Business Insider, 1-17-2017 --Nissan will begin self-driving car tests in London next month, according to Reuters.
The tests mark the first conducted by the Japanese automaker on public roads in Europe, and will utilize modified versions of the Nissan LEAF electric car.
London has established itself as one of the more popular autonomous vehicle public test sites, possibly due to the challenging nature of the city’s roads, which offer a difficult test and prime data-gathering opportunity for the automaker.
London is quickly becoming a hub of self-driving car tests. In addition to this forthcoming test, the following tests have been announced or begun:
This is likely a result of London’s relatively diverse roadways. The city has wide main streets along with windy, centuries-old roads. Further, unlike tests in the US, the AI powering the vehicles tested needs to adapt to driving on the left side of the road. To perfect the systems behind self-driving cars, it's best for them to be exposed to as many different environments as possible.
However, it's still unclear if London will remain a leader moving forward. The US federal government and certain individual states are increasingly signaling that they will become friendlier to autonomous cars, which could prompt companies to test in the US rather than the UK. Further, it's still unclear what impact Brexit will have on companies angling to test and eventually sell autonomous vehicles in the UK.
BI Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on self-driving cars that examines the major strides automakers and tech companies have made to overcome the barriers currently preventing fully autonomous cars from hitting the market. Further, the report examines global survey results showing where fully autonomous cars are highly desired.
Here are some key takeaways from the report:
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