Honda announced Tuesday that it will begin testing its self-driving cars at California's Concord Naval Weapons Station, further adding to the Bay Area's reputation as a home for autonomous vehicle technology.
The 2,100-acre former military base, also known as the "GoMentum Station," is the same spot that Mercedes-Benz has picked to test its own self-driving cars, according to Silicon Valley. The facility comes with about 20 miles of paved roadways, parking lots, tunnels, freeway underpasses, railroad crossings and streets designed after city grids.
Honda's tests will take place under a new partnership with the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. The Japanese automaker will focus on making improvements to its self-driving Acura RLX sedan.
GoMentum's components will allow Honda to change the facility and testing environment in order to simulate conditions that autonomous vehicles will encounter on public roads, Tech Times reported.
Paul Cummings, a spokesman for Honda Research Institute U.S.A, said GoMentum is the best spot for the company to test its self-driving cars, adding that the tests "will bring a new level of robustness to Honda's industry-leading efforts in the area of automated and connected vehicle technology."
Honda's new partnership is the latest example of the Bay Area serving as a place to work on automotive projects, Silicon Valley reported. Other companies using the area include Nissan and NASA, which announced a five-year partnership in January that will have them build and test self-driving cars at the space agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field in Mountain View, as well as Google, which is working on its own self-driving car.
Other moves Honda has taken in its push for fully autonomous vehicles include introducing new self-driving tech in fall of 2014 and forming a partnership with the University of Michigan to build M City, a facility aimed at helping researchers find new ways to test self-driving cars in a realistic and safe environment, Tech Times reported. The ultimate goal for the automaker is a "collision-free society."
