So much urbanization, megacities, globalization and
metropolitan regions prove that mobile versatility is a reality. Whether New York or Philadelphia, San
Francisco in North America. We all know UBER and LYFT as two of the icons in
the industry.
THIS IS WHY FOR THE LAST SIX MONTHS I HAVE PRAISED BMW,
MERCEDES, GM, MINI, NISSAN AND OTHER MANUFACTURERS FOR GETTING MORE INVOLVED IN
CAR SHARING. AUDI AND OTHERS IN OFFERING THEIR FLEET OF VEHICLES AT HOTELS AND
HIGH END RESIDENCES IN MIAMI, LA, SAN FRANCISCO AND CHICAGO.
A key
characteristic of the transformation that lies ahead is burgeoning urbanization.
Experts estimate that by 2050, more than 75 percent of people in Europe and
almost 90 per cent of people in the US will live in cities. At the same time,
the requirement for greater individuality will increase.
Already today,
owning a vehicle is sometimes not enough to ensure our changing personal needs
and mobility requirements are met. Overcrowded roads, a lack of parking spaces
and vehicle bans for environmental reasons are just some of the barriers which
need to be overcome in urban areas today. In July of last year, the BMW Group’s
Centre of Excellence for Urban Mobility set out to resolve some of these
issues, and its team of experts is now working with cities and all the relevant
interest groups to develop sustainable concepts for future urban mobility.
People
everywhere want to be able to have access to the right mobility solution for
any given situation. Car-sharing programs, such as DriveNow, have entered our
cities as new concepts and are already working well. However, it’s only when
all the various modes of transport work in concert that people’s needs will
genuinely be met.
Changing
between different transport options can be time-consuming and highly
inconvenient. The multi-modal routing system that debuted in the BMW i3
includes public transport in its recommendations wherever this makes travelling
more convenient. Automatic booking and standardized payment systems already
offer partial solutions today but have yet to become more closely integrated.
At the same
time, people are seeking a higher-quality transport experience. As time becomes
increasingly scarce, the period spent getting from A to B will become more and
more important; people will want to use their journey time efficiently and
safely, for work or to relax, to enjoy new experiences or the company of their
companions. That’s why BMW Group Mobility thinks well beyond the product,
extending its reach to include technologies and services for enhanced
individual mobility. The BMW Group’s future vision is for mobility to become
effortless, available on demand and individually customizable. In the years and
decades ahead, the BMW Group would like to keep people moving by the best means
possible.
Over the next
decade, the automotive industry is going to change more than over the last 30
years. Digitalization will play a key role in its transformation and, as a driver
of innovation, the BMW Group intends to remain at the vanguard of these
developments in the automotive industry.
Right now, the
company is on the verge of realizing automated driving. With it will come a
series of technical challenges, but also a major opportunity for revolutionizing
mobility. In the future, Sheer Driving Pleasure will also be defined as
liberating drivers through automation.
BMW Group
customers already benefit from a range of partially automated functions today,
all of them designed to take the strain out of driving. The new BMW 7 Series,
for example, features the Steering Assistant and Lane Departure Warning. In the
next technological step, automated driving will enhance road safety and make
traveling even more comfortable and efficient. Automated driving of the kind
demonstrated by the BMW i Vision Future Interaction (unveiled at the CES 2016)
will play a key role in shaping the future of personal and sustainable
mobility.
Another area
in which the BMW Group is building on the advantages of digitalization is
production. Here, connectivity between the real and digital worlds offers
significant potential in many areas. The aim is to achieve an intelligent,
connected production set-up where complex processes can be made even more
efficient through the application of IT-supported technologies.
Low-impact
energy use is a fundamental value of the BMW Group. For more than 15 years, the
company has been the Sustainability Leader of the automotive industry in the RobecoSAM
sustainability ranking.
The BMW Group
is well aware of its responsibility – and has been since 1973. Back then, BMW
was the first automotive producer in the world to instate an Environment
Officer. Moreover, since 1990, the company has cut the emissions of its vehicle
fleet by 40 percent – due to the application of Efficient Dynamics
technologies, launched in 2007.
By
transitioning from combustion to all-electric power and running vehicles such
as the BMW i3 and the BMW Motorrad C evolution Scooter, the BMW Group is
creating completely new and groundbreaking ways of experiencing driving
pleasure, sustainability and interconnectivity in urban settings.
Gaining a true
picture of the ecological footprint of any vehicle means taking into account its
entire lifecycle, not just its active lifespan. Consequently, efficient
concepts all along the value chain are essential.
