BMW will not accelerate the adoption of autonomous driving technologies, even if it means that companies like Tesla will have to win the race to market.
The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) has defined six levels of driving automation, ranging from short-term assistance functions such as lane departure warnings (Level 0) to full automation of driverless robot taxis (Level 5).
Level 2 is the highest level of automation available to the public in Australia and most current BMW models are equipped with Level 2 autonomous driving systems, which simultaneously provide lane keeping and adaptive cruise control under constant driver supervision.
Additionally, the upscale 7 Series is optionally available in some overseas markets with Level 3 technology, which enables autonomous driving at speeds of up to 60 km/h on highways with structurally separated lanes.
However, Tesla has introduced so-called “Full Self-Driving”, which enables automated driving in the city as long as the driver remains attentive. It recently became available in Australia (in monitored form) for $10,000 or $149 per month and can be installed as an over-the-air (OTA) update on vehicles equipped with Tesla’s HW4 software package.
Despite its wider range of capabilities, Tesla’s FSD is still considered a Level 2 system, and its use – along with Tesla’s less intelligent Autopilot system – has been linked to various crashes. However, it is still able to handle typical city traffic.
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BMW also wants to bring an autonomous driving system suitable for the city onto the market, but is not making any compromises on safety.
“We have an extensive group that monitors everyone else in the market, including Tesla, so we know what they are doing,” Dr. Falk Schubert, BMW Head of Customer Functions, ADAS, told Australian media Daily Sparkz at the presentation of the new iX3.
“This is a product category that we cannot and do not want to ignore. But we have to proceed carefully, we have to take it step by step.”
“Our ultimate goal in this missing product category is a Level 2 plus-plus journey across the city… one address at a time.”
“We want to be on the safe side. Because if you are too economical with the functions and then have a serious accident, that is not something BMW wants and what BMW stands for.”
“So we really feel that safety comes first, not to be overly cautious, but because it is the design principle.”
Safety, along with “joyful driving” and “intelligent,” is one of the three key principles that guide BMW in the development of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).
To meet these criteria, the German automaker has committed to a gradual rollout of autonomous features and extensive testing, both simulated and in the real world.
“Safety is a very, very strong principle. You don’t compromise on safety, ever,” said Dr. Schubert.
“There’s a rollout process behind it. The first step is to deal with driving on the highway – that’s what Highway Assistant brings today.
“With Traffic Light Stop and Go, we’re starting with Germany. Legally, we have everything we could roll out in all countries, but we’re taking it step by step.”
“We have our own KPIs and our own pace to make sure the cards are right and we have seen enough special situations.
“We have a large test fleet that also tests things in these countries and that sets the pace and the steps.”
BMW is also aware of the impact that autonomous driving systems could have on its brand identity. Since 1965, the manufacturer has proudly used “Joy of Driving” as its global slogan, which translates to “Joy of Driving.” BMW also operates under the slogan “The Ultimate Driving Machine”.
The discrepancy between autonomy and driving pleasure remains a central topic of conversation as BMW transitions to producing self-driving vehicles, and Dr. Schubert says the company is still looking for a path forward.
“If you read the slogan, it doesn’t say ‘The joy of driving,'” admitted Dr. Schubert in.
“But it makes sense because we want to make the driver happy, and then you have to think again about how you market that and how it fits with the brand’s image.”
“There might be cases where you went to the bar in your high-performance premium car and how cool would it be to get a ride home from afar?
“So BMW doesn’t rule this out just because we have the slogan ‘Pleasure to drive’, but when we define something like that, it has to be smart, it has to be safe and it has to fit our brand character.”
While BMW is open to selling Level 4 and 5 autonomous private vehicles, Dr. Schubert that such offers are still a long way off.
Level 4 autonomy is currently reserved for business applications, such as the deployment of driverless Jaguar I-Pace taxis by American autonomous driving technology company Waymo in several US cities.
According to Dr. Schubert is expanding Level 4 technology to the private vehicle market.
“At the moment there is nothing in the market for BMW that we want to get into. It could be interesting if it could be sold as an option for private use,” he explained.
“But technically it’s still a light year before this can be financed. Whatever you see on the robot axis, we can’t just make products out of it.”
“We’re constantly thinking and reviewing and discussing what we could do technically to make this possible, but it also has to create a product that the customer can pay for, right? That’s why you don’t see anything in the Level 4 space.”
System maintenance also presents a significant challenge, as the cameras and sensors required for Level 4 autonomy require regular cleaning, inspections and periodic calibration.
“There is no product we could develop that would be affordable, maintainable and even robust enough,” explained Dr. Schubert.
“The sensors have to last for several years outside in the cold; you would have to drive to a dealer every few months or even every week to have them cleaned and serviced…forget it.
“They are not robust enough yet and it will probably take some time.”
Even at the upper end of Level 2 and into Level 3, the cost of introducing advanced autonomous driving systems will continue to prevent their integration into lower-end BMW models, said Dr. Schubert.
BMW charges €6,000 (~A$10,000) for the Level 3 package in the 7 Series, while Tesla charges a similar amount for the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) system.
Tesla Model 3 and Model Y buyers appear willing to pay that premium, but Dr. Schubert is less confident that customers of the 1 Series, X1 and even iX3 “Neue Klasse” will pay compared to customers buying over $200,000.
“The iX3 is not an offering where you have to spend a lot of money on a single driver assistance package, so it is currently limited to the 7 Series,” said Dr. Schubert.
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