Nissan IDS Concept Previews Next-Gen Leaf, Autonomous Tech in Tokyo
Turning over a new Leaf.
The Nissan IDS is arguably the most significant concept of the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show. Why? It's built on an all-new EV platform that will underpin the next-generation Nissan Leaf. What's more, Nissan sources say the exterior styling is very close to that of the next-gen Leaf, scheduled to debut in 2018. But most importantly, the IDS signals Nissan's intent to produce an affordable, mass-market autonomous vehicle before the end of the decade.
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Next year Nissan plans to sell in Japan a Leaf capable of operating autonomously on a freeway; that is, with hands-free lane keeping and stop-and-go adaptive cruise control. In 2018, when the next-generation Leaf debuts, autonomous capability will be increased to include automatic lane changing and risk avoidance. Leafs with this degree of autonomous capability will be available in the U.S.
By 2020, says Tetsuya Ijima, Nissan's head of autonomous vehicle research and development, self-driving Leafs will be able to operate on general roads. While capable of operating autonomously -- Nissan calls it "piloted drive mode" -- the cars will still be able to be driven with full manual control, however.
To kick-start sales of autonomous drive vehicles Nissan plans to offer the technology at an affordable price, and the Leaf's EV powertrain is key. In fact, says Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, it's essential to advancing the autonomous drive vehicle. Nissan now has significant EV production experience -- the world's largest producer of EVs, it has now sold more than 200,000 worldwide -- and is starting to make significant improvements in reducing costs and increasing range.
A revamped version of the current Leaf will go on sale in the U.S. next year with a 30-kWh battery and a 20-percent increase in range. The all-new 2018 Leaf will boast a 60-kWh battery, and should be able to travel more than 200 miles on a single charge. "By combining electric vehicles and autonomous drive, Nissan is moving closer to zero emissions and zero fatality driving," Ghosn says.
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by cars. My father was a mechanic, and some of my earliest memories are of handing him wrenches as he worked to turn a succession of down-at-heel secondhand cars into reliable family transportation. Later, when I was about 12, I’d be allowed to back the Valiant station wagon out onto the street and drive it around to the front of the house to wash it. We had the cleanest Valiant in the world.
I got my driver’s license exactly three months after my 16th birthday in a Series II Land Rover, ex-Australian Army with no synchro on first or second and about a million miles on the clock. “Pass your test in that,” said Dad, “and you’ll be able to drive anything.” He was right. Nearly four decades later I’ve driven everything from a Bugatti Veyron to a Volvo 18-wheeler, on roads and tracks all over the world. Very few people get the opportunity to parlay their passion into a career. I’m one of those fortunate few.
I started editing my local car club magazine, partly because no-one else would do it, and partly because I’d sold my rally car to get the deposit for my first house, and wanted to stay involved in the sport. Then one day someone handed me a free local sports paper and said they might want car stuff in it. I rang the editor and to my surprise she said yes. There was no pay, but I did get press passes, which meant I got into the races for free. And meet real automotive journalists in the pressroom. And watch and learn.
It’s been a helluva ride ever since. I’ve written about everything from Formula 1 to Sprint Car racing; from new cars and trucks to wild street machines and multi-million dollar classics; from global industry trends to secondhand car dealers. I’ve done automotive TV shows and radio shows, and helped create automotive websites, iMags and mobile apps. I’ve been the editor-in-chief of leading automotive media brands in Australia, Great Britain, and the United States. And I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. The longer I’m in this business the more astonished I am these fiendishly complicated devices we call automobiles get made at all, and how accomplished they have become at doing what they’re designed to do. I believe all new cars should be great, and I’m disappointed when they’re not. Over the years I’ve come to realize cars are the result of a complex interaction of people, politics and process, which is why they’re all different. And why they continue to fascinate me.Read More
