A self-driving car has had its first trials on major London roads, proving the technology works – or it does with an attentive driver behind the wheel to slam on the brakes.
Guided by five radars, four lasers and 12 cameras, a converted electric Nissan Leaf has been following a carefully mapped route around Beckton, in east London, driving itself along the A13 dual carriageway, around urban streets and navigating roundabouts – a particular challenge for the Japanese manufacturer.
Nissan tested the car on Wednesday with the Guardian in the passenger seat. Britain has established a liberal testing regime for driverless vehicles, in the hope of taking a leading global role in their development, but legislation still demands a qualified driver at the wheel – just in case.
That driver was Tetsuya Iijima, Nissan’s global head of autonomous drive development, who wiggled his feet and held his arms aloft as the Leaf proceeded out of the Excel centre car park. Its steering wheel turning unaided, the Leaf accelerated past City airport, and towards its first roundabout.
Screens attached to the Leaf dashboard include a virtual map, a camera view, and one pinpointing green cones in our path picked up by laser and radar: these were the unsuspecting pedestrians of Beckton. A voice informs us: “Turning right” – like a satnav with free will. None of these accoutrements was necessary, explained Iijima, except to reassure the human passengers. “Trust is very important,” said Iijima.
Trust was briefly jeopardised at the roundabout, however, when Iijima grabbed the steering wheel to avoid a lorry in the neighbouring lane, and braked swiftly to stop the car autonomously rear-ending a Honda Civic with P-plates. “Some bugs,” said Iijima. “It’s a prototype.”
Nonetheless, the Leaf drove itself on to the dual-carriageway A13, switching lanes and reaching a steady 50mph before turning off to head down the part-residential Prince Regent Lane. Parked cars, oncoming traffic and lack of proper lane markings make it a real test for the car, Iijima said.
More than 90% of car accidents are caused by their human drivers, several of whom in Beckton seemed thrown by a car scrupulously observing speed limits, traffic signs and red lights. Iijima had to grab the wheel again as the Leaf was cut up by a BMW, and once more as a car behind attempted to change lanes at the same time.
But it handled a zebra crossing, another British feature that tested Nissan’s programmers, with no danger of pedestrian casualties, and returned to Excel without mishap. “You weren’t scared?” asked Iijima, who said it was his worst test drive yet. However, he added: “We still have three years.”
That deadline is when Nissan hopes to have fully autonomous cars ready as showpiece taxis for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Much of the technology will be available in cars before that, with the capability for autonomous single lane driving to be included in its Qashqai models this year, and in cars able to drive on highways and motorways available in 2018 – a phased approach that Nissan hopes will see the public gradually embrace the benefits of no longer having to drive themselves.
By 2020, cars from Nissan (and other manufacturers) should be capable of driving on urban roads and intersections. Public perception, infrastructure and legislation on questions such as insurance will be the factors delaying widespread implementation, rather than technology, manufacturers believe.
While Nissan suggested again this week that its plans could be altered by Brexit, the company said the UK offering opportunities for driverless cars and electric models such as the Leaf would make it an obvious choice. Hayato Akizuki, a senior technology planner at Nissan, said: “The UK is more advanced in Europe for testing purposes. And it would be better if a driverless car of the future was not to be a gas-guzzler.”
He believes that they could be commonplace by 2025: “Technology-wise it is possible; it depends on the business case. People may not want a driverless car for themselves - but car-sharing or taxi firms could do.”
Nissan conducted on-road trials in Japan and Silicon Valley in late 2015 and 2016, but these were its first such tests in Europe. Tests of prototype vehicles have taken place on local roads in Britain, including in Bristol, Greenwich and Milton Keynes, while Jaguar Land Rover will soon be testing autonomous cars on roads in the West Midlands. Volvo plans trial a self-driving car on a selected family’s daily commute in London later this year.
Jim Holder, editorial director of What Car, said: “Nissan were the first to produce a mass-market electric car and they are trying to position themselves as leaders for autonomy as well as propulsion. To have the confidence to put it on public streets is a significant step on a long journey to self-driving cars.”
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