Nissan Begins Tests of Self-Driving Car in Europe

Nissan Motor Co. this week demonstrated a specially equipped automated version of its Leaf electric car in London, marking the company’s first European tests of autonomous vehicle technologies on public roads.

Fitted with nearly two dozen cameras, radar and laser sensors, the prototype car traveled during the tests on single and multi-lane streets—including roundabouts—at speeds as high as 50 mph. Nissan previously has conducted similar tests in the U.S. and Japan. The company aims to expand testing to other European cities (pending local government approvals) in coming months.

Last year Nissan launched the first phase of its ProPilot automated driver assist system in Japan on the redesigned Serena minivan. The technology enables the vehicle to drive automatically within its own lane at speeds as high as 100 kph (62 mph).

The technology will be offered in the Qashqai crossover and new Leaf in Europe later this year. There also are plans for unspecified applications in the U.S. and China.

Planned upgrades to the system include lane-changing capability in 2018 and in 2020 the ability to navigate stop-and-go city traffic with intersections. Nissan says it also is studying how driving conditions differ in various regions so it can better tailor ProPilot to them. At least 10 Renault-Nissan models are expected to be fitted with some form of ProPilot by 2020.