there level 3 autonomous driving according to SAE (Society of Automobile Engineers) allows the driver to delegate control of his car and take his hands off the wheel, temporarily diverting attention from the road.

This innovative feature will soon be available in the new BMW 7 serieswith the exception of the BMW i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive, for order from December 2023, deliveries are scheduled from March 2024.

BMW 7 series: autonomous only up to 60 km/h

At this moment approved and sold in Germany onlythe “BMW Personal Pilot L3” level 3 autonomous driving system is offered optionally at a price of 6,000 euros With tax. It will ensure that all driving tasks are carried out in certain situations by controlling the speed of the vehicle, the distance to the vehicle in front and the positioning in the traffic lane.

However, the level three autonomous driving offered by BMW for its new 7 Series will have some limitations: it can only be used on certain motorways with divided carriageways and maximum speed 60 km/h ! Therefore, it is difficult to imagine delegating control of the car during long journeys at a speed of 130 km/h on the highway… However, thanks to a new generation of sensors that work in the dark, this is the first autonomous driving system that can be used at night.

The BMW Personal Pilot L3 system in the BMW 7 Series frees the driver from secondary tasks such as checking email, making calls, reading or watching videos. Therefore, the German company presents this decision rather as an ally for time spent in traffic jams.

A set of technologies for autonomous driving

In practice, a light indicator on the instrument panel shows whether the BMW Personal Pilot L3 system can be activated: with one push of a button on the steering wheel, it can be activated or deactivated. When autonomous driving level 3 is activated, visual and sound alerts indicate to the driver that he must regain control: if he does not, the car will try to stop safely to help the driver, for example in case of discomfort.

This autonomous driving system is based on several technologies : it uses the vehicle’s GPS position, a new software package, an IT platform and 5G connectivity to the BMW Cloud, HD maps, and 360° sensors : ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors of the latest generation, not forgetting the 3D lidar for monitoring the area around the car, as well as the situation on the road.

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