Nissan has introduced Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT), a fully automated vehicle towing system, at its Oppama Plant.

It allows finished vehicles to be moved around the site without the need for drivers.

A Nissan Leaf has been modified to autonomously tow trollies carrying finished vehicles between designated loading and unloading points at the plant.

An array of cameras and laser scanners can detect lane markings, curbs and potential obstacles or hazards around the vehicle. By cross-referencing this information with map data, the towing car calculates its own location, negotiating the route to its destination unaided.

Since trial operations of the system began roughly a year ago, more than 1,600 test runs have been carried out at the plant. The data acquired has been utilized to ensure that the system can operate reliably within the plant’s premises.

Nissan has been developing autonomous driving technology for decades. In August, the company launched ProPILOT, a single-lane autonomous driving technology for highway use. IVT further showcases Nissan’s holistic approach to mobility, expanding the advantages of driverless technologies beyond personal usage.

 The data and know-how obtained through this project will help to enable broader adoption of autonomous driving technology, in order to provide new solutions to our customers, and to our society.