Nissan to test self-driving cars in UK next month

Nissan announced that they will be testing their first self-driving vehicle on public roads next month in London, England. The public demonstration will give passengers a chance to experience the Japanese brand’s next step in their Intelligent Mobility philosophy.

The test will make use of a modified version of Nissan’s best-selling electric vehicle – the LEAF. According to the Japanese carmaker, it will ferry a variety of passengers including government officials as well as technical and safety experts across London.

Innovation and ingenuity is at the heart of the Nissan brand and its people. We’ve been developing that pioneering spirit for over half a century in Europe and for over 30 years in Britain. With future models secured and cutting-edge innovation being developed right here in the UK, we’re looking forward to a strong future of designing, engineering and manufacturing in the country for customers right across the world,” said Nissan Europe Chairman Paul Willcox. 

The announcement was made at the Nissan Technical Centre Europe (NTCE) a few weeks after they revealed plans of loading the refreshed Qashqai crossover and the new LEAF with autonomous technology.

As a review, the LEAF is Nissan’s electric vehicle boasting zero C02 emissions. It comes with a 30 kWh lithium-ion battery powering a 80 kWh electric motor that is capable of producing 107 hp. Nissan says that the LEAF has a maximum range of 172.2 km and can reach full charge after 8 hours. As of this writing, the Nissan LEAF isn’t available in the Philippines.