Renault-Nissan to launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology over the next four years
07 January 2016
The Renault-Nissan Alliance will launch more than 10 vehicles with autonomous drive technology in the next four years in the United States, Europe, Japan and China. The technology will be installed on mainstream, mass-market cars at affordable prices.
The year 2016 will mark the debut of vehicles with “single-lane control,” a feature that allows cars to drive autonomously on highways, including in heavy, stop-and-go traffic. In 2018, Renault-Nissan will launch vehicles with “multiple-lane control,” which can autonomously negotiate hazards and change lanes during highway driving. And 2020 will see the launch of “intersection autonomy,” which can navigate city intersections and heavy urban traffic without driver intervention.
In addition, Renault-Nissan will launch a suite of new connectivity applications that will make it easier for people to stay connected to work, entertainment and social networks.
Later this year the Alliance will launch a new automotive app for mobile devices, which allows remote interaction with your car. Next year, it will launch the first “Alliance Multimedia System,” providing new multimedia and navigation features, as well as improved smartphone integration and wireless map updates.
In 2018, the Alliance Connectivity & Internet of Things platform will support the new Virtual Personal Assistant feature for individual and business customers.
All of the Alliance's autonomous drive technology will be available at the option of the driver.
Renault-Nissan Alliance is deeply committed to the twin goals of zero emissions and zero fatalities. That’s why we are developing autonomous driving and connectivity for mass-market, mainstream vehicles on three continents.
—Renault-Nissan Alliance chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn
Renault-Nissan is already the industry’s zero-emission leader; the Alliance has sold nearly 300,000 all-electric vehicles since the first Nissan LEAF was sold in the San Francisco Bay Area in December 2010.
Safety and efficiency of vehicles across the Renault-Nissan Alliance have increased significantly over time. For example, fatal and serious injuries in Nissan vehicles in Japan decreased 61% in 20 years; fatal and serious injuries in Renault vehicles in France decreased 80% in 15 years.
Autonomous drive is expected to help further reduce driver error, which is responsible for up to 90% of all fatalities.
The Alliance also announced the hiring of technology executive Ogi Redzic to lead the global car group’s connected car initiative as Alliance senior vice president, Connected Vehicles and Mobility Services.Redzic joins Renault-Nissan after positions at Nokia, NAVTEQ, Motorola, and at wireless communication startup cyberPIXIE. He most recently served as senior vice president, Automotive at Nokia HERE, where he led the Automotive Business Group. Redzic, whose new role is effective immediately, will be based in Paris and oversee teams in France and Japan.
So, if the cars drive themselves, will the DUI laws still apply?..Can I just sit back and nurse a beer watching my CPU steering?... kidding!
There is a lot of baloney in these type press releases to lead the ignorant to believe the cars are autonomous when what they really are is collision avoidance systems at best. This is just a brand booster ad...fully autonomous...twenty years from now maybe.
Posted by: Lad | 07 January 2016 at 03:32 PM
One step at a time, but it will come because human drivers need help to reduce accidents etc.
Posted by: HarveyD | 07 January 2016 at 06:13 PM
test
Posted by: Account Deleted | 08 January 2016 at 01:23 AM
The thing I am beginning to understand is that partial driverless cars like Model S with autopilot is about 99pct self-driving currently. The goal is to get to 99.9999pct. It will never be 100pct just like humans are not 100pct. Accidents will still happen. So the main focus in driverless technology is to make sensors and software that can handle an increasing number of driving situations like this roadmap Nissan has. The 2018 targeted multiple-lane control which can autonomously negotiate hazards and change lanes during highway driving is something that Model S currently only does when instructed to by the driver. Tesla has not made it fully automatic yet. And 2020 Nissan will see the launch of intersection autonomy. Model S can't do that either. It is the most difficult thing to automate because intersections comes in countless variations and the car needs to know what to do in all these cases.
Another thing I have seen is that most autopilot systems comes with some sort of learning ability so that every car that drives on a particular road will upload a map of this road with info on how to drive on it. If a car enter a road it has never been at before it can download navigation instructions that has been gathered by other cars that has previously driven this road and therefore has experience on how to drive on it. This means the driver of the car is less likely to be prompted by the autopilot to take over the steering. Again it is about increasing the percentage of the time that the autopilot can do the driving. These backend navigation maps can also be used to black-list roads that are not suited for the autopilot so that the car can avoid such roads when used in autopilot mode.
Maps are used by all autopilot systems and they are either premade by a professional road mapping service like Nokia Here or Google Maps or they are fabricated on the spot by the self-driving cars own sensors. The premade maps are highly detailed and can be used to navigate the road when the road markings are not visible due to weather conditions like snow or rain. The fabricated maps are more current because they are made constantly when a car passes a road however they are not as detailed. They can contain information on construction and speed limits that can help the next car navigate faster through that road or avoid that road because it currently is not suited for auto pilot.
Autopilot is not cheap. The best sensors and computers for autopilot cars are still 10s of thousands of USD per car. The price is mostly so high because they are not mass produced but only used on small number test vehicles. Tesla's approach is to outfit every car they make with censor packages regardless of where the customer orders it or not. 98pct actually did in q4, 2015 and the last percentage can activate the system for a 3000 USD fee whenever they wish. Tesla approach means they get huge rebates on sensors and computers needed because they buy them in volume. It also simplifies production of Model S and X that every car is getting this hardware not just some for some customers. Not to outfit those 2pct that has not ordered autopilot with the hardware would easily cost more because it delays the production speed the more options that need to be checked at the production line. Volvo has consequently also announced that all of their S90 will come standard with the full autopilot package.
Something I would like to see was an ability to upgrade not just the autopilot software by OTA upgrades but also the hardware. Will Nissans 2016 models be able to get the 2018 features and 2020 features through a hardware and software upgrade or will you have to sell the car and by a new one?
You can trash a 800 USD Smartphone that is fully functional but 2 years outdated. However, you do not want to get rid of a 100k USD Model X that is outdated because its autopilot hardware is two years old. This problem needs to be addressed and the automakers need to tell in advance that their autopilot hardware is upgradable.
From 99pct to 99.9999pct
https://www.teslamotors.com/support/correction-article-first-person-hack-iphone-built-self-driving-car
Posted by: Account Deleted | 08 January 2016 at 05:32 AM
@ Lad: Cops don't stop drivers because they are drunk. They stop them because drive erratically while drunk. So if we eliminate the erratic driving, whether drivers are impared or not becomes a moot point. Everyone is safer. Works for me.
Posted by: JMartin | 08 January 2016 at 08:33 AM