On November 5th, 2022, the fifth China International Import Expo opened officially at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. This symbolized the global debut of Honda e:N’s second mass-produced concept car, the e:N2 Concept, which is representative of Honda’s reflection on driving pleasure and space in the electrification era.
This new concept car was developed by Honda’s young elite team in China, and features Honda’s pure electric architecture, e:N Architecture F. Honda emphasizes the importance of chassis tuning and driving experience. Inside the cabin, the e:N2 Concept is equipped with Honda’s self-developed intelligent and ecological system, e:N OS.
Mitsugu Matsukawa, the Executive Vice President and Representative Director of Honda R&D Co., Ltd., said:
Honda will accelerate its various electrification measures in the entire value chain domain, including R&D, procurement, production, sales, and after-sales service. We will further expand our e:N product matrix, and will gradually launch 10 pure electric vehicles by 2027, while providing Chinese customers with e:N products that are full of endless fun through a solid and reliable full value chain system.
Honda SENSING 360 Advanced Driver Assistance System
At this exhibition, Honda released its advanced driver assistance system, “Honda SENSING 360”, which would be first applied to the new CR-V and the XR-V models that would be released in winter of the same year. The system, with its forward-looking camera and 5 millimeter-wave radars, realizes a 360-degree perception and will be applied to all Honda-brand car models before 2030.
This set of driving assistance system has core highlights such as collision protection at crossroads, lane change warning, signaling for lane change, and speed reduction in curves.
Collision Protection
Collision Protection further expands the monitoring scope and strengthens the protection of pedestrians at crossroads. By using the side radar, it senses pedestrians approaching from the side; the forward-looking sensing camera tracks the pedestrians. When there is a risk of collision, the system applies brakes automatically. In addition, it can also monitor oncoming and lateral vehicles, further reducing the risk of collisions at crossroads.
Crossing Prediction
At crossroads with limited visibility, when a vehicle approaching from ahead is detected, the system promptly issues a warning sound to alert the driver of potential collision risks. Crossing Prediction function can detect vehicles traveling at speeds up to 90 km/h, reducing the risk of serious accidents.
Lane Change Assistant
When the driver attempts to change lanes, the system detects the risk of vehicles approaching from behind in the adjacent lane and issues a warning. If the driver still attempts to change lanes after being reminded, in order to avoid collision risks, the system will assist in steering the steering wheel with gentle and natural assistance.
Lane Change Smart Driving
When driving on highways and exclusive lanes, the Active Cruise Control System with Low-Speed Follow and Lane Keeping Assist System can be activated with certain conditions met. After signaling the lane change, the system will assist in steering the vehicle as instructed by the driver, resulting in easier operation.
Curve Smart Driving
By recognizing upcoming curves and curvatures, the system can automatically decelerate to an appropriate speed before arriving at the curve, helping the driver to smoothly exit the curve. The system also provides custom vehicle speed with three options: Slower/Average/Faster.
Honda also expressed that it is continuously upgrading its intelligent networked Honda CONNECT system. Honda’s next-generation, newly upgraded system will fully leverage artificial intelligence technology and user data analysis, and through collaboration with Honda SENSING 360, effectively avoid risks in a timely manner. The new generation Honda CONNECT will be launched in the spring of 2023.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.