BMW’s Automated Cruise Control Coming To A Car Near You In The Future

Not so long ago, it was hard to imagine a car that would tell us where to go. Also not so long ago, a car that parks itself was strictly a fantasy in a science fiction film. Fast forward to 2011, the aforementioned technologies have not only become a reality but are affordable for the masses.

Volkswagen has also successfully developed a car that is capable of driving itself without much human intervention, albeit this technology isn’t quite yet ready for production.

BMW, not wanting to be left behind, is developing an automated ConnectedDrive Connect system that uses GPS, radar sensors and video cameras to work out the car’s position on the road and calculate the surroundings. It forms part of the cruise control system and is able to overtake slower vehicles all by itself at highway speeds, with no intervention from the driver.

BMW is currently road testing the technology. When the ConnectedDrive Connect is engaged, the BMW functions very much like cruise controls we are familiar with today. However, what is different is the car constantly monitors the road ahead and it’s surroundings. If a slower vehicle in front is detected, the BMW ConnectedDrive Connect system will pull into the overtaking lane, if it determines it is safe to do so, and overtake the vehicle.

Once past the slower vehicle, the control systems will return the BMW into the lane it was travelling in originally. If there is no room to overtake the slower vehicle, the ConnectedDrive Connect system will apply the brakes, leaving a safe distance between the car and the vehicle in front, much like today’s Adaptive Cruise Control systems.

As with Volkswagen ‘autopilot’, BMW says the technology isn’t quite ready for production. It has however, clocked up 5000km of road tests in real-world traffic conditions.