For those of us who enjoy the simple pleasure of driving and fear the advent of autonomous vehicles could be it's demise, Nissan has a refreshing view of the not-too-distant future.
DETROIT, MI - For those of us who enjoy the simple pleasure of driving and fear the advent of autonomous vehicles could be its demise, Nissan has a refreshing view of the not-too-distant future.
In unveiling its all-electric, autonomous IDS concept car the Tokyo Motor Show on Wednesday, the Japanese automaker said it sees driving as a choice you will make.
"You can choose to enjoy the excitement of driving," the company says in the video below for the IDS. "Or free yourself form driving to enjoy time in the car."
With the IDS Concept, Nissan appears to really be doubling down on its confidence in autonomous driving.
When you switch to autonomous mode, the steering wheel actually recesses into the dash and is replaced by tablet-like information panels. The chairs swivel slightly inward so that passengers can converse with one another, rather than worry about what's outside on the road.
The IDS Concept does not just drive itself, it also communicates its intentions with pedestrians and others outside of the car. Exterior lights display its awareness of its surroundings and signals what it will do next.
An LED light on the side body line, for example, lights up white when walkers or bicyclists are nearby, signaling that the car knows they're there. Another electronic display facing outward on the windshield near the instrument panel give signals such as "after you" to pedestrians.
Nissan said it expects to have cars with Intelligent Driving technology on the roads around the world by the 2020s.
By that, time, electric vehicles will also be able to go great distances on a single charge, Nissan says, but it did not give range for the IDS Concept. The Nissan Leaf can go about 85 miles on a single charge. The Tesla Model S can go more than 200 miles before needing a charge.
David Muller is the automotive and business reporter for MLive Media Group in Detroit. Email him at dmuller@mlive.com, follow him on Twitter or find him on Facebook.