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Nissan IDS Concept Brings Autonomous Driving Closer at the Detroit Auto Show

Over the past years, Nissan has become one of the major players in the autonomous cars market. Now, the company’s plans are to revolutionize the relationship between car and driver and future mobility. The Nissan IDS Concept, the carmaker’s vision of the future, has made its U.S. appearance at the Detroit Auto Show, after it was officially introduced to the public at the Tokyo Motor Show in October 2015.
Nissan IDS Concept 38 photos
Photo: Nissan
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Nissan’s CEO Carlos Ghosn said, back in 2013, that the Japanese company plans to launch its first fully-autonomous vehicle by 2020. In the light of recent events, this goal is not so out of reach anymore as Nissan is making huge progress towards it.

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

Although some people are not embracing this new trend of driverless cars, Nissan is insisting that its cars will get you from point A to B, and you’ll actually love it because of the company’s different vision of tomorrow. Even when you let the car drive itself, its acceleration, braking or cornering imitates the driver’s own style and preferences.

Even when in Manual Drive mode, the driver has the controls, but the IDS Concept continues to provide assistance by continually monitoring conditions. In the case of an imminent danger, the car will assist the driver in taking evasive action.

Apart from this, the IDS Concept’s Artificial Intelligence communicates traffic conditions, the driver’s schedule or his personal interests.

As Mitsunori Morita, Design Director, stated, “A key points 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. The Nissan IDS Concept’s design embodies Nissan’s vision of autonomous drive as expressed in the phrase together, we ride.

The interior is changing depending on whether the driver is opting for Piloted Drive or Manual Drive.

When the car drives itself, the steering wheel retracts into the center of the instrument panel and a large screen comes out. The interior is illuminated by soft light, and all four seats rotate slightly inward so that the occupants can communicate much more easily.

If the Manual Drive is selected, all seats face forward, the steering wheel appears, along with driving meters and a heads-up display that shows route and other driving information, and the interior lighting switches to blue. The driver can have total control of the car through a switch between the front seats called the PD Commander.

While the interior is designed to be driver-friendly, the exterior is also developed to be welcoming to the people outside the car. The IDS Concept communicates with pedestrians or other external factors thanks to the Intention Indicator. When pedestrians are nearby, the LED strip located on the car’s side body line shines white, “letting” them know it's aware of their presence. Another display that faces outside from the instrument panel can “talk” to people, who might want to cross the street, for example, by showing messages such as “After you.

For increased efficiency, aerodynamic performance is very important, so the height of the full-carbon body is 1,380 mm, minimizing aerodynamic drag. Although it has large-diameter wheels, engineers used very thin tires to reduce air and roll resistance. The wheels also have a layered design suggestive of thin fins that create tiny vortexes of air flow on the wheel’s surface, for a smooth air flow.

Because it’s fitted with a high-capacity 60 kWh battery and thanks to its cutting-edge aerodynamics, low stance, flowing form, reduced ride height, and full-carbon-fiber body, the IDS Concept is also well equipped for driving long distances.

The Japanese carmaker plans to have zero fatalities and zero emissions as targets in its mission to fight against climate change and air pollution. First of all, Nissan plans to implement an extensive system of sensors and AI designed to reduce accidents caused by human error. Secondly, because EVs produce no CO2 and their batteries store energy from renewable sources and turn it into electricity for homes and buildings, entire communities will be able to utilize the power resulted, as part of a sustainable energy plan.

Introducing the Nissan IDS Concept

Nissan and the Future of Intelligent Driving: the IDS Concept Car

"Together, we ride" Design

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