Japanese automotive company Nissan Motor has conducted the first public road test of its Nissan LEAF electric vehicle equipped with the company’s Autonomous Drive technology in Tokyo, Japan.
Nissan LEAF used in this event was the first vehicle with Autonomous Drive capability to be granted a license plate in Japan last September.
This event, a part in the development of next-generation mobility, was carried out with the cooperation of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Nissan's prototypes feature the Autonomous Drive technology that detects road conditions and automatically operates the car's main controls, including steering, braking and acceleration.
They can operate in full automatic mode on the expressway, merge into traffic, change lanes and maintain a safe distance from other vehicles.
The road test will help Nissan to develop Autonomous Drive towards its goal of being ready with commercially viable vehicles by 2020.
Nissan vice chairman Toshiyuki Shiga said that through these tests on an expressway, they hope to further advance their technological development, with the goal of soon implementing Autonomous Drive vehicles.
"When starting a new project, serious effort is required to gain an understanding of all the variables involved," Shiga added.
