In what it calls the world's first experiment of its kind, Nissan Motor Co. on Monday tested a self-driving vehicle on a public expressway in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a view to marketing such vehicles by 2020.
During the test, the autonomous vehicle, based on a Leaf electric car, performed several maneuvers, such as switching lanes, overtaking and merging, according to Yoichi Kishimoto, general manager of the carmaker's planning and advanced engineering development division.
During the public road test, carried out in cooperation with the prefecture, the vehicle carried officials on a 3.2-km section between Samukawa Minami and Samukawa Kita on the Sagami Expressway.