Nissan plans to allow partially autonomous cars to drive on Japan’s roads by 2016. By 2020, the cars should also be able to find their way independently in busy urban environments. Carlos Ghosn, the car company’s chief executive, said Thursday at the New York International Auto Show.
According to Ghosn, there are still huge steps to be taken, both on the technological and the legal side, but it is certain that it must be done. Nissan announced earlier this year together with Renault that it wants to market two cars in 2016 that can drive autonomously in traffic jams. The five-year partnership with NASA to develop autonomous vehicles should help accelerate the program. Nissan wants to market the cars that can partly drive independently on highways in Japan first. Four years later, it should be possible to cope with busy urban environments.
In addition to autonomous driving, the company is fully committed to the further development of the Leaf electric car series. The next versions should have better batteries and thus be able to cover longer distances. According to the CEO, the biggest obstacle to electric driving is still that the consumer has to want it. The biggest lack, according to Ghosn, is the infrastructure to charge cars. By 2020, ten percent of the cars sold must be electric. The rules imposed by governments are also important, says Ghosn: the stricter the requirements, the more important it is for car manufacturers to have a zero emission strategy.