Driverless cars take to the streets of London – and no one notices
They have been an inescapable fixture of futuregazing trends decks and every conference hall from CES to MWC, and now driverless cars are a reality on London’s roads.
Nissan test drives autonomous cars in London / Nissan
Over the last five days, Nissan has been quietly testing its new driverless cars on the streets of the capital – the first time anywhere in Europe that autonomous cars have been let loose on a dual carriageway.
The modified Leaf electric cars were trialled on a complex route in East London, navigating stop signs, dual carriageways, pedestrian crossings and parking challenges.
Nissan said the cars have clocked up hundreds of miles since Monday with no collisions and only a handful of incidents in which an engineer riding as a passenger had to take control to prevent a crash.
It obtained permission to use public roads from Transport for London and the police.
Stuart Jackson from Nissan Europe said: "We believe that zero-emission vehicles are the ultimate solution for delivering a smarter, more sustainable future.
"We also believe that autonomous drive technologies will revolutionise the future of mobility, providing more safety, convenience and driving pleasure for everyone."
Nissan is aiming to have a fleet of self-driving cars ready to be used as taxis for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.