Are We Ready for Autonomous Driving?

In the past 30 years we’ve seen enormous strides in vehicle technology that have brought us to the brink of self-driving cars. Are we ready for autonomous driving? Ready or not, we’re getting very close to having fully-automated vehicles available on Pekin-area roads and beyond. When will we see the first driverless car? Experts have predicted that by 2025 there will be close to 8 million Level 3 autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles on the road. What is Level 3 autonomous driving? Find out in this guide from BMW of Peoria, and learn more about how the BMW autonomous driving capabilities of vehicles like the soon-to-be-released BMW i4 and BMW iX will take us closer to driverless cars.

BMW Autonomous Driving

Experts have defined 5 levels of autonomous driving:

• Level 1 – Driver Assistance: All BMW vehicles offer level one automation with the BMW Personal CoPilot suite which includes advanced driver-assist systems such as Active Cruise Control with Stop&Go Function and Collision and Pedestrian Warning with City Brake Activation. These systems support driving safety by automatically taking over certain vehicle functions as needed to keep you safe on the roads in and around Washington.
• Level 2 – Partly Automated Driving: Models such as the BMW 5 Series and the upcoming BMW i4 and BMW iX offer semi-autonomous driving systems. The Steering and Lane Control Assistance with Traffic Jam Assistance system, for example, not only provides automatic braking and acceleration, which is available with Level 1, but can also take over steering. In addition, systems such as remote control parking allows you to pull into a parking space without the driver being involved.
• Level 3 – Highly Automated Driving: Both the BMW i4 and BMW iX were expected to offer Level 3, but due to current legal and regulatory concerns around Level 3 driving, BMW has decided to offer only Level 2 support for these models at this time. What is Level 3 autonomous driving? The car will be able to drive autonomously over long distances in certain situations. BMW has been actively testing research vehicles capable of highly automated driving for many years now.
• Level 4 – Fully Automated Driving: In Level 4, a car can take control of driving in most situations when requested by the driver. However, the driver must be capable of taking over control if needed.
• Level 5 – Full Automation: With Level 5, the car performs all driving tasks and no driver is needed. That means that everyone in the car is essentially a passenger. Of course, very stringent safety goals must be achieved in order for the “robo-taxi” to finally become a reality.

Learn More About BMW Autonomous Driving at BMW of Peoria

Are we ready for autonomous driving? The future is fast upon us, and driverless cars are not all that far away. Contact us for answers to questions like “What is Level 3 autonomous driving?’ and “Which BMW models offer autonomous driving features?” Our friendly and knowledgeable sales associates will be happy to fill you in on all of the cutting-edge technologies available with a new BMW today!