Nissan has begun demonstrations of a prototype vehicle equipped with its in-house-developed, autonomous drive technologies – showcasing progress towards its goal of rolling out autonomous mobility services in a few years’ time.
The Nissan LEAF prototype incorporates 14 cameras, 10 radars and 6 LIDAR sensors. It demonstrates Nissan’s progress in the field of autonomous driving, particularly within complex urban environments.
Compared to earlier prototypes the company has demonstrated, the latest test vehicle features an array of roof-mounted sensors, significantly expanding the detection area and enabling more accurate assessment of its surroundings.
As a result, recognition performance, behavioural prediction and judgment functions, as well as control functions have been enhanced, delivering smooth operation in a variety of complex scenarios.
Around the busy streets of Yokohama, close to Nissan’s global headquarters in Japan, the LEAF prototype is able to smoothly demonstrate its ability to predict the behaviour of pedestrians, conduct lane changes when merging, and judge when to safely enter intersections.
Nissan has been studying business models for future mobility services since 2017. The company aims to continue to expand functionality and to begin offering autonomous-drive mobility services in Japan in 2027, working with third parties such as local authorities and transport operators.
Long-term vision
In the fourth quarter of this fiscal year, Nissan aims to begin trials in the Minato Mirai area, and plans to progress to service demonstration tests next year. During the trials, the level of autonomous driving functionality will be gradually increased while assessing customer acceptance, with the aim to provide driverless services.
Nissan’s long-term vision is to empower mobility by solving transportation issues faced by local communities. Local communities, particularly within Japan, have been facing several mobility challenges, such as driver shortages, which are a result of an ageing population.
Supporting a resolution to this challenge, Nissan will provide a broad range of new services that enable free movement.