F30POST
F30POST
2012-2015 BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum
BMW Garage BMW Meets Register Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read
BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > BIMMERPOST Universal Forums > General BMW News and Cars Discussion > Q&A With Senior Vice President of BMW Automated Driving and Driver Assistance
GetBMWParts
Post Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
      12-20-2018, 09:38 AM   #1
Jason
Administrator
Jason's Avatar
United_States
40324
Rep
21,232
Posts

Drives: F80 M3
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Q&A With Senior Vice President of BMW Automated Driving and Driver Assistance

BIMMERPOST NEWS
Q&A With Senior Vice President of BMW Automated Driving and Driver Assistance
4
COMMENTS
Name:  P90333612_highRes_bmw-autonomous-drivi.jpg
Views: 4288
Size:  201.4 KB


December 20, 2018

Interview with Elmar Frickenstein, Senior Vice President Fully Automated Driving and Driver Assistance, BMW AG.

In September 2017, you and your team moved to the Autonomous Driving Campus in Unterschleissheim. What prompted the BMW Group’s decision to create this new site?

We are currently experiencing the largest paradigm shift in the history of the automotive industry. The industry is set to witness more change in the next decade than in the past 30 years. Today, we are already on the brink of highly automated driving. There are many challenges to overcome as we progress towards highly and fully automated driving, the biggest of which is surely to handle the overall complexity of the task. To succeed, we must have the courage to change our way of thinking. And this is exactly what we have done. Having the Campus as a central site where all of the BMW Group’s autonomous driving resources are bundled forms a fundamental element of our all-embracing approach. Here, we work closely interconnected also with our technology and collaboration partners on the development of the necessary technical solutions. For example, software developers can immediately test out code they have just written – in the actual vehicle and in just a few steps. Everything is done on a common code base. The Campus with all its facilities was completed in record time; we moved in just one year after receiving the go-ahead.


After the first 450 days there, what changes do you feel working together at the Campus has brought about?

At the same time as moving to the Campus last year, we adopted an agile working method known as LeSS – Large Scale Scrum. And we aligned the organisational structure to the new working environment. Working in feature teams with end-to-end responsibility, our employees at the Campus produce valid results in two-week sprints that they can test out and experience in the actual vehicle. It’s incredible to see just how much this new way of working together motivates the developers. The remarkable spirit I can sense here on a daily basis is another thing that reminds me of Silicon Valley.

That is why I personally see the Autonomous Driving Campus as symbolising the dawn of a new era in mobility. I’ve been at BMW for 30 years and have both witnessed and played an active part in many changes. But when I moved to my new workplace at the Campus on September 18th 2017, I was in no doubt that a new chapter in the BMW Group story was beginning here. The Campus is different, new, innovative and quite unique in the automotive industry. We need to embrace change in this way if we want to master the complexity of autonomous driving; the development of new technologies calls for new approaches.


What do you like most about the new working method?

The agile working method is based, among other things, on the principle of ongoing improvements for both products and methods. For example, the teams convene for a ‘sprint review’ at the end of each sprint. They present their results to all the employees in a kind of marketplace. This means that when they plan the next sprint afterwards, consideration can also be given to issues arising at short notice as a top priority. Then there is the ‘retrospective’, when the teams share observations from the last sprint and work together to identify measures for improvements in the next sprint. The beauty of it all is that these regular exchanges put the developers in a position where they can make decisions themselves, which is crucial not only for product advancement, but for this style of teamwork as well. Hierarchical delegation becomes a thing of the past as a result, while knowledge is scaled to maximum effect and made available to everyone. That’s how you develop for the future.


What are the next development steps towards autonomous driving at the BMW Group?

With the Campus, the switch to the LeSS working method and our organisational structure, we have created a solid basis for mastering the complexity of the task. This enables us to establish new key technologies such as artificial intelligence and simulation as the focus of development. We are also gradually expanding our fleet of vehicles. Currently we have 80 vehicles operating in Europe, the USA and China. The aim with these measures is to validate our highly and fully automated driving technology and to carry out the transition from demonstrator development to production development.


