We’ve recently seen a lot of buzz around autonomous driving and robotaxis, sparking both excitement and concern. While safety issues with self-driving vehicles worry some, it’s clear that many people are open to the idea of autonomous vehicles.
Despite the mixed reactions, companies like Waymo and Tesla are forging ahead in the autonomous driving space. Now, a surprising new contender, Nissan, has entered the scene with their own robotaxi initiative. Nissan has started testing robotaxis based on their popular Nissan Leaf model.
Of course, this Nissan Leaf looks a bit different from the usual model. Nissan has equipped it with 14 cameras, 10 radar sensors, and 6 LIDAR sensors to ensure the autonomous driving software can perceive the vehicle’s surroundings without any blind spots. Interestingly, Nissan is using their own in-house developed autonomous driving software to process this external data and make real-time decisions based on the vehicle’s environment.
Testing is currently underway in Yokohama, Japan, a city known for its dense pedestrian traffic and complex driving situations. Nissan has confidently stated that their prototype can safely navigate these challenging areas, indicating significant progress in a short period.
Nissan plans to officially launch their robotaxi network in 2027. However, this service will initially be available only in Japan. While it’s disappointing that the program won’t be launching globally, it’s great to see more competition in the autonomous vehicle market.
As 2027 approaches, excitement regarding the performance of Nissan’s robotaxis in comparison to their already established counterparts in the market will grow. Given that other companies have had a head start of several years, it will be interesting to observe how Nissan’s offering fares.
