BMW says it has joined forces with Intel and Mobileye in a bid to bring “highly and fully automated driving” into series production by 2021.
The German automaker says the BMW iNEXT model will be the foundation for its autonomous driving strategy and set the basis for fleets of fully autonomous vehicles, not only on highways but also in urban environments for the purpose of automated ride-sharing programmes.
“BMW Group, Intel and Mobileye are convinced that automated driving technologies will make travel safer and easier,” the Munich-based manufacturer said.
The specific goal of the automaker’s collaboration with the two tech firms? To develop “future-proofed solutions” that enable drivers to not only take their hands off the steering wheel, but also reach the so-called “eyes off” and ultimately “mind off” levels of automated driving, transforming the driver’s in-car time into leisure or work time.
BMW says this level of autonomy would enable the vehicle, on a technical level, to achieve the final stage of travelling “driver off”, i.e. without the need for a human inside.
“This establishes the opportunity for self-driving fleets by 2021 and lays the foundation for entirely new business models in a connected, mobile world,” said BMW.
