BMW To Unleash Fully Self-Driving Cars

It will take a few years to happen, but BMW has teamed up with Intel and Mobileye, in order to deliver fully self-driving vehicles in 2021.

BMW will be working with the two leading tech companies to create an open platform for the next generation of vehicles. The companies say the partnership will lay the foundation for an entirely new business model and the platform will be made available to multiple car vendors. The platform will also be available to other industries that could use autonomous machines.

According to a BMW spokesman, a steering wheel and pedals are expected to remain in the fully self-driving vehicle, in case the driver wants to be in control.

BMW’s new iNEXT model will be the basis for future fleets of fully autonomous vehicles that will drive on both highways and in urban environments, which are far more challenging.

“With this technological leap forward, we are offering our customers a whole new level of sheer driving pleasure, whilst pioneering new concepts for premium mobility,” said BMW’s chairman Harald Kruger.

“In just five years, the driverless experience will be activated by the touch of a button,” said Amnon Shashua, the chief technology officer of Mobileye, an Israeli computer vision company.

Disclaimer: We have no position in Intel Corporation (NASDAQ: INTC) or Mobileye NV (NYSE: MBLY) and have not been compensated for this article.