BMW's concept for the Vision Next 100.BMW
Turns out, we’re pretty sure any children you have today may never even need a driver’s license.
During an artificial intelligence summit in China, the German auto company BMW announced that it will have a fully automated, Level 5 driverless car on the market by 2021. Level 5 is the highest autonomous designation where, other than a person plugging in the address or destination, no human intervention is needed at all. The car makes its own decisions. Yes–we’re finally getting the technology our great grandparents dreamed of.
BMW is looking way ahead: though its lower-leveled autonomous 12 car fleet has driven approximately 1.3 million miles, while Google’s famous Google Maps had last completed 1.8 million driven miles, BMW’s promise of Level 5 autonomy at a time when most automakers are aiming for Level 4 is applaudable, and exciting.
Unfortunately, BMW is a bit far behind: The world’s favorite billionaire Elon Musk is assuring the public that Tesla will have a fully automated Level 5 car driving itself around the United States this year. This comes also, of course, as BMW competition Mercedes Benz unfolds its plans to release an autonomous car to the public by 2020.
All is not a race, however. Back in 2015, BMW, Mercedes Benz and Audi collaborated in data sharing to acquire and create HERE, a digital map creator that provides autonomous vehicles with high quality maps to help them navigate. BMW is also working with Intel to perfect its autonomous Vision Next 100. Mobileye, who will create the cars’ eyes through cameras that allow them to ‘see’ what goes on around them, has counted General Motors and Tesla as clients, though they recently parted with the latter.
California is already planning regulations changes that will allow autonomous car testing in the very near future.
This may very well be the end of the Ultimate Driving Machine.
Hello there, Ultimate Passenger Machine.
Check out (and get inside their render!) the BMW Vision Next 100!