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Nissan Leaf Goes To Work in Japanese Plant

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Nissan introduces driverless towing system at Oppama PlantThe Nissan Leaf is an impressive car, and its zero emissions make it ideal for drivers looking to do their bit to help the planet. As if driving around safely with human cargo wasn’t enough, Nissan is putting the Leaf to work at its Oppama Plant. Modified Nissan Leaf vehicles are loaded with autonomous technology and the power to pull a heavy load. Once it is properly outfitted, the Nissan Leaf is then hitched up to a trailer to ferry vehicles around the plant property. The car doesn’t need a driver, thanks to a lot of cameras and scanners that can detect lane markings, road obstacles, or any cars ahead.

Check out the video below to see this hardworking car in action. At the very least, you will have the upbeat song stuck in your head for a few hours.

Before the Nissan Leaf took the job at Nissan’s plant, finished vehicles had to be driven from the end of the assembly line to a wharf, where they would then be loaded onto ships for distribution. Using the autonomous vehicles, which can deliver more than one car at a time, to take the cars is much more efficient. It also doesn’t hurt that instead of several traditional gas engines making the drive to the boat, only one electric motor is running.

Over 1,600 test runs were completed before the Nissan Leaf was allowed to take the road on its own, and the whole process has taken about a year from concept to implementation. It’s encouraging to see the technology working so well, since much of it will probably end up in future production cars. We just hope that Nissan gave these Leaf vehicles a competitive compensation package with lots of time off for all the hard work they do.