They're already driving on the highway – and soon they'll likely be in Munich's city center as well: autonomous cars. As BMW announced, self-driving cars will also be tested for their suitability in Munich's city center traffic starting in 2017.
The idea is good: The car steers itself, you arrive at your destination relaxed and no longer have to concentrate on the traffic. But what about the implementation? While autonomous cars are already doing their test kilometers on the highway, they haven't yet been used in city centers. BMW is planning to change that. according to a report fromWorld But that will change next year. The Munich-based automaker also wants to test its self-driving cars in city traffic, including in Munich.
Maximum mindfulness, but no excessive slowness
However, this is no reason for typical Munich grumbling. The self-driving test vehicles will initially not be completely autonomous, but will always be accompanied by a driver who can intervene in an emergency. But even though the new technology requires the utmost caution, the cars should not be conspicuous by excessive slowness, as the World reported. Rather, the cars should adhere to current speed regulations and be capable of driving on the Munich Ring, for example.
The test drives in urban areas are primarily intended to gather experience and thoroughly test the technology under almost real-life conditions. Because autonomous cars should no longer remain a rosy idea of the future—they should conquer the market as soon as possible.