One such
concept is intelligent energy data management, which is already used at the
plants in Spartanburg, Leipzig and Regensburg. It is based on a series of
intelligent electricity meters that monitor the amount of energy consumed by
production systems and robots, and compare findings with figures in a central
company network. As well as reducing the amount of energy used, intelligent
energy data management increases production security and enhances product
quality. The system was developed as part of the BMW Group’s digitalization
concept and received support from the European Regional Development Fund
(ERDF).
Another key
factor in reducing the environmental impact of vehicle production is the use of
energy from renewable sources, such as wind and water. Already, around 58
percent of electricity purchased by the BMW Group comes from renewable sources.
The plant at Moses Lake, for example, uses hydro-power; Leipzig uses wind
power, and Rosslyn uses biomass.
Trying to
image how we will live and get around in the future is as challenging as it is
fascinating. How will social, economic and living conditions change? And what
will be the impact on our mobility? What exciting new possibilities will new
technologies bring? And what effect will digitalization and connectivity have
on our automotive requirements?
To mark its
centenary year in 2016, the BMW Group is looking further ahead than usual with
a series of Vision Vehicles designed to anticipate and respond to people’s
future mobility needs. Over the coming years, mobility will become increasingly
diverse. In the not-too-distant future, most vehicles will probably be
completely self-driving – people will get around in robots on wheels. So, given
these developments, how will we justify the existence of vehicles by BMW, a
brand for whom the individual and Sheer Driving Pleasure are the focus of
everything? And how will BMW’s brand values translate into the future?
In developing
the BMW VISION NEXT 100, the main objective was to create not an anonymous
vehicle but one that is highly personalized and fully geared to meet the
driver’s every need – because the very emotional connection between a BMW and
its driver is something we want to retain. For the BMW VISION NEXT 100, the
design team specifically took into account all the trends and technological
developments that will be most relevant to BMW in the decades ahead. But they
also took many of their cues from innovations and designs of the past. The key
factor throughout, however, was something that has always been typical of the
BMW brand: the desire to be uncompromising in its future focus on technologies
and customer value.
Adrian van Hooydonk,
Head of BMW Group Design: “If, as a designer, you are able to imagine
something, there’s a good chance it could one day become reality. So our
objective with the BMW VISION NEXT 100 was to develop a future scenario that
people would engage with. Technology is going to make significant advances,
opening up fantastic new possibilities that will allow us to offer the driver
even more assistance for an even more intense driving experience.
“My personal
view is that technology should be as intuitive as possible to operate and
experience so that future interactions between human, machine and surroundings
become seamless. The BMW VISION NEXT 100 shows how we intend to shape this
future.”
In recent
months and years, the greatest current trend in the automotive industry has
become so widespread that it’s no longer a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’:
autonomous driving. The BMW Group also believes that BMW drivers will be able
to let their cars do the work – but only when the driver wants. The BMW VISION
NEXT 100 remains a genuine BMW, offering an intense experience of Sheer Driving
Pleasure.
Moving into the
future, vehicles will be fully connected, and digital technology will become so
normal that it will permeate almost every area of our lives. Increasing
digitalization will lead to the physical and digital worlds merging more and
more. Artificial intelligence will learn from us, anticipating many of our
wishes and working away in the background to perform the jobs we delegate to
it. The way humans and technologies interact will be transformed: screens and
touch screens will be replaced by more intuitive forms of human-machine
communication and interaction. Better yet: technology will become more human.
In the future,
how will cars be manufactured? At some point, presses that punch out hundreds
of thousands of steel parts may well become obsolete – the use of carbon may
already be a first indication of the sea-change that is imminent in the world
of automotive materials and production. Technologies such as rapid
manufacturing and 4D printing will produce not components or objects but
intelligent, networked materials and could soon replace conventional tools to
open up unimagined possibilities in design and engineering.
Vehicles by
BMW have never been purely utilitarian or merely a means of getting from one
place to the next. Far more, a BMW is about looking to the next bend in the
road, feeling the power of the engine and enjoying the sense of speed; it’s
about the sensory experience, the adrenaline rush or that intimate moment at
which a journey begins, be it for a lone driver or one travelling with a close
friend or loved one. Moving into the future, that’s not set to change – because
the emotional experience of mobility is firmly fixed in our collective
corporate memory. By keeping the driver firmly in the foreground, the BMW
VISION NEXT 100 will heighten this emotional experience in an unprecedented
way.
In the future,
BMW drivers will still want to spend most of the time they are in their car at
the wheel. In the BMW VISION NEXT 100, the driver will remain firmly in the
focus, with constant connectivity, digital intelligence and state-of-the-art
technologies available for support. But that’s not all: the BMW VISION NEXT 100
will turn the driver into the Ultimate Driver. So even though the world may
well be changing, Sheer Driving Pleasure is here to stay – and will be more
intense than ever before.