How will customers benefit?

In 2021, we will be offering customers a perfected system in the BMW iNEXT that adds noticeable value to the vehicle experience. Highly and fully automated driving will give our customers back one of the most precious commodities of all: time. The optional “Highway Pilot” will allow customers to drive on the motorway from Munich to Hamburg, for example, at speeds of up to 130 km/h (81 mph) and spend the time doing other things, such as reading a newspaper or just enjoying the landscape. We will also be operating pilot fleets with Level 4 technology based on the BMW iNEXT in selected regions. Our motto is always “safety first”. With the right technology, the right technology partners and an agile working model, automated driving will make our roads safer for everyone. Our Campus creates the basis for customer-centric development. Thanks to the unique spirit instilled by the Campus, we are changing the face of personal mobility for our customers and giving them back valuable time.


Finally, if you had to describe the Campus with three hashtags, what would they be?

#EmbracingChange #Transformation #GermanSiliconValley


Name:  P90333613_highRes_bmw-autonomous-drivi.jpg
Views: 3969
Size:  454.8 KB

Name:  P90333609_highRes_bmw-autonomous-drivi.jpg
Views: 3952
Size:  201.4 KB

Name:  P90333611_highRes_bmw-autonomous-drivi.jpg
Views: 3853
Size:  132.8 KB

__________________
Check on the Latest BMW News
Become a fan of Bimmerpost Facebook
Follow us on Bimmerpost Twitter
Subscribe to Bimmerpost Youtube Channel
Appreciate 1
shoptb176.00
      12-20-2018, 10:42 AM   #2
goodNIGHT
Private First Class
goodNIGHT's Avatar
107
Rep
187
Posts

Drives: 2015 M235i
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: LOS ANGELES

iTrader: (1)

interesting little interview giving another small glimpse of what companies have us do in the future. The progress of digitization of our lives is becoming really remarkable. This interview really highlights not only a paradigm shift in the car industry but in also in out lives. Auto manufacturers are becoming mobile transportation companies where autopilot ride shared cars will be the norm. Artificial intelligence, digital currency, bank accounts on our telephones, face recognition, flights to Mars, robotics, etc. I'm sure for the people in the upper echelons of society- they already know what's in store for the rest of us in the next decade or two. For the rest of us let's wait and see what the future holds..
Appreciate 0
      12-21-2018, 11:13 AM   #3
uniqueMR
Colonel
uniqueMR's Avatar
1879
Rep
2,923
Posts

Drives: ...
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: USA

iTrader: (0)

Future looking bright
__________________
Currently: '24 Mercedes G63 | '24 Porsche GT3 RS | '24 Volkswagen GTI
Previous BMWs: 340i, 740i, 745Li, M3, M4
Previous Others: Audi, Ducati, Honda, Infiniti, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, MINI, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen
Appreciate 0
      12-24-2018, 12:43 PM   #4
SteveinArizona
Brigadier General
United_States
3086
Rep
4,210
Posts

Drives: BMW 530e
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Greater Phoenix

iTrader: (0)

IMHO worthless interview. No substance. Just a bunch of homilies.
Appreciate 0
      12-24-2018, 10:03 PM   #5
Darth One
drunk poster
Darth One's Avatar
United_States
6613
Rep
3,649
Posts

Drives: M4 GTS | E46 M3
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: FL

iTrader: (0)

Elmar is Fricken optimistic about automated driving technology!
Appreciate 0
Post Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:12 AM.




f30post
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
1Addicts.com, BIMMERPOST.com, E90Post.com, F30Post.com, M3Post.com, ZPost.com, 5Post.com, 6Post.com, 7Post.com, XBimmers.com logo and trademark are properties of BIMMERPOST