Hands-free: What It’s Like to “Drive” an Autonomous Drive Car
Originally published by Carlos Ghosn on LinkedIn: Hands-free: What It’s Like to “Drive” an Autonomous Drive Car
Yesterday I experienced the unusual, thrilling sensation of riding in the driver’s seat of an autonomous-drive car as it navigated the streets of Sunnyvale in California’s Silicon Valley.
The car is an advanced prototype Infiniti Q50 sedan capable of handling complex city driving. It has a special California registration for autonomous drive vehicles, and I had to receive a special state license to operate it hands-free.
What struck me was how quickly I grew comfortable as the car smoothly and safely negotiated the suburban streets, including intersections and dense traffic. Accompanied by a Nissan engineer, we simply set the destination, put the car in autonomous drive mode, and off we went – safely, without a hitch.
We went on both the freeway and city streets; there were times when other drivers cut in on us, but never did we feel threatened. Each time the car anticipated the other car’s move and reacted appropriately.
As I mentioned in a recent post, cars that can change lanes on their own, negotiate city streets and handle the drudgery of stop-and-go traffic are coming soon. In fact, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has committed to launch at least 10 models with significant autonomous drive functionality by 2020.
"Cars that can change lanes on their own, negotiate city streets and handle the drudgery of stop-and-go traffic are coming soon."
As these technologies advance, the auto industry has an unprecedented opportunity to make our roads much safer while giving drivers a less stressful and more productive commuting experience.
Today (Jan. 5) I will present our vision of an autonomous and connected future at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. You can watch it live here.
These technologies are critical to deal with a future in which the population is rapidly aging and the number of megacities of more than 10 million people is on the rise. Every day, more than 8,000 baby boomers turn 65 in the United States.
Autonomous-drive cars will help older drivers get around safely much further into their senior years. They also hold the potential to help ease urban congestion, improve traffic management, and make our roads far safer.
But what I believe will win over drivers – even those of us who love to drive – is the fact that autonomous drive and connectivity technology will give us back some time to use more productively. After all, nobody enjoys negotiating stop-and-go traffic on a clogged expressway.