Nissan will soon begin selling a new hands-free automated highway driving assistance program in Japan that goes even further than what Tesla offers. Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 will follow a navigation route while allowing the driver to take his hands completely off the steering wheel in some situations.
Like Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot, Nissan’s system will only function on limited-access highways providing “on-ramp to off-ramp” automated driving. Nissan’s new system combines features similar to those of both Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot and General Motors’ Cadillac Super Cruise. (Nissan currently offers a widely available system called ProPilot or ProPilot Assist, but it only keeps a car in its lane and maintains a safe following distance from other vehicles.)
The new ProPilot 2.0 system will allow the car to handle, largely on its own, lane changes and highway interchanges while following a route set in the car’s navigation system. Tesla’s Navigate on Autopilot does this, too, but it only allows the driver to take his hands off the steering wheel for short periods of time. With ProPilot 2.0, the driver can take his hands completely off the steering wheel whenever the car is not maneuvering out of its lane.
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