Nissan Motor Corporation has carried out the first public
road test of Autonomous Drive on a Japanese highway. A Nissan LEAF electric
vehicle equipped with the revolutionary technology took to the Sagami
Expressway in Kanagawa prefecture, southwest of Tokyo, with the prefecture’s
Governor, Yuji Kuroiwa, and Nissan Vice Chairman Toshiyuki Shiga, on board. The
vehicle operated fully automatically on the highway. Journalists witnessed the
tests and later had the opportunity to experience the car on the highway
themselves.
“Nissan seeks a safer, more comfortable and
environmentally-friendly mobile future,” said Shiga, vice chairman of Nissan.
“Through these tests on an expressway, we hope to further advance our
technological development, with the goal of soon implementing Autonomous Drive
vehicles. When starting a new project, serious effort is required to gain an
understanding of all the variables involved. We were able to conduct this
important testing on the Sagami Expressway thanks to the strong support from
Kanagawa Prefecture.”