The footage shot in Yokohama on Feb. 28 shows the Nissan Motor Corp.’s self-driving experiment from the beginning to end. (Daisuke Matsuoka)

Photo/Illutration Nissan’s autonomous driving model car (Daisuke Matsuoka)

YOKOHAMA—Nissan Motor Corp. showcased experiments with self-driving cars on city roads to the media at its headquarters here through March 10.

The company aims to develop transportation services using autonomous driving technologies within three years.

The self-driving model vehicle was based on the company’s popular minivan Serena. It is equipped with a total of 29 cameras and radar devices and has computers installed in its trunk.

The autonomous driving experiment was conducted at a Level 2, meaning that the car’s operations were assisted by a remote driver located in a control room at the company’s headquarters, while a security assistant in the car’s front passenger’s seat waited to stop the car in an emergency.

The driving route in the experiment was about four kilometers from the company’s headquarters through a nearby city area.

When a reporter present made a ride reservation through an app, the car appeared at the site. When he showed the QR code on a smartphone to the vehicle, the car door opened.

The car then slowly moved onto the public road, stopped at a red traffic light, changed lanes without issue and finished the course within 20 minutes.

So far, the company has only made two of the self-driving models. However, it plans to increase the number of the cars to several dozens, and start transportation services in three to four municipalities as early as fiscal 2027.

“We’d like to ensure the safety through these experiments and fully realize unmanned driving operations,” a company official said.

Related News