TOKYO MOTOR SHOW: Nissan shows autonomous EV

Nissan used the Tokyo motor show to unveil its latest EV concept, the IDS.

Said to embody Nissan’s vision of an emission-free, autonomous driving future, the IDS Concept’s lines may hint at future design trends, But Nissan cannot yet confirm if the concept will form the basis of next-gen LEAF.

Nissan Australia General Manager of Corporate Communications, Peter Fadeyev told motoring.com.au: “Nissan is the global leader in volume-production electric vehicles and the Nissan IDS Concept is an exciting indicator of what the world can expect from us with zero-emissions vehicle technology and autonomous driving.”

Back in August 2013 Nissan President and Chief Executive Officer Carlos Ghosn aimed to have multiple vehicles equipped with autonomous technology by the year 2020, and this latest Concept demonstrates the Japanese company is on-track to achieving its goal.

The brand goes further by suggesting that by the end of the next decade, Nissan’s autonomous tech would be deployed in cars globally.

“Nissan’s forthcoming technologies will revolutionise the relationship between car and driver, and future mobility,” he said at the IDS unveil in Tokyo.

“Nissan Intelligent Driving improves a driver's ability to see, think and react. It compensates for human error, which causes more than 90 per cent of all car accidents. As a result, time spent behind the wheel is safer, cleaner, more efficient and more fun," continued Ghosn.

The AI used in the IDS Concept is said to imitate the driver’s preferred style, including braking, accelerating and cornering. Manual control is still available, though a barrage of sensors continuously monitor conditions and can provide assistance even with the driver in control. Nissan uses the case of imminent danger as an example of when this automation could occur in future.

Additionally the IA ‘communicates like an attentive partner’, with everything from traffic information to the driver’s schedule being accessible.

The IDS Concept’s design theme falls under the ‘Together, we ride’ banner, Design Director Mitsunori Morita explaining: "A key point behind the Nissan IDS Concept is communication. For autonomous drive to become reality, as a society we have to consider not only communication between car and driver but also between cars and people.

Outside a range of exterior lights and displays convey the machine’s awareness of those around it, the LED strip along the side body line’s name – Intention Indicator – giving away its purpose.

“The Nissan IDS Concept's design embodies Nissan's vision of autonomous drive as expressed in the phrase together, we ride.”

This concept is also displayed inside the EV, with two different interiors based on if the vehicle is in Piloted or Manual Drive. Natural materials such as mesh leather are used throughout, highlighted by ‘soft’ interior lighting.

The hatchback seats four adults, the interior becoming more spacious in Piloted Drive, as the steering wheel recedes into the instrument panel, to be replaced by a flat operational screen. The four seats rotate inward to allow easier conversation; voice and gesture control remain the preserve of the ‘driver’, while the AI takes care of the driving functions.

Manual Drive — selected via a switch — alters the mood lighting to blue, to ‘stimulate’, the seats return to a traditional position and the steering wheel and HUD return, along with driving meters, so the driver can make use of the hollow-structure A-pillars for improved visibility.

Other highlights include an aerodynamic, full carbon fibre body and large diameter wheels with thin 175-section tyres to minimise rolling resistance.

Electronically, the IDS is fitted with a 60kWh battery, and its Piloted Park system can be operated via smartphone or tablet.