Nissan Leaf Piloted Drive 1.0 Concept Points To Nissan’s Autonomous Future

Powering the IDS is a 60kWh battery pack, twice that of the current LEAF which, if the rumours are right, will feature Nissan’s breakthrough battery technology capable of delivering twice the power from the same size battery as is now possible.

The Tokyo Motor Show is always good for at least a few whimsical, well-outside-the-box concepts, and Nissan has delivered in fine fashion with its spectacularly named Teatro For Dayz show vehicle. There’s seating for four; a flat-panel screen emerges from the dash, and the steering wheel recedes when the car’s in its autonomous-driving mode. “We will follow this with Piloted Drive 2.0 – this will support more advanced highway driving including merging and changing between lanes”.

Altogether, in the IDS Concept, there are five sonar sensors, five laser sensors, and 12 cameras.

The announcement mostly focuses on technical details, showcasing Nissan Intelligent Driving “cutting-edge artificial intelligence” systems that focus on safety and autonomous operation.

Materials in the cabin include mesh leather, illuminated by a soft light, while seats rotate for ease of conversation. The autonomous driving systems are also said to learn the driver’s habits when in Manual Drive so that the self-driving mode can better imitate the acceleration and cornering behaviors of the driver. The auto isn’t exactly expected to release any time soon, although Nissan is expected to integrate autonomous technology into their multiple production cars by the year 2020. All seats face forward. Interior lighting switches to blue. The steering wheel appears along with driving meters and a heads-up display that shows route and other driving information. Nissan’s use of hollow-structure A-pillars helps ensure excellent visibility by reducing blind spots and also contributes to the feeling of open space. So a technology of developing motors, batteries and inverters will be mass produced.

Styling is only part of the package, however, with the IDS introduced as a preview not only of Nissan’s evolving design language, but also its electric powertrain and driverless vehicle technology.

There are a few interesting wrinkles, including a way to alert pedestrians or cyclists of its intentions.