Autonomous Vehicle On the Roads of Japan
07/10/2013
Over the past decade, Nissan has made promises to put autonomous cars out on the market by 2020, and they are well on their way to making this dream a reality. According to recent reports from the auto industry, Nissan has developed a self-driving car that is ready to be tested on public roads. The problem with this type of car was not so much the development, according to reports, but more getting the permission to test it out in the public. The Japanese government has granted permission for the automobile company to test its new self-driving vehicle on the streets of Japan, and recently issued its first licence for this type of vehicle. The vehicle holds a specialty number plate, numbered “20 20” to indicate the year that Nissan proposes to have the car out on the market for public consumption.
The new autonomous vehicle from Nissan may look familiar—it is a modified version of the Nissan Leaf, the company’s signature green vehicle. The vehicle does duplicate some autonomous features already found on other vehicles that are currently out on the market. These features include lane centering that occurs automatically, cruise control that is adaptive to the situation the driver is in, and more. However, this vehicle features a host of other autonomous capabilities like the ability to stop at red lights, the ability to change lanes, the ability to exit the motorway or enter the motorway, and the ability to overtake other vehicles that are moving more slowly than the vehicle itself.
Nissan leadership has come out thanking the Japanese government for their support of the project and of the automobile manufacturer and its future. Nissan is aware that road testing is a critical element to its success as a company and to its future in the marketplace as a leader of innovation in car design.
Nissan first announced its plans to be able to sell autonomous vehicles by 2020 in late August 2013. The company has indicated that its plans are to provide the public with a vehicle where it can sit in the driver’s seat without having to take any other action, except telling the car where to go. In the car of 2020, the driver will be able to fold their arms, put their legs up in a comfortable position away from the pedals, and allow the car to get you to wherever it is you want to go.
Nissan’s goal has been marked as a lofty one, but there has been little evidence to suggest that the company will be unable to achieve its goal to have the car on the market by 2020. Nissan has always proven to be a leader in the auto industry. In 2007, the company announced that it would provide an all-electric vehicle to the world by the year 2010. This goal was achieved quickly, and the with the Leaf now the best-selling electric car in the world, consumers are looking to Nissan to create yet another success.
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