It's 10 a.m. on a blustery October morning, and we're shivering in a parking lot the size of a football field at the storied General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Mich., about 40 miles from Detroit. In the distance, camouflaged future cars whiz by on a six-lane highway, while a prototype with a supercharged engine echoes in the thickly settled woods. A full-size sedan maneuvers itself tidily into a space, flush between two parked cars, while an SUV performs an emergency braking maneuver without driver input.
Welcome to the grown-up sandbox for the car-obsessed.
We've traveled to Milford, home of The Next Big Things to experience the latest in GM's advances in crash avoidance technology and driver assistance. The plot of land that we're standing on is part of an unfinished addition to the proving grounds that will eventually showcase these technologies, which range from beeps and flashes to autonomously applied steering and braking control. When it's finished, according to engineering group manager Doug Donaldson, it will comprise a dynamics pad capable of showing off advancements in pedestrian and curb detection; highways surfaces and lane markings designed to mimics those from around the world; and different types of on- and off-ramps for demonstration purposes. Donaldson, and his team of validation engineers, are hopeful that the "years of work" that have gone into the facility will complement existing tech development.
What follows is a survey of what we experienced at the proving grounds in production vehicles that already feature these technologies, and a look at some forthcoming advancements.
(Editor's note: Although our cameras were not allowed at the heavily guarded facility, a photographer was on-site to provide us with the images for this story.)
As much as these systems are designed to help drivers avoid crashes, that's also the extent of their capability. Engineers admit that the use of technology like forward collision mitigation and automatic braking-in which the vehicle is equipped with sensors to automatically apply the brakes before a crash, in the driver's absence-cannot prevent all crashes. In real-life situations where we test vehicles, it's nearly impossible to test automatic braking without breaking into a sweat. GM adapts automatic braking for forward collision warning and rear obstacle detection.
That's how we found ourselves in a Chevrolet Tahoe full-size SUV hurtling toward an obstacle at about 15 mph. Approaching the foam obstacle, our test driver continued to accelerate as the car sensed that a collision was imminent. Sensors detected the stationary object ahead, and within inches of a potential crash, applied full braking pressure. We repeated the test three times-just to be safe-with the same results each time. Had we been traveling at 50 mph, our test driver said, the system would have lessened the impact of the crash, but not completely prevented it. Thank you, laws of physics.
Our visit to GM's testing facility coincided with National Teen Driver Safety Week, during which the automaker is attempting to promote these driver assistance features as supplementary support for new drivers. Ironically, according to Kirk Ferris of Michigan's Secretary of State, these driver assistance technologies may be interfering with traditional driver education and testing. Ferris said that current testing methods require those being tested to disable driver assistance technology in order to demonstrate mastery of basic skills.
However the future does play out, it's clear that this technology is fast on its way from the development labs to showrooms.
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