driverless vehicles as a mass consumer product, when it remains to be seen due to the prices. Honda would also have to contend with how these cars might perform outside of Japanese road conditions, like in less developed countries. Whatever the outcome, this is Honda’s path moving forward to autonomous driving.
