In December 2023, BMW Group’s vehicles with L3 level autonomous driving capabilities officially obtained a high-speed road autonomous driving test license in Shanghai. In the future, BMW will conduct L3 high-speed road autonomous driving road tests in designated areas under the supervision and guidance of the Shanghai municipal government. BMW Group’s L3 level autonomous driving becomes the first product to comply with the UN ECE R157 ALKS regulations and conduct tests on Chinese high-speed roads. In the future, BMW will closely monitor the requirements of Chinese regulations and strive to develop autonomous driving systems with the highest level of safety standards, and will introduce L3 level autonomous driving capabilities to the market at the appropriate time to meet the advanced driving needs of Chinese consumers.
For a long time, BMW China’s R&D team has actively carried out the localization research and development of L3 level autonomous driving. According to regulatory requirements, it has prepared fully for the adaptation and application of L3 level autonomous driving functions in China, meeting the driving characteristics of China’s complex traffic conditions and Chinese customers. The upcoming new BMW 5 Series long-wheelbase version already has the capability to expand to L3 level autonomous driving.
Earlier, the BMW Group has obtained certification and approval for L3 level autonomous driving functions through strict technical regulations from the German Federal Motor Transport Authority. BMW models equipped with this feature will be delivered to customers in Germany in the spring of 2024. As of now, the German Federal Motor Transport Authority has only approved L3 level autonomous driving functions for a few car manufacturers, and BMW Group’s technological recognition fully demonstrates that BMW has become one of the leading car manufacturers in achieving advanced autonomous driving.
The BMW Group’s L3 level autonomous driving system is very mature and complete. Through durability testing and analysis of thousands of simulated scenarios, the BMW Group will achieve the highest level of system safety on advanced autonomous driving vehicles compared to the current road traffic safety level. The L3 level autonomous driving technology suite can integrate more high-performance sensors, such as the new laser radar system, and correlate all sensor information with long-range radar and front camera data to establish a complete environmental model for L3 autonomous driving vehicles.
The laser radar carried by BMW’s L3 level autonomous driving provides unique perception capabilities. The 8 million pixel front camera on the windshield can detect pedestrians, vehicles, traffic signs, and other objects in the environment at a distance, ensuring the safety of people inside and outside the vehicle. Therefore, when the L3 level autonomous driving function is activated, the driver can make better use of their time in the car, enjoying games, streaming videos, and other in-car entertainment during the journey.
In order to focus on the development and testing of driving assistance systems and autonomous driving technology, BMW Group officially launched the Future Mobility Development Center in Sokolov, Czech Republic in July this year. The center has the largest testing ground in the world, specifically for testing L3 and L4 level autonomous driving and parking technology. With high flexibility and efficiency, it can test all possible driving scenarios continuously to achieve real, reliable, and customer-oriented test results. As the standard for autonomous driving levels increases, the complexity of technology development will also multiply.
BMW will always adhere to the highest safety standards in developing different levels of autonomous driving systems to provide users with a safe, enjoyable, and comfortable driving experience. Currently, the new BMW 5 Series is equipped with an L2+ level intelligent driving assistance system, introducing the first BMW automatic lane change assistance function. On the highway, within the speed range of 60km/h to 180km/h, the driver’s attention monitoring system continuously tracks the driver’s state. When overtaking is necessary, the system will assess the surrounding traffic conditions and automatically give the driver a lane change prompt. The driver can easily glance at the rearview mirror to check the traffic situation and confirm the automatic lane change. BMW will adhere to the “driver-oriented” concept, pursuing “intelligent human-vehicle co-driving” to seamlessly integrate the driving experience with the system’s safety strategy.