BMW 330i
The future of autonomous driving becomes not only clear, but also certain, when one engages a function called Driving Assist on the new BMW 330i. Launched along with the new 7th generation of the 3-series in Cape Town recently, the car brings an unprecedented level of autonomy to a mass-market vehicle.
Along with a range of sensors, cameras and alarms, Driving Assist allows the driver to remove hands from the steering wheel temporarily. Very temporarily.
Every 10 seconds or so, yellow or red lights flashes to alert the driver to put hands back on the wheel. The yellow lights mean the car wants the driver to put hands on the wheel. The red lights mean that the driver has to take over control from the vehicle.
We tested the system on a major highway as well as on the bends of Sir Lowry’s pass, and the passes of Hell’s Heights (Hel se Hoogte) above the Cape Winelands.
In 95% of cases, the vehicle lived up to the promise of autonomous driving. However, in cases where lane markings are not clear, and when the driver does not respond to warning signals, Driving Assist either doesn’t work or it disengages.
Driving Assist is part of level 2 of driving autonomy, as defined by the Society of Automotive Engineers. A presentation on the evening of the test drive, by Edward Makwana, manager of group product communications at BMW Group in South Africa, summed up the five stages as the driver having Feet Off, Hands Off, Eyes Off, Mind off, and finally, only being a Passenger.
However, the extent to which the hands-off mode of Driving Assist mimics self-driving, and easily shows the way to eyes-off and mind-off, is astonishing.
The Driving Assist package includes:
- A camera-based Lane Departure Warning, which detects lane markings and alerts the driver to an unintentional lane change. The warning is not activated when the indicator has been activated.
- Approach control warning with light city braking, detects vehicles ahead, while a Person warning and reacts to pedestrians. If a vehicle ahead brakes suddenly, it responds immediately by activating the Approach control warning.
- The warning symbol is first displayed, then the symbol begins flashing and an acoustic warning is emitted, and finally, the brakes are lightly applied, when travelling at speeds under 60 km/h.
- If the system warns of a potential collision, the brakes are simultaneously preconditioned for a faster response. In the event of an emergency, the system applies the brakes.
- Active cruise control with Stop&Go includes radar-based Approach control warning with full deceleration and braking, especially in traffic jams.
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