Nissan joins ServCity to support introduction of autonomous vehicles in UK

Japanese car maker Nissan has joined the ServCity consortium, which will trial a premium automated taxi service on the streets of London, UK.

Supported by Innovate UK, the consortium is led by Jaguar Land Rover.

Nissan will be responsible for the development of a blueprint and business model that will help with the introduction of autonomous vehicles in the UK.

Nissan project manager Bob Bateman said: “We are extremely proud to be a part of the ServCity project and are excited to trial our 100% electric Nissan LEAF as test vehicles.

“Our Nissan Intelligent Mobility strategy strives to achieve a mobility future that is more electric, more autonomous and more connected and we look forward to working in collaboration with ServCity’s other partners to achieve this.”

ServCity is funded by both the government and industry, with the government agreeing to offer £100m Intelligent Mobility fund, which is managed by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and delivered by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK.

Nissan will be part of the consortium that includes the Connected Places Catapult, TRL, Hitachi and the University of Nottingham.

Over the next 30 months, the five consortium partners will be focused on the development of a blueprint that directly tackles the barriers to deploying autonomous vehicles in UK cities.

The project will combine data from test simulations, end-user experience research and real-world trials.

UK Business and Industry Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “If society is to enjoy the benefits of self-driving vehicles, we need to ensure the technology can safely master a complex and lively modern city, with all its obstacles.

“This project, backed by government funding, will not only help make autonomous vehicles more user friendly but also give users confidence that they can respond quickly and safely and to all types of challenges they face on the roads.”