Nissan has completed a trial run of a driverless car through the streets of London, making it the first time the manufacturer has done an autonomous vehicle test in Europe.
The test saw a modified Nissan LEAF, equipped with radar sensors, laser scanners, cameras plus high-speed computer chips, drive through urban roads in London at speeds of up to 50mph.
Tackling local streets and major multi-lane roads along the way, the autonomous car has been tested near the ExCeL exhibition centre and London City Airport. The LEAF demonstrated the technology Nissan they hope will influence the future of travel.
The inside of the modified LEAF has a button which can switch the car between standard driving and self-driving modes. There’s also a display screen that identifies the nearest vehicles to the car in red and green, also showing the speed the car is travelling.
Nissan picked London for its European autonomous tests thanks to Britain’s more flexible approach to the testing of such vehicles.
The director of Nissan’s Research Center, Dr. Maarten Sierhuis, said: “It's not everywhere in Europe that we can go and drive on the road.”
Commenting on the specific testing area, Sierhuis added: “You don't want to go to the most difficult parts of London when you start. The system has to be tested.”
Though the driverless Nissan has not mastered the entirety of London, this recent test can be seen as a small but intriguing step forward for the future of driverless cars in cities. Volvo is another manufacturer which plans to trial autonomous cars in London in the near future, with a small fleet of modified XC90 SUVs.