In designing
the BMW VISION NEXT 100, the starting point was the interior. In the years
ahead, the driver’s wellbeing will become increasingly important, and rather
than merely feeling they are in a machine that drives itself, they should sense
that they are sitting in one that was specifically designed for them. This idea
gave rise to an architecture in which the cab seems particularly spacious
compared with the overall size of the vehicle while retaining the typical
exterior lines of a BMW. Despite its domed interior, the BMW VISION NEXT 100
retains the instantly recognizable athletic silhouette of a BMW saloon.
The design of
the interior permits various modes of operation: Boost mode, in which the
driver is at the controls, and Ease mode, in which the driver can sit back and
let the vehicle take over. In Ease, the vehicle becomes a place of retreat with
plenty of space, agreeable lighting and a comfortable atmosphere. In Boost, the
driver takes over and benefits from the subtle and intuitive support offered by
the vehicle. All the time, the vehicle is learning more and more about the
person at the wheel, thanks to its sensory and digital intelligence, which the
BMW Group calls the Companion. The Companion progressively learns to offer the
right kind of support to transform the driver into the Ultimate Driver.
A very
important element of the Vision Vehicle is another innovation known as Alive
Geometry, the likes of which have never before been seen in a car. It consists
of a kind of three-dimensional sculpture that works both inside and outside the
vehicle.
Alive Geometry
consists of almost 800 moving triangles which are set into the instrument panel
and into certain areas of the side panels. They work in three dimensions,
communicating very directly with the driver through their movements, which are
more like gestures than two-dimensional depictions on a display. Even the
slightest peripheral movement is perceptible to the driver. In combination with
the Head-Up display, Alive Geometry uniquely fuses the analogue with the
digital.
The triangles
work in much the same way as a flock of birds in controlled flight, their
coordinated movements acting as signals that are easily comprehensible to those
inside the car. Combined with the Head-Up display, they involve the driver in a
form of preconscious communication, where an intuitive signal predicts an
imminent real-time event.
Various
approaches can already be seen today that appear to confirm the feasibility of
this solution. Rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing, for example, are
gaining importance all the time and are likely to be commonplace 30 years from
now. Although at present it remains difficult to imagine how hundreds of tiny
triangles could be coordinated to make Alive Geometry work, in the years ahead,
it will be possible, as today’s standard vehicle manufacturing methods are
replaced. In the future it will become feasible to produce far more complex and
flexible forms. This is why, in the context of the BMW VISION NEXT 100, the BMW
Group refers to 4D printing, a process which adds a fourth level to components:
the functional one. In the years ahead, printed parts manufactured in this way
will directly integrate functions which today have to be designed and produced
separately before being incorporated into the whole.
At the moment,
the digital world is strongly linked to displays; the next step will be organic
LEDs – in other words, displays that can freely change shape. However the
Vision Vehicle suggests there will at some point be no more displays at all.
Instead the entire windscreen will serve as a giant display, directly in front
of the driver. In the future the digital and physical worlds will merge
considerably, as is also expressed through Alive Geometry, for example, in the
way the analogue dashboard interacts with the digital Head-Up Display in the
front windscreen.
In Boost and
Ease mode alike, the elements and technologies of the vehicle make for the most
intense or relaxed driving experience, depending on what is required.
Transitioning between modes is impressive and perfectly orchestrated, and Alive
Geometry remains relevant throughout. In Boost, when the driver is
concentrating fully on the road, Alive Geometry highlights the ideal driving
line or possible turning point and warns of oncoming vehicles. Rather than
making the driver drive faster, this kind of support sets out to make them
drive noticeably better. In addition, intuitive feedback has a more physical
and immediate impact than a robotic voice or instructions on a screen. In Ease
mode, on the other hand, Alive Geometry is more discreet in its movements,
informing occupants about the road ahead and any acceleration and braking manoeuvres
that are about to happen.
In Boost mode,
the entire vehicle focuses on the driver, offering intelligent support to maximise
the driving experience. The seat and steering wheel change position, and the
centre console moves to become more strongly oriented toward the driver. As the
journey proceeds, the driver can interact with the vehicle via gesture control.
