Today many cars are available with adaptive cruise control – which can accelerate or slow a car in response to the vehicle it’s following – but what about predictive cruise control?
Honda says it has a new cruise control system that can actually anticipate the actions of other motorists, rather than just reacting to them. Called Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (i-ACC), it’s set to launch on the 2015 CR-V in Europe.
The system is designed to predict when a driver is about to get cut off by another vehicle abruptly entering his or her lane, and respond more quickly than a conventional adaptive cruise control system.
The new system uses a camera and radar sensor to track other vehicles, combined with an algorithm that analyzes their movements and is informed by “extensive real-world research of typical European driving styles,” Honda says.
The carmaker also says i-ACC can compute the likelihood of a cut-off five seconds before it actually happens, leaving time for a less-harsh brake application that’s less disruptive to traffic, and the driver.
The system gradually increases braking force as it sees fit, and a warning appears on the dashboard display in case the driver thinks their car is possessed.
This automotive pre-cog can also recognize which side of the road the car is on, which is important given that CR-Vs with the system will be sold in the U.K. and on the Continent.
Honda will offer i-ACC on the top Executive trim level of the European 2015 CR-V, which goes on sale this spring. It hasn’t announced plans to offer the system in any other markets.
