BMW Innovation Days : Paving the Way for the Future of Individual Mobility

Press release
Source: BMW

Never before has society been as mobile as today. But at the same time the transport infrastructure in many densely populated areas is already reaching the limits to its capacity. It is therefore essential, introducing new transport concepts and intelligent traffic management, to ensure most effi cient and environmentally compatible use of the existing road network, and to minimise negative side effects of mobility such as traffic congestion, accidents and burdens on the environment.


BMW Group experts on traffic management and technology have been working for more than 20 years under the motto “Innovation, not Restriction” on solutions for traffi c problems – and given the restricted availability of energy and climate effects, these projects have in the meantime taken on even greater significance. In Germany alone, for example, traffic congestion is responsible for approximately 12 billion litres of fuel wasted each year – extra consumption which could be avoided. Clearly, this offers a great potential for reducing CO2 even with the volume of traffic increasing.

“We wish in particular to promote individual mobility through sustainable concepts. And as an international company we wish to demonstrate our responsibility to society.” (Christoph Huss, responsible inter alia for BMW Group Traffi c Management).

Cars Able to Look Ahead
Traffi c congestion is one of the unpleasant aspects of increasing road traffic. The motorist obviously does not like red traffic lights and construction sites are always a nuisance. So providing information on traffic conditions to the driver in his car, we can enable the motorist to determine and calculate effi cient routes, using Effi cientDynamics accordingly and gaining information on upcoming events.

The BMW Group Traffi c Manager therefore faces two questions in particular: What relevant information is available? And how can we get this information into the car?

Currently the focus is on traffic management systems such as traffic lights or traffic control centres where, through communication between the vehicle and the surrounding infrastructure, the information required could be provided efficiently. Availability of more properly analysed data increases the information we can offer the driver on the route he is taking or under current conditions, ensuring even better use of EfficientDynamics such as the Auto Start Stop function for upcoming requirements.

Inter-Modal Route Guidance
Another research project examines the interaction of the vehicle with other providers of transport. The term used for this purpose – Inter-Modal Route Guidance – describes the wish to promote individual mobility by using and networking the systems available. The objective is that the customer reaches his destination as quickly as possible, relaxed and in style.

Precisely this is why the BMW Group seeks to integrate and connect the car Intelligently with other means of transport, ensuring synergetic use of various transport providers. Specifically, the focus is on intelligent use of the car in conjunction with other transport providers in public short-haul passenger transport, also taking parking space into account.

In future, therefore, the BMW navigation system, whenever the inner city is overcrowded or closed to car traffi c or when there is traffic congestion on the route planned, will help the driver change to public transport or use Park & Ride.

The system offered also provides optimised information on parking opportunities and a “last mile” routing to the driver’s fi nal destination, avoiding the need to waste a lot of time looking for a parking space in town and using extra fuel in the process.

The big challenge of the future is to integrate reliable, up-to-date information on a broad basis, providing a precise description of traffic conditions and the options available in public short-haul passenger transport. This is the only way to ensure high-quality, dynamic inter-modal route guidance the driver will readily accept and use.

TPEG – the Data Revolution
Many ideas can only be implemented through effi cient data management. So far traffic data for use in the car has been broadcast by FM radio on the Traffic Message Channel (TMC). But the current TMC standard and the bandwidth of FM radio are no longer sufficient for upcoming requirements such as traffic information-based travel services.

The solution is TPEG (Transportation Protocol Expert Group), an international standard for broadcasting multi-modal traffi c and travel information independently of voice messages. TPEG allows more effi cient use of far greater bandwidth than other broadcasting protocols so far.

Various broadband transmission channels such as DAB, HD Radio, GSM and UMTS may provide the basis for TPEG, which is able to present not only specific traffic events and conditions such as high traffic volume, congestion, accidents or roads closed, but also useful information such as the fl ow and speed of traffic, weather conditions, parking options and the occupancy of car parks, connections to other means of transport (inter-modal route guidance) as well as filling stations with the respective price of fuel.