The future is now just a matter of days away, with Nissan confirming plans to bring driverless cars to London’s streets next month.
Having recently shunned Brexit woes to confirm it would manufacturer two new cars here in Blighty, Nissan has now extended its UK love with the announcement that London will play host to Europe’s first real-word self-driving car trials.
The car getting ready to ditch its driver before hitting London streets is a modified version of the Nissan Leaf, a small, electric vehicle.
Building on the technology that has already been trialled on large, open roads such as motorways, Nissan suggested its new driverless cars will be able to manage “a diverse city environment.”
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This will mark the first time such tests have been held in Europe, with the US and Asia having to date dominated the emerging driverless car scene to date.
The move is part of the manufacturer’s Nissan Intelligent Mobility movement that aims to transform how cars are “driven, powered and integrated into wider society.”
As part of the tests, passengers including government officials and safety experts will ride shotgun in the autonomous vehicles.
“In just a few weeks’ time, there will be Nissan Leafs driving on the streets of London using our autonomous driving technology,” Paul Willcox, chairman of Nissan Europe, said.
“Nissan Intelligent Mobility is happening right now, right here in the UK and across Europe.”
Business and Energy Secretary Greg Clark added: “Government and industry are working together to build on our world-class reputation for excellence as a leading location for automotive R&D and manufacturing.
“We want to see centres like Nissan’s continue to develop, making us a world leader in the development and testing of auto technology so we can anchor the next generation of vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain here in the UK.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
