Japanese automaker Nissan has demonstrated its latest autonomous drive technology on public roads in Europe for the first time.
The demo took part in the east of London. Prior to this, the automaker has carried out public-road testing of self-driving tech in Japan and the US.
The vehicles have been equipped with autonomous driving technology which includes millimeter wave radar, laser scanners, cameras, high-speed computer chips, and a specialized HMI (Human Machine Interface).
Nissan said the sensors working in unison can operate the vehicle autonomously on both highways and city or urban roads.
The company says that Nissan Intelligent Mobility is an integrated solution to realise the challenges of climate change, traffic congestion, road fatalities and increasing air pollution.
Nissan is planning to launch a multi-lane autonomous driving technology in the US and in China markets. The technology enables to change lanes autonomously on highways and is planned for launch in 2018.
By 2020, the company plans to launch vehicles with autonomous driving on urban roads and intersections.
With Nissan Intelligent Mobility, it claims to reduce the impact of these issues by making transportation safer, smarter and more sustainable.
Nissan is also developing connected cars that can interact with humans, other cars and road infrastructure. This, it says that it can be lead to remote vehicle operation reduced traffic jams, more efficient car sharing and improved energy management.
This is apart from its investment in alternative fuel technologies such as electric, hybrid and fuel cell technologies.
Nissan Research and Advanced Engineering senior vice president Takao Asami said: "Innovation and ingenuity is at the heart of the Nissan brand and its people.
"This test of Nissan's forthcoming autonomous drive technology in the demanding conditions of London streets underlines our commitment to delivering Nissan Intelligent Mobility to our customers."
