BMW 7 Series: Level 3 autonomous driving coming in 2024

The level 3 autonomous driving according to the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) allows the driver to delegate driving to their car, and take their hands off the wheel while temporarily diverting their attention from the road.

This innovative feature will soon be available in the new BMW 7 Serieswith the exception of the BMW i7 eDrive50 and i7 M70 xDrive, to order from December 2023, with deliveries planned from the month of mars 2024.

BMW 7 Series: autonomous only up to 60 km/h

For the moment only approved and marketed in Germanythe “BMW Personal Pilot L3” level 3 autonomous driving system is offered optional at a price of €6,000 Tax included. It will ensure all driving tasks in certain situations, by controlling the speed of the vehicle, the distance from the vehicle in front and the positioning in the lane.

However, the level 3 autonomous driving proposed by BMW on its new 7 Series will be subject to certain constraints: it can only be used on certain motorways with separated carriageways, and at a maximum speed of 60 km/h ! It is therefore difficult to imagine delegating the driving of the car during long journeys at 130 km/h on the motorway… However, thanks to a new generation of sensors operating in the dark, this is the first autonomous driving system to be able to be used overnight.

The BMW Personal Pilot L3 system in the BMW 7 Series frees up the driver to engage in secondary activities, such as checking emails, making calls, reading or watching videos. The German firm therefore presents this solution rather as an ally for the time spent in traffic jams.

A set of technologies for autonomous driving

In practice, a light on the instrument cluster indicates whether the BMW Personal Pilot L3 system can be activated: a single press of a button on the steering wheel allows it to be activated or deactivated. When Level 3 autonomous driving is activated, visual and audible alerts indicate to the driver that he must regain control: if he does not do so, the car will try to stop safely, to assist the driver in the event of discomfort, for example.

This autonomous driving system is based on several technologies : it uses the car’s GPS position, a new software suite, an IT platform and a 5G connection to the BMW Cloud, HD mapping, as well as 360° sensors : ultrasonic sensors, latest generation radar sensors, not forgetting a 3D lidar sensor to monitor the area around the vehicle as well as the situation on the road.

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