BMW Personal Pilot L3 is the name of the new function that relieves the person at the wheel of the task of driving in certain situations and controls the car’s speed, distance to the vehicle ahead and lane positioning for them. This new option can be ordered for the new BMW 7 Series (excluding the i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive) from December to be fitted in vehicles from next March.
Designed to assume the entire task of driving with Level 3 capability as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), thehighly automated driving function will be offered exclusively in Germany priced at 6,000 euros (incl. VAT).
This technology allows drivers to redirect their focus to other in-vehicle activities when travelling at up to 60 km/h (37 mph) on motorways with structurally separated carriageways. Thanks to its sophisticated sensors, this is the first system of its kind that can also be used in the dark.
the vehicle with the option Personal Pilot is equipped with a highly sensitive 3D lidar sensor to monitor the environment and traffic conditions.
BMW already offers SAE Level 2 partially automated driving in its 5 Series models. As the company explains, the key difference between Level 2 and Level 3 is that with Level 2, responsibility remains with the driver at all times. Whenever the BMW Highway Assistant is in use, the driver must be aware of what is happening on the road and be able to resume driving at any time. This is continuously monitored by an intelligent camera.
With the BMW Personal Pilot L3, customers will be able to work on emails or talk on the phone while traveling at speeds of up to 60 km/h (37 mph). They can also use digital services, such as streaming video from various providers, on the central display while driving.
Source: BMW
