Nissan proves driverless tech on public roads

NISSAN has been developing its driverless vehicle technology since 2017 and recently put its latest prototype to the test on busy public roads in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai region, proving its potential in “a complex urban environment”.

Unlike the brand’s autonomous demonstration last year, during which it put a prototype self-driving Leaf through on-road testing around Yokohama, the latest trial run didn’t have a ‘backup’ driver behind the wheel – instead, an occupant sat in the passenger seat of the vehicle.

The Nissan Serena van, a top seller in Japan, was fitted with 14 cameras, nine radars and six LiDAR sensors, mounted throughout the vehicle, with the Serena’s high roof offering a visibility advantage of previous Leaf-based prototypes.

Nissan used AI alongside the array of cameras and sensors, to improve recognition, behavioural prediction and vehicle control in complex scenarios, and its engineers verified a range of possible scenarios along the test route.

The vehicle was equipped with an emergency stop function and other redundancies, like Nissan team members sitting in a control room ready to act, and of course the occupant within the van itself.

This technology has been developed, Nissan explains, through its research in Japan, at the Nissan Advanced Technology Centre in Silicon Valley, and through its backing of the UK-based evolvAD project.

Nissan has confirmed it is now planning service demonstration tests around Yokohama using 20 of its autonomous drive (AD) equipped vehicles, across 2025 and 2026. It is also building an operational framework and service ecosystem.

The manufacturer plans to use self-driving technology to offer mobility services in Japan from 2027, which it says will “enable freedom of mobility” amidst a growing driver shortage that is the result of an ageing population.

The plans are backed by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism; other government ministries through a Level 4 Mobility Acceleration Committee.

Meanwhile, self-driving solutions continue to accelerate in the United States as Hyundai beats Tesla to the robo-taxi punch via third party service providers like Waymo (formerly Google’s self-driving project) and emerging player Avride.

Waymo is already operating in parts of California, Arizona, and Texas using Jaguar I-Pace and Chrysler Pacifica models in its autonomous fleet, but the company recently shared plans to purchase Hyundai Ioniq 5 models.

Earlier this month Texas-based self-driving technology startup Avride also partnered with Hyundai to expand its robo-taxi fleet with 100 Ioniq 5 models.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk promised a similar robo-taxi service by mid-year, during the Tesla Q4 2024 Earnings Call, but it might just be Hyundai and Nissan that win the self-driving race with real-world runs on the board.