Nissan launches Autonomous Drive Research Project to bring future mobility service to UK streets
Nissan launches ADventure, a UK autonomous mobility trial in Cambridge to study real-world self-driving services with local input and government backing.
Nissan will deploy a self-driving mobility service in Cambridge as part of the ADventure project, focusing on practical applications such as transporting non-drivers to medical appointments. The initiative will collaborate with local authorities, residents, and commuters to assess how autonomous vehicles can address transport challenges and improve accessibility in real communities. Engineers from Nissan Technical Centre Europe will lead the effort, leveraging over a decade of autonomous driving research to develop a replicable service model for other UK cities.
The project is supported by the UK Government’s CAM Pathfinder programme, funded through the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST) in partnership with Zenzic and Innovate UK, with a £3 million consortium budget. It aims to accelerate the deployment of connected and autonomous mobility technologies while studying their social and economic impact beyond central London. Partners include WMG and PAVE UK, which will contribute expertise in transport innovation and public engagement to shape the service design.
Cambridge was selected for the trial due to its established reputation as a hub for autonomous mobility research, hosting prior advanced driver assistance initiatives. The city’s existing transport innovation ecosystem provides an ideal environment to test how self-driving services could integrate with local networks and meet community needs. The project will use a 2022 Nissan LEAF equipped with Nissan’s advanced autonomous driving technology to gather real-world data and evaluate passenger mobility requirements.
ADventure will culminate in a public-road demonstration in Cambridge, showcasing how autonomous mobility services could enhance connectivity, accessibility, and sustainability for communities. The initiative builds on Nissan’s prior autonomous driving projects, including HumanDrive, ServCity, and evolvAD, which advanced the company’s understanding of self-driving technology across diverse driving scenarios.