Honda Running Autonomous Tests in "Ghost Town"

At this point it probably is safe to say that that just about every automaker on the face of the planet is at least exploring the possibility of developing autonomous automobiles, if not full-on testing them out in the field right now to determine what adjustments must be made to get these self-driving cars out on actual roads as soon as safely possible. In fact, many of the advanced safety features that make autonomous driving possible, like frontal collision mitigation, lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control, already exist in some vehicles. The future is rapidly approaching, and Honda is doing everything they can to be at the front of the line when breakthroughs are inevitably made.


One way that the Honda process of testing these autonomous vehicles is different from other companies is that they actually purchased a five-acre “ghost town” in California to put their self-driving automobiles to use. Here at Pacific Honda, we always appreciate that so much technology comes from our home state, even if San Diego is a far cry from the San Francisco suburb of Concord, where these tests are occurring.

A decommissioned part of the Concord Naval Weapons Station that once served as home to military personnel, this unoccupied small swath of city allows Honda to teach cars how to stop at stop signs, avoid pedestrians, and even drive around a mannequin standing in the middle of the road.

While it’s not a perfect system it will go a long way toward helping to get these vehicles to Honda dealers all over the country in packages that are both safe and convenient for customers. It’s exciting work, and we can’t wait to see how it all turns out.