At the CES 2017 show, BMW will be showcasing the potential of connected mobility with demonstration drives in a prototype based on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan. This will provide an opportunity to experience innovative digital services underpinned by BMW Connected and the flexible Open Mobility Cloud platform
Advances in automated driving and intelligent connectivity are moving hand in hand. Connectivity means extensive data-sharing, which is not only important for safe and convenient mobility with a highly automated element but opens up other possibilities, too. For example, intelligent connectivity between the vehicle, the driver and the outside world also creates new opportunities for drivers to plan their personal mobility experience and integrate it with the rest of their daily life. At CES 2017, BMW will be giving a preview of how the mobility experience will evolve with the help of innovative digital services. Development work is now sufficiently far advanced for BMW to demonstrate the relevant technology in a prototype based on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan.
The ground-breaking mobility experience, served up in customary BMW style, starts even before the driver steps on board the vehicle. Users can connect up to the underlying digital platform not only in their BMW but anywhere they want, on a variety of devices such as smartphones, smartwatches or via Amazon Echo with integrated voice assistant. Based on BMW Connected and the Open Mobility Cloud, this platform is already up and running worldwide. Using a wide range of digital services, BMW Connected adapts to the personal mobility needs of users, helping to get them to their destination with a minimum of stress.
At CES 2017 BMW will be showing examples of future new digital services which will draw on the potential of automated driving to create an enhanced mobility experience and to help drivers plan their everyday lives more efficiently. As increased levels of vehicle automation relieve drivers of more and more driving tasks, BMW Connected will assist drivers in using this freed- up time efficiently and help make all time spent on board is as rewarding as possible.
Personalized mobility planning.
Working through the link-up with the Open Mobility Cloud, BMW Connected is a personal mobility companion capable of integrating all the necessary information for optimal personal daily planning. BMW Connected collates the necessary data from a wide range of applications and integrates it into the user’s personal mobility planning. It makes no difference whether this data was inputted in the vehicle or on any of the digital touchpoints linked to the Open Mobility Cloud. This revolutionary approach offers major potential.
In a very realistic scenario, BMW Connected is already demonstrating its ability to manage the mobility experience in an automated BMW. The personal digital mobility companion can use its overview of the driver’s appointments and contacts to automatically calculate the optimal route to an agreed meeting place. It can then notify the driver of the ideal departure time for a punctual arrival based on real-time traffic information. The Open Mobility Cloud serves as an intelligent data management system processing all the relevant data. Appointments and destinations can be added, modified or deleted to update the mobility agenda in real time and make any necessary route adjustments. This data can then be accessed at any of the connected digital touchpoints. In this way the navigation system, which automatically launches as soon as the driver enters the vehicle, always works with the most up-to-date data, delivered to it by the Open Mobility Cloud.
In the future, BMW Connected will also be able to identify in advance which route segments can be covered in automated mode. On those stretches driven in conventional mode – i.e. where the driver retains full control of the vehicle – a further innovative service will be available: BMW Real Time Traffic Light Information. When the vehicle is approaching a set of lights, this traffic light phase assistant informs the driver how long the lights will remain on green or red. This intelligent connectivity between the vehicle and its surroundings allows drivers to adapt their driving style to the current situation on the road – and make good use of any waiting time at the lights.
Enriching the automated driving experience.
At CES 2017, BMW will be staging a demonstration of automated motorway driving in a prototype based on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan. Drivers no longer need to operate the accelerator or brake pedal and can also take their hands off the steering wheel, allowing them to concentrate on other activities instead. An extra onboard computer continuously cross-checks the vehicle’s position and data about its surroundings against a highly detailed digital roadmap, resulting in very accurate lane-keeping.
While their vehicle is in automated driving mode, it is up to drivers how they spend their time. They can, for example, take advantage of the opportunity to look more closely at their surroundings. The connected driving experience in vehicles of the future will be assisted by innovative control functions such as a further-improved version of BMW gesture control, which made its world debut in the new BMW 7 Series and is now also available in the new BMW 5 Series. The BMW Augmented Gesture Control system will allow the driver and front passenger to point at buildings on either side of the road using thumb gestures and receive corresponding location-based information from the Open Mobility Cloud. Such a simple gesture is all it takes to call up say, details of a casino entertainment programme for that particular day, and display the information in the Control Display. This intelligent connectivity can also go a step further still, allowing tickets to be booked online from the vehicle.
Alternatively, drivers can also use this freed-up time to plan the rest of their day. Once again, they can select in-car digital services that are identical to those they are already familiar with in other areas of their life. For example, customers can choose to operate BMW Connected via existing voice recognition services, if that is their preference. At CES 2017, BMW will demonstrate future scenarios with Microsoft Cortana. If, say, a meal is planned following a scheduled meeting, the voice recognition service can be used to select a suitable restaurant. The user’s previous preferences are compared with the options available in the vicinity of a selected location. If a suitable restaurant is found, Cortana can also be used to reserve a table. BMW Connected then attaches the address to the appointment and posts this information in the mobility agenda, where it is then available for later reference.
Automated driving will also be accompanied by additional BMW Connected- based functions to enhance the mobility experience in the rear seats. Series- produced vehicles already provide the basic technology for this through existing equipment options. For example, the Touch Command option for the BMW 7 Series luxury sedan, comprising a removable tablet, can be used to control convenience functions and the onboard infotainment, navigation and communication systems. In the future, BMW Connected will also allow in-car use of any connected tablet. This is a simple and convenient solution for personalizing the mobility/travel experience in the rear seats and integrating it into the customer’s digital lifestyle.
At CES 2017, BMW will be showcasing the possibilities for seamless in-car integration of customers’ tablets, and presenting BMW Connected’s Passenger Mode as one example of the functionality that can be provided. When the video playback function is selected on an integrated tablet, Passenger Mode alters the ambience in the rear of the vehicle – by raising the sunblinds and dimming the interior lighting, for example. At CES the system will be demonstrated using Amazon Prime Video. A further innovative service that could potentially be offered in cooperation with Amazon is En-Route Delivery. A direct link between BMW and Amazon Prime Now would allow people traveling on board a BMW 5 Series Sedan to order products while en route and have them delivered to a location further along their route. The ideal
pick-up point can be calculated by Prime Now and the Open Mobility Cloud based on the vehicle’s current position, current route and real-time traffic information. BMW Connected then prompts the driver to confirm a suggested pick-up point as an additional stop-off on the route. When the vehicle arrives at the pick-up point, the Prime Now delivery associate hands over the selected product, which has already been paid for online. This innovative, convenient and superfast service is a great solution for a driver who, for example, is on their way to a birthday party and has forgotten to buy a gift.
Automated parking follows automated driving.
The highly-automated demonstration drive at CES 2017 in a prototype based on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan concludes with the Robot Valet Parking service – a fully automated parking procedure. When the driver returns to their starting point again at the end of the drive, the vehicle makes contact with the parking management service at the exhibition centre. At this point, the Control Display shows the driver that they are entitled to use the pre-reserved valet parking. On approaching the parking area, a robot welcomes drivers with a personalized greeting and directs them to the vehicle drop-off point. As soon as the driver and occupants have exited their vehicle, the automated parking manoeuvre is initiated.
The intelligent vehicle/driver connectivity technology based on the Open Mobility Cloud now adds the icing to the cake: a message is sent to the driver’s smartphone when the vehicle has reached its final parking position. At the same time, Remote 3D View – a new service making its debut in the new BMW 5 Series Sedan – provides drivers with a real-time view of the parked vehicle on their smartphone.
