BMW is working on self-driving cars and looking at a possible 2021 release.
In order to acquire the technology, the company has partnered with the chip giant Intel and Mobileye.
The two companies will tie up with BMW to provide the technology it requires like automatic sensors, satellite based navigation and other autonomous features. The idea is to work on various stages of the autonomy so that the cars can navigate themselves without any issues on the road. According to the partnership, their first goal is to create an eyes off driving experience which is considered level 3 and then there’s the mind off level 4 stage. In this stage, passengers including the driver can watch movies, eat or do any leisure activity they please without having to keep an eye on the road.
The last stage, known as level 5 is what BMW aims to reach in association with Intel and Mobileye. It is the ultimate stage where the car doesn’t require a driver at all. It can move on its own. All that has to be done is specify a location for the autonomous vehicle and it will drive you to it, safely. Such a stage is not easy as there are plenty of issues with regards to rules, regulations and government restrictions. The legal body believes that this could lead to lawful problems in case the car meets with an accident or hits a pedestrian on road.
BMW on the other hand claims that the company is working with Mobileye to develop next generation collision avoidance system. Intel will also be part of the same and they are working on a third party solution which can be used by other automobile manufacturers as well. The technologies being created by Intel and Mobileye will be designed in such a way that they easily merge with the iNext vision for future mobility.
When everything goes as planned, the automobile manufacturer will launch the iNEXT all-electric autonomous car. BMW is not the only brand after this ambitious experiment. Almost every brand has an electric vehicle and they are pushing to achieve maximum distance with them after which the self-driving feature will be rolled out. Tesla has launched the Model 3 which will have 205 miles range priced at $35,000. All other automobile manufacturers are set to follow the same path and create affordable EVs with necessary features as well as the ability to cover distance.