Nissan announces laser focus on driver-assistance tech

Nissan has become the first mainstream car-maker to commit to equipping almost its entire model line-up with potentially life-saving Lidar technology by 2030.

Lidar (short for Light Detection and Ranging) uses laser signals to measure distance and is regarded by many car companies as a key accompaniment to radar and cameras in providing the imagery required to enable safer driving and true hands-free autonomy.

Not all car-makers agree – Tesla’s Elon Musk has been a vocal critic – but most are getting onboard and announcing deals with one Lidar supplier or another (there are about 120 globally!).

In Nissan’s case it’s Florida-based Luminar which is supplying the Lidar tech, while it writes its own algorithms. Luminar also has announced supply deals with Mercedes-Benz and Volvo.

As Nissan demonstrated in a media presentation this week, a Skyline fitted with a roof-mounted Lidar, 10 cameras and seven radars, was able to perform multi-stage avoidance manoeuvres more complex than current driver-assist systems can achieve.

For instance, it dodged a rolling tyre and within seconds was pulling up for a vehicle emerging suddenly from a side road.

The system also has the ability to self-navigate in areas that have no clear maps or road markings. Nissan calls this Dynamic SLAM, or Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping.

Nissan dubs the over-arching sensor system “ground truth perception”. It currently markets its self-driving tech under the ProPilot name, which was displayed prominently on the test car.

Currently Lidar has a range of about 100-150 metres, a 10-degree field of view and 0.1 degrees of resolution. The Luminar system Nissan is working with has a 300-metre detection range, a 25-degree field of view and 0.05 degrees of resolution. It can respond to obstacles at speeds of up to 130km/h.

Nissan plans to start equipping vehicles with Lidar by mid-decade and have the system in almost all its models by 2030 as part of its Ambition 2030 plan, which calls for zero fatalities in its vehicles.

“When we look at the future of autonomous driving, we believe that it is of utmost importance for owners to feel highly confident in the safety of their vehicle,” said Nissan’s senior vice-president leading global research and development, Takao Asami.

“We are confident that our in-development ground truth perception technology will make a significant contribution to owner confidence, reduced traffic accidents and autonomous driving in the future.”

Nissan has some serious costs and packaging hurdles to overcome before the system is suitable for mass production in affordable vehicles. Lidar sensors cost as much as $US1000 ($1390) each and that needs to drop by two-thirds to be affordable.

The test Skyline fitted its Lidar in a large structure on its roof, while computer gear filled the boot and half of the rear seat.

So far commitments to Lidar from car manufacturers have come in dribs and drabs. The Honda Legend and Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS are the first vehicles to be rated SAE Level 3 autonomous with the aid of Lidar made by Valeo.

Some Chinese brands have announced vehicles with the tech and Volvo says it will have Luminar-supplied Lidar in its vehicles this year, starting with the new-generation XC90 electric SUV.

Autonomous robo-taxi developers Waymo and Cruise have Lidar-equipped vehicles in service and Apple is reportedly equipping its first car – mooted for 2024 – with its own Lidar.

Bosch revealed what it claimed was the world’s first long-range Lidar system in early 2020 and Lotus has confirmed its new family of EVs – starting with the 2023 Eletre SUV – will feature pop-up Lidar sensors.

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