Nissan demos autonomous driving tech in urban Japan

Nissan is celebrating its latest advancements in self-driving technology, after putting a modified Serena minivan through the bustling Minato Mirai district, Japan. What sets this test apart is the complete absence of a human driver within the vehicle, marking the first time in Japan that a car has navigated such a complex urban environment completely autonomously. It seems Nissan is getting serious about its intent to launch a driverless mobility service in Japan, where transportation in an aging society is quickly becoming a challenge.

The technology is a result of years of research and development. Nissan has leveraged expertise from its centers in Japan, Silicon Valley, and participation in the UK's evolvAD project. The test vehicle, based on the popular Serena minivan, is equipped with a comprehensive sensor suite: 14 cameras, nine radars, and six LiDAR sensors. These sensors are all positioned on the vehicle's roof and offer an expanded field of view, which is crucial for navigating intricate Japanese urban traffic - narrow streets with unexpected obstacles pretty much everywhere. The use of advanced artificial intelligence has improved the vehicle's ability to recognize, predict, and react to various scenarios.

Nissan has been conducting extensive testing and demonstrations of its autonomous technology since 2017. The next phase involves service demonstration tests with approximately 20 vehicles in Yokohama, planned for 2025 and 2026. This phase will allow Nissan to build an operational framework and service ecosystem. The ultimate goal is to launch commercial autonomous driving mobility services in 2027, in collaboration with municipalities and transportation operators, supported by remote monitoring.

The project is fairly complicated; it involves the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and Yokohama City. These government bodies are actively promoting the development of new autonomous mobility services through the dedicated Level 4 Mobility Acceleration Committee. Nothing is simple in Japan, and while so many bodies involved mean delays, the partnerships between automakers and government entities are important to advance autonomous driving technology.

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