The contact
analogue BMW Head-Up Display of the future uses the entire windscreen to
communicate with the driver. In Boost mode, it focuses exclusively on what
really matters to the driver: information such as the ideal line, turning point
and speed. In addition, full connectivity, intelligent sensors and permanent
data exchange allow the Head-Up Display to generate a digital image of the
vehicle’s surroundings. In foggy conditions, for example, this means the driver
can benefit from information such as vehicles crossing ahead, before they
actually come into sight. In addition, by learning more and more about the
driver, the system continuously improves, concentrating on creating at all
times the most intense and personal driving experience possible.
The transition
to Ease mode brings about a complete change of interior ambience. The steering
wheel and centre console retract and the headrests move to one side to create a
relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. The seats and door panels merge to form a
single unit, allowing the driver and passengers to sit at a slight angle. This
makes it easier for them to face each other and sit in a more relaxed position
for easier communications. Meanwhile, the Head-Up Display offers occupants personalised
content along with the information and entertainment they desire.
Depending on
the driving mode, the focus of the vehicle changes, concentrating on essentials
for the driver in Boost mode, and the surroundings and atmosphere in Ease mode,
highlighting the impressive landscapes or buildings of interest that the car is
passing by, for instance.
Whether the
vehicle is in Boost or Ease mode is also clearly apparent to other road users
as the trademark kidney grille, double headlights and L-shaped rear lights act
as communication tool. Their different colours of light indicate which mode the
vehicle is currently in.
The Companion
is symbolized by a small sculptural element which represents the driver-vehicle
connection. Shaped like a large, cut gemstone, it is positioned in the centre
of the dashboard, just beneath the windscreen, where it symbolises the
intelligence, connectivity and availability of the BMW VISION NEXT 100. It also
represents the constant exchange of data: the more it learns about the owner
and their mobility habits, the smarter it becomes. At some stage it knows the
driver well enough to automatically perform routine tasks for them and offer
suitable advice when needed. Irrespective of the vehicle itself, constant
learning makes the Companion increasingly valuable to its owner.
The Companion
also plays an important role in driver-vehicle communications when the car transitions
from Boost to Ease mode. While the driver concentrates on the road in Boost
mode, the Companion remains flat in the dashboard. But when the BMW VISION NEXT
100 takes control in Ease, it rises up to create an interface with the
windscreen. A signal light tells the driver that the car is ready for fully
autonomous driving. For other road users, the Companion has a similar function,
signalling through its own light as well as that of the vehicle that the car is
operating in automated mode. In certain traffic situations, the Companion is in
visual contact with other road users, helping pedestrians to cross the road by
means of the green light gradient on the front of the vehicle.
The design of
the BMW Vision Vehicle is characterized by a blend of coupé-type sportiness and
the dynamic elegance of a sedan. At 4.90 meters long and 1.37 meters high, it
has compact exterior dimensions. Inside, however, it has the dimensions of a
luxury BMW sedan.
The large
wheels are positioned at the outer edges of the body, giving the vehicle the
dynamic stance that is a trademark of BMW. When it comes to aerodynamics,
exterior Alive Geometry contributes to an outstanding effect: when the wheels
swivel as the vehicle is steered, the bodywork keeps them covered as if it were
a flexible skin, accommodating their various positions. The innovative design
of the BMW VISION NEXT 100 gives it an extremely low drag coefficient of 0.18.
The exterior
of the vehicle is copper in colour, designed to underscore the idea that BMW
vehicles of the future should appear technical yet still have a warmth about
them – as symbolized by the close links between the vehicle and its driver.
This
relationship begins as soon as the driver approaches the vehicle: intelligent
sensor technologies automatically open its wing doors. To give the driver more
space to enter and exit, the steering wheel is flush with the dashboard. Once
seated, the full range of systems is activated by tapping on the BMW logo in
the middle of the dashboard. The door closes, the steering wheel comes forward,
and the driving experience begins.
The designers
of the BMW VISION NEXT 100 primarily used fabrics made from recycled or
renewable materials. The visible and non-visible carbon components, such as the
side panels, are made from residues from normal carbon fiber production. In the
future, the choice of materials will become even more important throughout the
design and production process.
With time,
other new materials will also be added into the mix, allowing different vehicle
shapes to emerge. To save resources and support more sustainable manufacturing,
less use will be made of wood and leather while innovative materials and the
consequent new possibilities in design and production gradually come to the
fore. This approach is already being exemplified by the use of high-quality
textiles and easily recyclable mono-materials and the elimination of leather in
the interior of the BMW VISION NEXT 100.
BMW'S NEW INDIVIDUAL MONT BLANC IS LIMITED EDITION AND SHOWS SOME OF THE FUTURE BMW ENVISIONS.
REPORTED BY
BRUCE HUBBARD
BONNIE LYNCH
JB HUBBARD
JB WELKER
AUTO ADVISOR GROUP
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