The program has also received support from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Automated Driving Systems grant, underscoring its strategic value in the development of the transportation industry. Nissan’s CCM technology seeks to fundamentally address the stop-and-go traffic pattern by transforming the unpredictability of human driving into a more coordinated and predictable traffic flow. At its core, the system operates by using a “probe vehicle” to collect real-time congestion data, which is then transmitted via connected vehicle technology to vehicles 30 to 60 seconds behind. This allows following drivers to make early adjustments to speed and spacing. Combined with Nissan’s ProPILOT Assist semi-autonomous driving system, CCM helps reduce hard braking and prevent chain-reaction congestion caused by limited visibility.
In simulation data, CCM has demonstrated the potential to shorten commuting time by 18% and improve fuel efficiency by up to 42%. More specifically, in 600 miles of real-world testing on Interstate 680 in the San Francisco Bay Area, vehicles equipped with CCM saw an 85% reduction in hard-braking incidents, a 70% decrease in time spent idling, and a significant reduction in rear-end collision risks. These results indicate that CCM can generate benefits for both individual driving experiences and the broader public transportation system.
However, challenges remain for real-world implementation. One issue is how to influence overall traffic flow with a limited number of controlled vehicles. According to Nissan’s research team, even with only a small number of test vehicles, early signs of collective behavioral influence have been observed, providing a basis for future scalability. Another challenge lies in driver behavior itself. For example, some test drivers, not understanding the system’s logic, attempted to “fill the gap” or disengage assistance features, diminishing CCM’s effectiveness. Nissan therefore emphasizes that beyond continuously optimizing the human-machine interface to explain why early deceleration is necessary, education and public outreach are also critical to successful adoption.
For the industry, CCM represents more than just an added value for Nissan drivers; it reflects a shift in automakers’ roles from being simple product providers to becoming comprehensive mobility solution providers. If large-scale deployment can be realized through widely available 4G LTE or more advanced vehicle-to-everything (V2X) infrastructure, CCM could become a key tool in alleviating urban congestion. This suggests that the automotive industry is moving toward smart mobility development centered on “collective cooperation,” with a brand’s ability to translate technology into real-world applications becoming an important market benchmark.
Although Nissan has not yet announced a production timeline for CCM, results from simulations to on-road testing already demonstrate high feasibility. The research team’s next focus will be on observing how average drivers interact with the system, ensuring it integrates naturally into daily driving situations. As Nissan research lead Zvi Guter stated, this technology not only makes driving safer and more comfortable, but also delivers broader benefits such as emission reduction, energy savings, and improved traffic efficiency.
With the ongoing evolution of autonomous driving and smart transportation infrastructure, Cooperative Congestion Management is poised to become an essential bridge between individual vehicle intelligence and collective traffic collaboration, potentially reshaping how society defines “traffic jams” in the future.