A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls a driving mode of a self-driving vehicle (SDV). One or more processors compare a control processor competence level of an on-board SDV control processor in controlling the SDV to a human driver competence level of a human driver in controlling the SDV while the SDV encounters a current roadway condition which is a result of current weather conditions of the roadway on which the SDV is currently traveling. One or more processors then selectively assign control of the SDV to the SDV control processor or to the human driver while the SDV encounters the current roadway condition based on which of the control processor competence level and the human driver competence level is relatively higher to one another.

A method, medium, and apparatus for educating and reducing risk to inexperienced drivers using vehicles with autonomous navigation systems. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and operating environments may be used to proactively warn the driver about a potential danger detected or predicted by the vehicle. An autonomous vehicle may prevent the driver from operating the vehicle under unfamiliar circumstances or from causing a collision. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and the safety features thereof may be used to mitigate risk of injury or property damage by selectively activating safety features in a new vehicle which the driver has not previously driven. Data regarding a driver's past experience with vehicles and safety features thereof may be used to determine a decreased or increased rental rate for a particular vehicle.

A vehicle traveling control device is capable of implementing an automatic driving mode that can cause an own vehicle to travel following a preceding vehicle within a predetermined speed range. The vehicle traveling control device includes an acquiring unit that acquires traffic congestion information relating to a traffic congestion nearby the own vehicle, and a control unit that suppresses acceleration of the own vehicle in a first case in which presence of a traffic congestion is detected based on the traffic congestion information, and the own vehicle can be accelerated, during implementation of the automatic driving mode.

An autonomous driving system includes a target object position recognition unit configured to recognize a target object position detected by a vehicle-mounted sensor based on map information in a map database, a vehicle position recognition unit configured to recognize a vehicle position, a relative-relationship-on-map acquisition unit configured to acquire a relative-relationship-on-map between the target object and the vehicle based on the target object position and the vehicle position on the map, a detected-relative-relationship acquisition unit configured to acquire a detected-relative-relationship between the target object detected by the sensor and the vehicle based on a result of detection performed by the sensor, a map accuracy evaluation unit configured to evaluate map accuracy of the map information based on the relative-relationship-on-map and the detected-relative-relationship, and an autonomous driving permission unit configured to permit an autonomous driving control using the map information based on the result of evaluation of the map accuracy.

Systems and methods are provided for applying an adaptive drive mode to a vehicle, including: the vehicle detecting selection of a drive mode and setting vehicle systems to correspond to the selected drive mode to place the vehicle in the selected drive mode; an adaptive drive mode circuit using vehicle sensor data to determine whether the vehicle is in a low-range mode of operation; and modifying the vehicle system settings that correspond to the selected drive mode if the vehicle is in low-range mode to adapt the vehicle system settings that correspond to the selected drive mode for the low-range mode of operation.

A display device for displaying at least one of outputs related to traveling of a hybrid vehicle includes a first area that indicates a first output in a first mode and indicates a second output in a second mode, a second area provided side by side with the first area and that indicates a third output in the second mode, and a third area provided in a position adjacent to the second area, and that indicates a range of the first output where a possibility that the internal combustion engine starts is high. The first area has a first display portion that changes according to the first output in the first mode and the second output in the second mode. The second area has a second display portion that changes according to the third output in the second mode.

A method for operating a management program that is provided to manage at least one intervention from at least one application program in a motor vehicle into at least one component of the motor vehicle. When establishing the extent of the at least one intervention, information being made available from outside of the vehicle is taken into account.

A vehicle running mode control method may include detecting, by a mode controller, a mode switching from an electric vehicle mode (EV mode) to a hybrid electric vehicle mode (HEV mode) while a vehicle runs; and performing a continuously variable transmission (CVT) cooperative mode switching control in which a drive motor is connected to an engine by engaging a clutch by operating the CVT.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide geolocation based operation of a vehicle by generating a configuration profile for one or more geolocations along a particular route. For each of a plurality of trips a vehicle takes along a route, a set of sensors may be polled at regular intervals as the vehicle travels along the route to obtain vehicle trip data at each interval. The vehicle trip data obtained at each interval may be associated with a geolocation of the vehicle at the interval. For each of the one or more geolocations of the vehicle along the route, a corresponding configuration profile may be generated based on the vehicle trip data associated with the geolocation across the plurality of trips to generate a set of configuration profiles, wherein each of the set of configuration profiles comprises instructions to modify a configuration setting of one or more components of the vehicle.

An apparatus, method and computer program product are provided for providing audio-based navigation. In one example, the apparatus determines reliability of a navigation technique for a vehicle. If the navigation technique is unreliable, the apparatus causes the vehicle to rely on audio-based navigation to traverse a route. The audio-based navigation provides one or more navigational instructions based on a sound signature associated with a location.