BMW says it will deliver self-driving car by 2021
Germany luxury automaker BMW said Friday that it would introduce a fully self-driving car by 2021 after striking a technology partnership with Intel and Mobileye. The announcement came as the industry reeled from Thursday's news that a Tesla Model S owner was killed while the car's Autopilot feature was engaged.
The deal reflects a significant step forward for autonomous vehicles, marking the first time a major automaker has committed to a timeline for a car that doesn't require human interference. It's a bold step for engineers who face significant engineering hurdles in the race to deliver self-driving cars. A few models have semiautomated highway driving, such as Tesla Motors' Model S sedan and General Motors' upcoming Cadillac CT6.
Without addressing Tesla directly, BMW, Intel and Mobileye said in a statement that they "are convinced that automated driving technologies will make travel safer and easier."
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BMW said its goal is to reach a level where drivers can take their "eyes off" the road altogether.
Amnon Shashua, Mobileye's chairman, co-founder and chief technology officer, said that by 2021, the partnership will deliver a vehicle that can operate without a driver in a "geofenced" area — that is, a virtual district or city that has been fully mapped or technologically outfitted to foster autonomous driving.
BMW's engineering and manufacturing heritage, Mobileye's expertise in sensors, location and road imagery and Intel's algorithm expertise and processing power collectively fuel the partnership.
The first self-driving car will be dubbed the BMW iNEXT, but the companies said their goal is to create a technological platform that will be offered to other automakers for the advancement of self-driving vehicles.
"Our goal is already clearly defined: to be No. 1 in autonomous driving," BMW CEO Harald Krüger said Friday. "This collaboration underscores our commitment to achieve that goal."
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The partnership reflects the auto industry's increasing acceptance of outside technological partners to accelerate self-driving vehicles. It also reflects the technology industry's need for auto manufacturing and engineering expertise. For instance, Fiat Chrysler recently reached a deal with Google to manufacture 100 self-driving minivans.
"For this technology to work, it takes all those resources to bear," Autotrader.com analyst Michelle Krebs said.
Mobileye's broadly recognized advancements in the field of self-driving car technology won a significant validation in the BMW deal.
“This collaboration is about a commitment for serious production," Shashua said.
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said the company would spend several hundred million dollars on the project.
"Cars are rapidly becoming what we believe are the world’s most intelligent connected devices," he said.
Questions about the fallout from the Tesla accident cast a cloud over BMW's announcement, threatening to undermine public confidence in autonomous cars before the technology even gets going.
"This probably wasn’t a surprise that this happened, and it’s an opportunity to learn and focus on the challenges of the upcoming autonomous environment," AutoTrader.com analyst Krebs said.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.