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BMW Group announced a tie up with Intel and Mobileye for the development of autonomous cars with the aim to put them on the road by 2021. The companies have agreed to a set of landmarks and hope to demonstrate an autonomous test drive with a highly automated driving (HAD) prototype "near term". The Munich-based automaker's Number ONE > NEXT strategy comprises the framework for the endeavour to bring autonomous driving technology to the masses. Additionally, the BMW iNEXT will serve as the foundation for its fleets of fully autonomous vehicles.
Harald Kruger, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, said, "At the BMW Group we always strive for technological leadership. This partnership underscores our Strategy Number ONE > NEXT to shape the individual mobility of the future. Following our investment in high definition live map technology at HERE, the combined expertise of Intel, Mobileye and the BMW Group will deliver the next core building block to bring fully automated driving technology to the street. We have already showcased such groundbreaking solutions in our VISION NEXT 100 vehicle concepts. With this technological leap forward, we are offering our customers a whole new level of sheer driving pleasure whilst pioneering new concepts for premium mobility."
(BMW intends to put autonomous vehicles on the road by 2021)
The trio will develop a platform to address level 3 to level 5 automated driving and will be made available to multiple car vendors and other industries. According to the company, level 3 a.k.a. "Eyes off" and level 4 a.k.a "Mind off" will allow the driver's in-car time to be utilised as leisure or work time. These two levels of autonomy, in turn, will allow the achievement of Level 5 - "Driver off" or travelling without a human driver inside. This will establish the opportunity for self-driving fleets by 2021 and lay the foundation for entirely new business models in a connected, mobile world.
It must be noted that BMW's announcement comes close on the heels of the crash of a Tesla Model S that lead to the death of the driver. Though it occurred in May, it is the first known instance of a fatal accident involving autonomous technology. While some fear the accident may lead to the rise of apprehension towards driverless cars, Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged that the Autopilot is new technology and needs to be worked upon before it can become mainstream.
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