Nissan has introduced a new concept called Leaf Piloted Drive 1.0 that highlights the advancements its engineers have made in the field of self-driving technology.
Billed as a follow-up to the experimental, semi-autonomous Leaf that was shown in 2013, the new Piloted Drive 1.0 concept gains five radars, 12 cameras, four laser scanners and a host of ultrasonic sensors that help the hatchback paint an digital image of its surroundings. It’s consequently able to change lanes in heavy traffic, merge onto the freeway, and pass other cars without any input from the driver.
When viewed from the outside, the Piloted Drive 1.0 concept looks like a standard Leaf save for road-scanning equipment that’s discreetly integrated into the front bumper. Nissan hasn’t published technical details, so odds are the prototype is powered by a stock, 107-horsepower electric motor.
The Nissan Leaf Piloted Drive 1.0 is currently testing at the Advanced Technology Center that Nissan operates on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan. The automaker is expected to test the concept on public roads once it’s fine-tuned, and it might put it through its paces on North American soil shortly after.
What’s next?
Nissan predicts it will launch its semi-autonomous technology in the not-too-distant future, and it hopes to sell its first fully autonomous car by 2020. In the meantime, the automaker will introduce a brand new concept that’s both electric and autonomous later this week in Tokyo.
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