Nissan files patent for control device in electric vehicles

Japanese automobile major Nissan Motor, which has been developing an electric car with autonomous driving technology, has filed a patent application in India for a control device to regulate its speed.

The device can detect the speed of the vehicle and calculate the force required to stop it gradually, claims the company. According to an application filed by Nissan with the Indian Patent Office, the patent is for a control device and method for electric vehicles.

The device can calculate the speed at which the vehicle is moving and estimate the parameters required to control the speed. It can then control the motor according to a calculated motor torque command value and bring it to a level where the electric vehicle nearly stops its movement. The company claims to be a leader in fully electric vehicles and offers passenger cars and vans with the technology in countries such as the UK. It claims the maintenance cost for vehicles such as Nissan Leaf is lower because they do not have an internal combustion engine or a traditional gearbox, and have fewer moving parts.

The company’s US website also says that the 2018 Nissan Leaf will feature autonomous drive functionality for single-lane highway driving. In July, the company announced that the 2018 model of the Nissan Leaf would premiere on September 6, and revealed that it would be equipped with ProPilot Park technology, which would automatically guide the car into a parking spot.

“It will also be equipped with ProPILOT, Nissan’s autonomous drive technology that reduces the hassle of stop-and-go highway driving. The technology supports drivers by helping control acceleration, braking and steering during single-lane driving on the highway,” the company said in a report. The technology is available in the Nissan Serena and was introduced in the Nissan X-Trail in Japan. In 2018, Nissan will introduce ProPILOT in the new Qashqai in Europe.