Nissan’s fifth-generation Serena minivan is equipped with ProPilot, a technology designed for single-lane driving that relies on a camera in the back of the driver’s rearview mirror, allowing the car to follow a vehicle at a safe distance.
The Nissan Serena is a Japan-only model, says Gizmodo, but Nissan plans to introduce Propilot to Europe with the 2017 Qashqai, as well as introducing ProPilot is the U.S. and China, although they have not disclosed the specific models.
Before everyone gets too excited about the ProPilot technology, reports CTV News, it’s important to remember that we are still a long way off from driverless vehicles. And like Testa’s autonomous driving tech, Nissan stresses that ProPilot is designed only to help drivers.
ProPilot is designed for single-lane driving. Basically, the system uses information gathered by the camera to recognize lane marking and other vehicles in three dimensions. In turn, based on a speed that is preset by the driver, the car will maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front while steering the car to keep it in the center of the driving lane.
If the car in front should come to a full stop, the ProPilot will apply the brakes, coming to a complete stop if necessary. When the traffic moves on, the ProPilot can be re-engaged with the press of a button on the steering wheel or by tapping the throttle.
Nissan says autonomous lane-change technology should arrive in 2018, and the company wants to have its cars autonomously tackling urban streets and intersections by 2020. If ProPilot sounds a bit like an upgraded cruise control, it is, but ProPilot is a whole lot smarter.
Keep in mind, though, if you push down on the gas pedal and end up slamming into the car ahead of you, ProPilot cannot stop that from happening.
“The driver must assume full responsibility,” said Nissan Motor Co. Deputy General Manager Atsushi Iwaki, a member of ProPilot’s development team. “It is best to limit the function to helping the driver.” See, we have heard it from ProPilot’s mouth, so to speak. It is a driving aid right now.
But truly autonomous driving is in our future, probably within the next decade or two. “The technology is quite viable, but it isn’t ready for consumer use yet,” said Karl Brauer, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “Living that reality at a widespread and affordable level is still years away.”
In other related news, another Tesla driver told CNN Money his Tesla Model X crashed over the weekend in Montana while its autopilot was engaged. The Tesla Model X owner would only identify himself using the name Pang.
Holy crap, another #Tesla Model X crash blamed on autopilot pic.twitter.com/HmaTtgyJL9
— Car Waffle (@CarWaffle) July 13, 2016
He did say that he is not sure if the Autopilot was at fault or if he himself was at fault in the accident that occurred when the car swerved off a narrow road. He added that he is eager to discuss the accident with Tesla.
The safety of such automatic driving features has come under federal scrutiny in recent days after two previous crashed of Tesla vehicles, one causing a fatality in Florida earlier this year.
According to Newser, Tesla says, “As road conditions became increasingly uncertain, the vehicle again alerted the driver to put his hands on the wheel. He did not do so and shortly thereafter the vehicle collided with a post on the edge of the roadway.” Pang received a careless driving citation after the crash.
