Here has signed its first contract to bring its HD Live Map into production cars. Following several years of joint research and development with Here, BMW Group has committed to the technology for highly automated (Levels 3 and 4) models from the beginning of the next decade.
“We are very excited about this inaugural commercial agreement for HD Live Map,” said Ralf Herrtwich, senior vice president, automotive, at Here Technologies. “BMW’s trust in our map reinforces our view that with our innovative product, long-term development strategy and sustained investment program, we are well-placed to meet the needs of auto makers as they introduce more automation into their vehicles.”
“The BMW Group has around 10 million connected vehicles on the road,” said Christoph Grote, BMW Group’s senior vice president, electronics. “BMW Group vehicles fitted with the relevant sensors have been collecting real-time mobility information since 2015. For example, BMW vehicles can detect hazards and speed restrictions, and add this highly relevant information to onboard mapping ‘over the air’.
“Together with HD Live Map, we have essential building blocks for highly and fully automated driving in place for the long term. As we progress toward this point, we will be able to offer our customers further location-based services and driver assistance information later this year.”
HD Live Map is designed to be much more precise than maps used for navigation today. It is also updated more rapidly, drawing on data from a growing group of partners from across the automotive industry.
Here says that by the end of 2018, HD Live Map will have grown to one million km of roads across North America and Europe, charted to sub-meter accuracy. This includes lane configurations with lane markings, lane centrelines, speed limits and shoulders, as well as a complete layer of roadside objects and 3D obstacles for vehicle localisation.