Nissan Now Showing Off Self-Driving LEAFs To Media In London
We reported recently on the news that Nissan would begin testing its self-driving vehicle technologies in London within the near future. Things are apparently going well in that regard, as Nissan has reportedly begun demonstrating its self-driving LEAF EVs to members of the press in “The Big Smoke,” a nickname for London that its leaders would probably like to evolve beyond.
The recent media showcase represents the first time that Nissan has demonstrated its self-driving vehicle technologies in “Europe” (yes, I know that some Brits and Irish don’t like to be lumped together with those in continental Europe…). Testing of the technology on public roads has been ongoing in Japan and the US for quite some time now, though.
Green Car Congress provides more:
“Nissan showed to the media its real-world testing of next-generation autonomous drive prototype vehicles taking place in the east of London.
“Participants in the passenger and rear seats were given the opportunity to experience the technology, which comprises millimeter wave radar, laser scanners, cameras, high-speed computer chips, and a specialized HMI (Human Machine Interface), among others. All of this helps allow the vehicle to operate in an autonomous manner on both highway and city/urban roads including runabouts once the destination points are entered into the navigation system.
“The London test follows recent announcements that both the updated Qashqai and the new Nissan LEAF, both coming in the near future, will be equipped with ProPILOT autonomous drive technology to enable single lane autonomous driving on highways. Meanwhile, last year in Japan, Nissan launched the Serena, its first model to be fitted with ProPILOT. In December ProPILOT autonomous drive in the new Nissan Serena won 2016-2017 Japan Car of the Year Innovation Award.”
The ProPilot technology mentioned above will reportedly allow for completely “hands-free” autonomous vehicle travel on single-lane highways. The company will apparently be relying on a call center to deal with problems that may arise when the technology is in use.
We’re yet to get a good sense of how ProPilot compares with Tesla’s Autopilot, which is widely considered to be the best such suite on the market.
Related:
Carlos Ghosn: Second-Gen Nissan LEAF To Feature ProPilot Tech
Nissan Debuts Autonomous ProPilot Technology — Nearly Hands-Free Highway Cruising
Tesla Throws The Gauntlet: All Cars Made Starting Today Have Self-Driving Hardware
Tesla Autopilot Had 1st Fatality Because It’s Better
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