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November 29, 2018 by Kyle Field
Last night, at an event located a few blocks from the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW hosted a world premiere of its latest vision vehicle, dubbed iNext.
In recent months, BMW has criss-crossed the iNext concept worldwide as part of an exclusive partnership with the German airline Lufthansa. These were, however, private events. This event marks the official world premiere of the vehicle among the general public.
The iNext is one of BMW's vision vehicles, which it uses as a platform to play with new technologies and see if they can be used in one or more production vehicles. The auto industry is currently at the heart of some of the biggest disruptions of its short history, as the world seeks to combat the effects of catastrophic climate change by electrifying the vehicles we use to move us.
BMW has grouped the current disruptions into a new acronym – ACES, which stands for Autonomous, Connected, Electrical and Services / Shared. These disturbances are not new, as they have been developed for several years by all the car manufacturers on the planet and simultaneously inspired a new generation of car manufacturers, such as Tesla, Byton, Nio and more.
Full range
With iNext, BMW made every effort to get started, starting with all the essential parts of the BMW i-Series that we expected. As for the market in 2021, the BMW iNext will be BMW's 5th generation electric vehicle and will have an impressive 435 mile (100 km) fully electric range.
This is a considerable improvement in the capacity of the battery and that of today's third-generation vehicles (range of 100 km per charge). By that time, BMW said its iX3 and i4 vehicles, which presumably represent the brand's fourth generation electric vehicles, will reach about 250 km of range-per-charge on the WLTP test cycle when they will come on the market in 2020. vision a big step forward in the range and a big step forward in the battery capacity for the brand.
Pricing is also a consideration for iNext, although this is clearly not a primary goal of the project – it represents a much more linear evolution. The current AC charging speeds are what you expect, in the range of 7 to 30 kW, while BMW aims for the range of 200 to 250 kW for the 5th generation.
Electric vehicle v5.0
The BMW iNext represents the 5th generation of BMW i vehicles and indicates that the company is striving to further optimize its vehicles for distinct customer groups around the world. Stefan Juraschek, vice president of power transmission development at BMW, said that European customers saw their needs being satisfied by the current range of the BMW i3.
BMW's Stefan Juraschek explains the progress of BMW EV transmissions.
Since the launch of the i3, BMW has doubled the 100% electric range of the i3 to 153 km of range-by-charge. This virtually eliminates the need for a range extension (REx) in the i3 for BMW's European customers. BMW has therefore removed the REx option on this market.
autonomous
In the iNext, BMW is advancing its technology towards a totally autonomous future in very intentional stages. In partnership with Mobileye, he developed incremental electronic control units (ECUs) to support levels 2 to 4 of autonomy.
BMW's Klaus Büttner shows an badembled visualization from the on-board sensor inputs.
BMW is developing the solutions in partnership with Mobileye and, while some parts of the solution have been developed by BMW, it is not an exclusive solution. BMW's position is that with more than 30 different companies around the world pursuing the same goal of fully autonomous driving and pursuing similar trajectories, there is little competitive advantage to be gained from a disproportionate investment in developing a solution. unique.
Klaus Büttner, BMW's expert in the field of autonomy, said that BMW aimed to offer customers a level 3 solution by 2021 that would allow them to use the system to perform most driving operations on highway. INext aims for a level 4 autonomy, which will require a complex suite of sensors, including a 4-angle lidar, radar, GPS, tri-focal cameras and 150-layer semiconductor laser scanners. Level 4 autonomous driving will allow the vehicle to navigate alone in complex urban environments.
The sensor suite feeds the system with data to label and process with the embedded AI solution. The objects identified by the different sensor systems are compared and used to determine the accuracy. Essentially, the AI compares the ratings of all systems to determine which one is the most reliable and to train to improve over time. BMW believes that this ability to continually improve and evolve over time will provide a more robust solution to the incredibly complex scenarios facing the world.
The goal for the future of the "ultimate driving machine" is to give drivers a choice between driving or letting the car drive. Or, as BMW says, drivers will have the choice between fully autonomous Ease mode and support with Boost mode.
Design
The exterior of the iNext suggests that it comes from the future and draws the design notes of the BMW i8, but the real innovation lies in the interior. BMW has laid out the interior of the vehicle so that pbadengers feel like they are in a modern hotel room. The front seats' top can be tilted for comfortable conversation with the rear pbadengers, and the hardwood floors are durable enough to withstand lifetime use.
Twin previews travel information or possibly a movie to advance time in stand-alone mode. At the rear of the vehicle, the pbadenger entertainment is an overhead projector that can project movies, images or even text on a virtual laptop to pbad the time.
The rear salon is wrapped in a beautiful tapestry reminiscent of the old world charm, but has been injected with modernity in the form of integrated touch pads with responsive lighting that control the car's experience. It's as if an iPad is integrated into the seat while maintaining the comfort of your favorite sofa.
At least, it's the vision. Right now, the touch zones of the seat have been set up to control the music, but it's easy to imagine them with more possibilities. Slide the seat with one finger to skip tracks or touch it lightly with three fingers to turn off the music. A pinch or gap with two fingers evokes a beautiful ring that expands or contracts with volume.
BMW calls these carefully crafted and fully integrated Shy Tech solutions. When you do not need them, you do not notice them, but when they are activated, they work perfectly. They are in their conceptual form for the moment. Therefore, although they work, they have not yet been fully evaluated for the durability or functionality required by production vehicles.
summary
The iNext is a nice overview of BMW's future. Although few features presented are revolutionary, it is inspiring and exciting to see them all in a beautiful package.
All Images by Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
Keywords: BMW, BMW i4, BMW iNext, BMW iX3, Auto Show, Los Angeles Auto Show
About the author
Kyle Field I am pbadionate about technology, pbadionate about finding concrete ways to reduce the negative impact of my life on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need it. TSLA investor. Tesla Referral Code: http://ts.la/kyle623
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