Audi has tested its piloted driving system on public roads, on an expressway in Florida. The new driver assistance systems that will be used in volume production also include the congestion pilot. In slow-moving traffic up to 60 km/h it relieves the driver of the task of driving while the system automatically accelerates, brakes and steers the vehicle. It reacts cooperatively to other vehicles. Once the traffic jam disperses or the end of the highway has been reached, the driver is prompted to take back control. If the driver fails to respond, the system safely brings the car to a standstill.
The test car in Florida was an Audi A7 Sportback, it was equipped with 22 sensors, including a laser scanner. The central driver assistance control unit (zFAS) processes the data recorded with the sensors. This high-performance unit continually builds up a complete picture of the vehicle surroundings using the sensor data. Thanks to its power and compact dimensions – comparable to a tablet computer – the zFAS represents an important step on the way to the volume-production launch of the congestion pilot.
