For the new 7 Series, BMW offers the Highway Assistant up to a speed of 137 km/h in the USA and Canada. The assistance system corresponds to level 2+, so that drivers can take their hands off the steering wheel permanently, but still have to concentrate on the traffic. This is also based on the maps from HERE.
In the new i7 or 7 Series, which BMW presented in April of this year, the automaker offers a new Highway Assistant that enables automated driving at significantly higher speeds than with the system previously offered in other model series. Until now, the assistance system within the Driving Assistant Professional was called “Assisted Driving Plus” and was designed for a maximum speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) on highways.
Level 2+ does not allow side-jobs
Driving according to Level 2+ (test) corresponds to an intermediate level to Level 3 and places lower demands on the assistance system because the driver must continue to concentrate on what is happening on the road, i.e. not look the other way and deal with other things. In return, however, the hands can be permanently removed from the steering wheel. Level 3, as with the Drive Pilot from Mercedes-Benz (test), on the other hand, gives the driving task completely to the car, so that drivers can legally deal with other things such as games or videos. The manufacturer currently limits the Drive Pilot to German autobahns and a maximum of 60 km/h. As such, level 2+ is more restrictive on the sideline, but level 3 is (currently) on top speed.
Highway Assistant increases from 64 to 137 km/h
In the current flagship from Bavaria, however, the system runs under the new name BMW Highway Assistant and has recently been designed for up to 137 km/h (85 mph) in the USA and Canada. This means that the assistance system can no longer only be used in slow-moving traffic, but is available practically permanently on highways and dual carriageways. Ideally, the support is transformed from a traffic jam helper to a system that permanently takes over the steering.
HERE HD Live Map
The HERE platform provides the navigation system with real-time information on where the assistance system can be activated. The platform provides the so-called HERE HD Live Map, a high-resolution street map that includes features such as street geometry, route profile and traffic signs. Lane-related data serve as a redundant source of information for the vehicle sensors and are intended to ensure increased qualitative system reliability. “We have been working together with HERE for a long time on the market-ready implementation of highly automated driving and are pleased that the result of our cooperation has finally become a reality,” said Dr. Nicolai Martin, SVP Driving Experience at the BMW Group.
Qualcomm and Arriver come with a new class
In the medium term, the new 7 Series is to receive an implementation of level 3 automated driving functions, BMW announced in April. With regard to the installed technology, the luxury sedan is still based on the partnership with Intel and Mobileye and is limited in Germany to the Level 2 functions known from BMW as part of the Driving Assistant Professional. With the “New Class”, the introduction of new assistance systems from the partnership with Qualcomm and Arriver is planned from 2025.