BETTER PARTSPolicy of small steps
Las Vegas (USA), January 7, 2015
The new year has barely begun, as the German premium Powerlifting already goes into its next round. At the Consumer Electronics Show, shortly CES in Las Vegas ( 6 to 9 January 2015) drive Audi and Mercedes the big guns. While Ingolstadt an A7 can move automatically from Silicon Valley to the fair, Stuttgart flaunts even with a completely re-designed research vehicle for autonomous locomotion. BMW, however, focuses individual aspects to bear, many of which build on existing systems and thus production closer than the ideas of the competition.
More in the cloud
One element of the CES news from BMW relates to the so-called "i Connected Mobility" in the i3. You will be expanded in a research application to some functions. Even until now takes up this form of navigation back to other transport modes, to bring the i3 driver to a destination in the city. Now the system from the digital calendar of the user detects when a spatial distance between two dates should be bridged. For these routes suitable transport and the time needed to be determined. The system learns to select such transportation that uses the user prefers. Smart TV, Smart Watch or smartphone recall the appropriate time to leave, if all devices via the cloud with the so-called BMW backend are synchronized ( a program on the server). And something else is possible: By SmartWatch and gesture control could in future the doors are unlocked i3.
News from the laser
A combination of collision avoidance and self parking constantly shows in Las Vegas a special BMW i3. Four laser scanners capture the full range of the research vehicle. In the case of an imminent collision can be taken as a centimeter-accurate braking. At the same time, the laser technology helps to ensure that the i3 without driver drives into a parking space in the parking garage. It is supported here by a digital map of the parking garage. By voice over the SmartWatch, the driver can summon his BMW i3 exit.
And wiping away
Even earlier than the robot i3 likely to see again a new operating concept: The large display on the center console to the touch screen. In addition, some functions, such as entering addresses in Navi, a selective movement between gear lever and dashboard can be performed. BMW refers to this technique as " free space gesture control ".
Refuelling without cable
With the models i3 and i8 BMW has made in the field of electric mobility for attention. Nevertheless, it still hooked in the public domain on the number of necessary charging stations, which are also often cumbersome to use. The last one shows the mark at CES, as can be charged wirelessly via an inductive power supply. The designed for home use system consists of two coils, one one on the garage floor, between which an alternating magnetic field transfers energy into the floor. This is done with a power of 3.3 kilowatts. To load the ( rather small ) battery i8, this technique would require about two hours. The system starts automatically, but current flows only when the two coils are positioned correctly to each other and the energy transfer is not disturbed. According to BMW, the released electromagnetic radiation alongside the vehicle is less than with an induction cooktop. About a new remote key with 2.2-inch LCD display i8 driver may in future get or check if doors or windows are locked into the state of charge of the battery.
More light!
Since summer 2014, the BMW i8 is with laser light go. Above 70 km / h up to 600 meters wide-ranging system is automatically switched to LED beam. In addition to the range of additional functions are possible, such as the display of the vehicle width in narrow places or being illuminated by people or animals that are 100 meters away in the dark. The M4 Concept Iconic Lights show Munich new applications. The special light is based on so-called OLED technology with 1.4 millimeters thin elements. They generate the light in the semiconductive layers of organic material. When special M4 technique is applied to front and rear. Even in the "near future" will bring a model with OLED technology on the market, the BMW M GmbH. (rh)