Visions of non-polluting cars that drive themselves, while entertaining passengers with online movies and social media are what’s taking center stage at the Tokyo Motor Show.
The media got an early look the biannual exhibition today, ahead of its opening to the public October 30.
Nissan Motor Co showed a concept vehicle, loaded with laser scanners, an eight-way 360 degree camera setup, a radar and computer chips so the car can “think” to deliver autonomous driving. The Japanese automaker called it IDS, which stands for “intelligent driving system.”
Nissan, based in Yokohama, Japan, said it will offer some autonomous driving features by the end of next year in Japan. By 2018, it said the vehicle with the technology will be able to conduct lane changes on highways. By 2020, such vehicles will be able to make their way through intersections on regular urban roads.
Nissan officials said they were working hard to make the car smart enough to recognize the difference between a red traffic light and a tail light, learn how to turn on intersections where white lane indicators might be missing and anticipate from body language when a pedestrian might cross a street.
Nissan’s IDS vehicle is also electric, with a new battery that’s more powerful than the one currently on its Leaf electric vehicle.
(Pictured, Carlos Ghosn, president of Nissan Motor, unveils the Nissan IDS concept vehicle).
A major challenge for cars that drive themselves is winning social acceptance.
That’s why some automakers are packing the technology into what looks more like a golf cart or scooter than a car, such as Honda Motor Co.’s cubicle-like Wander Stand and Wander Walker scooter.
Instead of trying to venture on freeways and other public roads, these are obviously designed for controlled environments, restricted to shuttling people to pre-determined destinations.
At a special section of the show, visitors can try out some of the so-called “smart mobility” devices, such as Honda’s seat on a single-wheel as well as small electric vehicles.
Regardless of how zanily futuristic _ and even dangerous _ such machines might feel, especially the idea of sharing roads with driverless ones, that era is inevitable simply because artificial intelligence is far better at avoiding accidents than human drivers, said HIS analyst Egil Juliussen. It just might take some time, such as until the 2030s, he said.
Other automakers, including General Motors, BMW, Mercedes, Toyota and Tesla are working on self-driving technology, as are players outside the industry, such as Google and Uber.
Honda Chairman Fumihiko Ike, head of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, which is organizing the show, running through November 8, said the Japanese government was putting tremendous pressure on automakers to perfect self-driving features.
But Ike acknowledged he had doubts. Unexpected things could happen on roads, like a package falling off a van, and the human brain has better powers of the imagination than the best artificial intelligence, he said.
“We have to see,” Ike said on when autonomously driving cars might become common. “The final answer will be from the whole society.
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