Level 3 highly automated driving, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel and divert their attention away from the road, will soon be available, in Germany only, as a €6,000 option in the new BMW 7 Series (except the i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive), with new-car installations beginning next March.
This technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. This is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.
The BMW Highway Assistant already offers a strong L2 partially-automated driving function in all new 5 Series models. The package also includes a unique feature in the form of the Active Lane Change Assistant with eye confirmation. When travelling at up to 130 km/h (81 mph), this additional function of the Steering and Lane Control Assistant can take control over the car’s speed, the distance to the vehicle in front and the car’s steering.
Whenever the BMW Highway Assistant is in use, drivers must watch what is happening on the road and be able to take over the task of driving again at all times. This is continuously monitored using an intelligent attentiveness camera.
Symbols appear on the display behind the steering wheel as appropriate to indicate whether the Personal Pilot L3 is available. It is activated and deactivated by a button on the steering wheel. When the function is being used, the customer still has to be ready to resume the task of driving at any time
The live HD map with precise routes is permanently aligned with extremely accurate GPS location-finding and works with 360° sensors to ensure exact positioning and monitoring of the area around the vehicle. The live HD map is always up to the minute thanks to regular updates. In the new 7 Series, this functionality is underpinned technologically by a new software stack, a powerful computing platform and a 5G uplink to the BMW Cloud.
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After Mercedes, BMW is launching their Traffic Jam Pilot feature in combination with advanced features in the ADAS mode for highway driving.
