BMW Now Has Cars Driving Themselves Around the Factory

BMW is promoting its own self-driving technology after the Dingolfing facility finalized its Automated Driving In-Plant (AFW) system as part of its “BMW iFactory” framework. The location is transitioning into one where the vehicles can pilot themselves around the facility at low speeds, setting the stage for other sites to follow suit. While the notion that this means something for its advanced driving technologies on-road are suspect, BMW is likewise hyping the logistical advantages of not needing human porters to move completed vehicles.

“Automated Driving In-Plant optimises our production process and delivers significant efficiency gains for our logistics,” stated Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production. “That is why we will be swiftly rolling out this technology throughout our production network.”

The Dingolfing factory is BMW’s largest in Germany and has been testing low-speed (below 1 mph) autonomous driving since 2022. The site reached a point where the BMW 5 Series and 7 Series can effectively drive themselves off the assembly line and through a short test course before landing at the finishing zone. Leipzig has likewise been working on becoming an Automated Driving In-Plant and now has the Mini Countryman and select BMW models that can do the same.

However, the vehicles aren’t operating independently from the surrounding infrastructure. BMW says the Dingolfing plant has “the largest LIDAR infrastructure in Europe” as part of the sensor array that’s used to guide the vehicles around within the factory. This comes after the plant achieved CE certification (Conformité Européenne), which basically just means it adheres to the latest safety, health and environmental protection requirements deemed relevant by the European Commission.

From BMW:

Plant Leipzig plans to introduce automated driving for around 90 percent of the BMW and MINI models built there, with Plants Regensburg and Oxford set to follow in 2025. The new site in Debrecen, Hungary, will also implement this technology from the official launch of series production.

Going forward, the BMW Group plans to expand its use of Automated Driving In-Plant to other areas of production, such as for driving through the testing zone and in outdoor distribution areas. Production and development experts are also working closely together to refine the technology in-house. Another key factor in expanding the technology is the increasing use of on-board technology, which will support the external sensors in the long term.

With Amazon and other companies showing off how extensively they’re automating logistics, automotive manufacturers seem keen to show themselves as following suit. Notifying the world that you’re making changes that will effectively limit job openings in a period where everyone seems concerned about layoffs may not be the best play right now. But the overarching strategy for automakers has been to reduce headcount via automation, outsourcing, and pivoting toward EVs — which typically need fewer hands on the assembly line than their combustion counterparts.

“Over the next ten years, we will log several million test kilometres with Automated Driving In-Plant in our production network alone,” claimed Nedeljković. “In this way, the BMW Group is once again setting a new benchmark for automation and digitalisation of its production processes — while paving the way for future applications in the field of autonomous driving.”

There are undoubtedly real lessons BMW can learn from this as things are scaled up. But these are likewise items the industry has been dabbling with for over a decade. Low-speed autonomous testing in closed environments, especially those supported by the surrounding infrastructure, are where self-driving technology started. It may not underpin where it’s going. However, the potential logistical advantages appear quite real if the cost of implementing these systems are lower than hiring human drivers.

[Images: BMW]

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Source: The Truth About Cars