Nissan has announced that it will start testing driverless cars on public roads in London next month, the first such trial to take place in Europe.
A modified, autonomous Nissan LEAF is the Japanese firm’s test vehicle of choice, though where exactly the trial is set to take place has not yet been announced.
“In just a few weeks’ time, there will be Nissan LEAFs driving on the streets of London using our autonomous driving technology,” said Paul Willcox, the chairman of Nissan Europe. “Nissan Intelligent Mobility is happening right now, right here in the UK and across Europe.”
Driverless cars have long been the talk of the industry, but testing has so far been limited to specific areas in the US and Asia, making Nissan’s announcement all the more exciting.
Unfortunately for people with a keen interest in driverless technology, Nissan’s London test won’t be open to members of the public.
Instead, government officials and technical and safety experts will be invited to experience “a live environment” in one of Nissan’s autonomous LEAFs, which will most likely have a human behind the wheel at all times.
“Government and industry are working together to build on our world class reputation for excellence as a leading location for automotive R&D and manufacturing,” said business and energy secretary Greg Clark.
“We want to see centres, like Nissan's here in Cranfield, continue to develop, making us a world leader in the development and testing of auto technology so we can anchor the next generation of vehicle manufacturing and its supply chain here in the UK."
