3 Benefits of Nissan's New ProPilot Technology

April 6th, 2017 by

dashIf you’ve ever wanted a self-driving car, you should know that the technology is becoming more readily available than ever before. Nissan has recently introduced their new ProPilot technology, making its way into production on a variety of vehicles. While this isn’t a completely self-driving system, it will make your car more autonomous than ever before.

How it Works

Cars that include the ProPilot system have a high-definition camera. The specific camera used for the current version of ProPilot has been developed by a business partner of Nissan, ZF TRW Automotive Holdings, ensuring that the camera is exactly what the vehicles need for this autonomous system. With the ability to see road barriers, lane markers, moving objects, and stationary items on and around the road, this camera is a crucial part of the ProPilot system.

The camera is the eyes of ProPilot. It allows the system to take the wheel and keep you moving safely without your input. According to Nissan, due to the sensitivity of the camera and the integrated systems, this system can keep pace with traffic, keep your car in the correct lane, speed up, slow down, and even stop. It’s important to keep in mind, however, that you need to stay alert when ProPilot is engaged. If you haven’t touched the wheel in 10 seconds, you’ll get a warning. After this, if there is still no tactile input, the ProPilot system disengages.

How it Feels

Because of the intricate technology used and the variety of systems in the vehicle that are integrated into ProPilot, it’s understandable if you’re unsure about how the ride feels. At first, it may be a little awkward having to stay alert and keep your hands on the steering wheel, while the car is driving itself. However, you’ll get a smooth drive. You won’t have to deal with jerky movements or bumpy stops. The system keeps you sturdily inside the lines of your lane and adjusts speed in small enough increments that it is a comfortable drive.

It’s also simple to turn the ProPilot system off for a time. Grabbing control of the wheel or turning on your blinker pauses ProPilot. If you’re turning or merging, the system will re-engage once you have turned off the blinker and the system judges it is safe.

Where it’s Available

ProPilot is a huge step in Nissan’s goal to have a fully self-driving vehicle by 2020. Currently, this system is only available in the Japanese market. However, it is expected to be available later in 2017 in both the European and American markets. The ProPilot system debuted in 2016 on the Nissan Serena. Currently, there is no information on exactly when it will be available in the United States or what vehicles in the American market will have this technology first.

The auto industry is making leaps and bounds in the technology available. Nissan offers amazing technology ahead of the curve, and does it at an affordable price. While the ProPilot system is expected to have an extra cost, the only word about the price is that it won’t be prohibitive.

 

Image via Pixabay