2024 BMW 7 Series to offer Level 3 autonomous tech
But BMW flagship sedan’s autonomous aids will be restricted to low speeds in Germany for nowBMW has announced it will introduce advanced Level 3 autonomous driving capability for the 2024 BMW 7 Series in Europe from March next year, priced from €6000 ($10,000).
Available on all BMW 7 Series models including the battery-powered BMW i7 (but not the flagship i7 M70 xDrive at this stage), the Level 3 technology allows the driver to let the car take full control in certain scenarios, allowing them to watch TV, read or catch up on their emails.
But as we saw with the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and EQS a couple of years ago, when BMW’s arch-rival reached the Level 3 target, there are conditions with the BMW Personal Pilot L3 technology.
For starters, it will only be offered to German buyers and can only be operated at speeds of up to 60km/h – although the Steering and Lane Control Assistant system is believed to have been developed to manage speeds of up to 130km/h.
It’s also expected to only operate in specific geofenced locations, like dedicated freeways, so heavily congested traffic will be its main focus at launch.
The system works by alerting the driver using symbols behind the steering wheel when the BMW Personal Pilot L3 is available to use. It is then activated by a button on the steering wheel.
Once in operation, the driver will be required to take back control as soon as road speed increases, or if the car leaves the geofenced location.
Both visual and acoustic signals will alert the driver, and if they do not respond the car will come to a complete standstill.
The system relies on live HD mapping that uses extremely accurate GPS location services and 360-degree sensors to position the car on the road.
New tech includes latest-generation ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors and a highly sensitive 3D Lidar sensor.
The tech works night and day and is said to perform reliably even in the dark.
There’s no timeline for when the Level 3 tech will be rolled out in other markets. The decision to introduce it will be dependent on whether a particular country has legislation and infrastructure in place to allow cars to drive fully autonomously.
For now, the Bavarian car-maker will continue to offer its Level 2+ tech on the BMW 5 Series that allows its cruise control to operate without needing a pair of hands on the wheel.
The difference is the less sophisticated tech needs the driver to monitor progress and take control at any given time.
Related: Mercedes-Benz gets green light for Level 3 autonomous tech
Related: Most autonomous car programs won’t survive, says BMW
Related: SPY PICS: Next BMW 7 Series will be a self-driving electric limousine
Related: What are the five levels of autonomy?
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