BMW Self-Driving Car Release Date, Specs News: iNEXT With Level 3 Automation Arriving in 2021
BMW is already one of the major players in the autonomous car race but anticipation for the German automaker's first self-driving car increased when an executive confirmed that they are on track to release the vehicle in the next couple of years.
"We are on the way to deliver a car in 2021 with Level 3, 4 and 5," Elmar Frickenstein, the automaker's vice president for autonomous driving, said during a panel discussion last week, as reported by Automotive News.
The executive also explained that the different levels of autonomy of the self-driving car would correspond to the different ways and locations that the vehicle would be used.
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However, before car enthusiasts get excited about the possibility of driving a fully autonomous car in 2021, Frickenstein later clarified that the vehicle they will release that year will only have Level 3 automation.
Level 3 or Conditional Automation means that the vehicle will be able to execute steering, acceleration and deceleration as well as monitor the driving environment. However, the human driver is still expected to take control when the car issues a request to intervene.
Meanwhile, Level 4 or High Automation is when the vehicle is able to control all aspects of driving and can manage even when the human driver is not able to respond to the request to intervene. Then, Level 5 or Full Automation is when a human driver is no longer needed. As such, there will be no driver equipment like steering wheels and brake/acceleration pedals.
Automotive News Europe's sister publication also revealed that BMW will have the capability to equip vehicles with Level 4 and Level 5 automation but the company has not yet decided on whether to go ahead with this plan. It is said that the decision will depend on regulations, the availability of 5G connectivity and the presence of road infrastructures that can support these types of vehicles.
According to the automaker, its self-driving car, dubbed iNEXT, will not only be autonomous but also electric and fully connected. In line with the 2021 release date, BMW had partnered with Intel and Mobileye last year to fast-track the development process.
BMW aims to begin testing in the United States and Europe in the second half of 2017. The testing fleet is said to consist of about 40 BMW 7 Series self-driving vehicles with cutting-edge Intel and Mobileye technologies.
