The UK’s autonomous driving (AD) research initiative, evolvAD, has concluded after 21 months of rigorous testing. Led by a consortium of five industry partners, with Nissan serving as the technical lead, the project evaluated the nation’s readiness for AD technology deployment and explored the integration of autonomous vehicles within existing infrastructure.
Building on previous Nissan-backed projects—HumanDrive and ServCity—evolvAD advances the company’s global vision for safer, cleaner, and more inclusive mobility. Over an intensive eight-year period, the initiative facilitated more than 16,000 miles of autonomous driving across motorways, urban centers, residential areas, and rural roads, all without a single accident.
David Moss, Senior Vice President of Region Research & Development for Nissan AMIEO (Africa, Middle East, India, Europe, and Oceania), highlighted the success of three key research projects in advancing autonomous driving (AD) technology.
“These projects have significantly enhanced our understanding of AD performance in complex driving environments. It has been a privilege to collaborate with our dedicated partners to push the boundaries of mobility,” Moss stated.
He emphasized the broader impact of AD technology, noting its potential to improve safety by reducing human error, enhance efficiency for cleaner transportation, and expand mobility access for individuals restricted by location, age, or disability.
“Our talented team at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield will continue to drive innovation in this space, and we look forward to bringing AD mobility services to customers in the coming years,” he added.
The successful completion of evolvAD marks a key step toward assessing the UK’s readiness for autonomous driving (AD) deployment. Led by Nissan and supported by a five-partner consortium, the project was jointly funded by the government and industry partners through the £100m Intelligent Mobility fund, managed by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and Innovate UK.
Over 21 months, Nissan, Connected Places Catapult, Humanising Autonomy, SBD Automotive, and TRL collaborated to support UK supply chain readiness for future AD technology deployment.
Nissan continues its global research into autonomous mobility services, with projects in Japan, the UK, and the US. This includes the latest ‘Easy Ride’ Serena AD vehicle trials in Yokohama, Japan, as the company moves toward launching commercial AD services.
evolvAD plays a key role in Nissan’s global autonomous mobility development by providing valuable insights into adapting AD technology for diverse driving conditions. The project involved extensive testing of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAVs) in simulators, private test tracks, and real-world urban and rural environments—marking the UK’s most rigorous AD trial to date.
The tests addressed key challenges, such as low-speed navigation on narrow urban roads and high-speed driving on unmarked rural routes. To enhance performance, Nissan introduced a chassis control system improving braking and steering for safer operation. Additionally, the project explored vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology, using CCTV data to enhance situational awareness and develop new connectivity solutions for CAVs.
Robert Bateman, evolvAD Project Manager at Nissan Technical Centre Europe, emphasized that with evolvAD successfully completed, the focus now shifts to assessing the UK’s readiness for autonomous driving (AD) systems. Collaborating with partners, Nissan aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of infrastructure and regulatory needs while providing key insights to policymakers and urban planners.
Sarah Jones MP, Minister for Industry, highlighted the UK’s strong automotive sector, stating that projects like evolvAD bring autonomous vehicles closer to reality. She reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening the industry through its Industrial Strategy, driving growth, jobs, and opportunities nationwide.
 capabilities and supports supply chain readiness. Building on Nissan-backed projects HumanDrive and ServCity, it conducted rigorous testing of 100% electric Nissan LEAFs with advanced AD technology on complex urban and rural roads. Together, these three projects have completed over 16,000 autonomous miles over eight years with zero accidents, marking significant progress in AD development.){kind=link}