Innoviz Technologies Ltd (INVZ)

[WeTheMarket]

BMW LAUNCHED THE BMW 7, WHICH FEATURES THE INVIZ SENSOR
April 24, 2022
https://techtime.co.il/2022/04/24/innoviz-31/
(Translated by Google from Hebrew to English)

THE LEADING VEHICLE REPORTER, CHRIS TSUI, MARVELED AT THE ADAS SYSTEMS AND AUTONOMOUS DRIVING CAPABILITIES IN THE NEW SERIES 7, WHICH RELY ON INVIZ'S SENSOR. HE SUMMED UP THE EXPERIENCE: "THE CARS IN THE NEW SERIES KNOW HOW TO DRIVE BETTER THAN YOU"



After working together that lasted four years, the LiDAR sensor of the Israeli company Innoviz reaches the market in a new BMW (BMW) series of vehicles. Last week, the German automaker launched the new generation of the BMW 7 luxury vehicle series, which will hit the market in November 2022. The new series includes petrol engine cars, hybrid cars, and for the first time a fully electric model, the BMW i7, which will be equipped with a battery that will be enough to travel 300 miles per charge.

Starting in 2023, the new 7 Series will be BMW's first series, which will feature Inviz's LiDAR sensor, defined by BMW as "the most powerful sensor in the industry." BMW markets the new models as the forefront of technology when it comes to driver safety and assist applications, autonomous driving, a combination of augmented reality and digitalization. Inviz's sensor is a key component of the sensor array that supports these applications, along with radars for all ranges, with vertical separation, and an 8-megapixel camera.

In March 2022, Inviz's CEO, Omer Kilf, discovered that the sensor the company developed for BMW had successfully passed all the tests and reached the freeze phase. This means that at this moment it is forbidden to make changes to the design approved by BMW, and it will enter production in its current form. Its mass production begins as early as 2022.

The car knows how to drive better than you
As part of the marketing campaign ahead of the launch, BMW has invited leading bloggers and automotive reporters for test drives in the new models, which have yielded audit columns on well-known websites in the automotive industry, such as The Drive, Which Car, HT Auro, Forbes and more. One of the reporters who made a test drive was Chris Tsui of The Drive. In an article titled "BMW joins the competition for hands-free driving," he marveled at the ADAS and autonomous driving systems that rely on Inviz's sensor, summing up the experience: "The cars in the new series of sedans know how to drive better than you do." Chris points out that the semi-autonomous driving applications on intercity roads, as well as the improved capacity of autonomous parking, make the vehicle "more of a self-driving machine than a machine designed to be driven."

The i7 features level 2 auxiliary applications (that is, with hands on the wheel) of adaptive cruise and lane keeping. at speeds of up to 140 km/h, automatic driving mode can be activated on intercity roads, similar to a pilot car in tesla vehicles. in this situation, the car performs the acceleration, braking and steering operations autonomously, without the driver being required to hold the steering wheel, but only to keep his gaze on the road. the system is also able to autonomously transition from lane to path. as the car approaches the exit from the main road, the driver can order at the touch of a button to automatically make a gradual transition from lane to lane to exit, as long as traffic is not too busy or the exit is too close.

Self-navigating into the home garage
BMW has announced that these models will later be allowed to drive autonomous Class 3 at speeds of up to 60 km/h even on non-long-distance roads. For Level 3 autonomous driving, Inviz's LiDAR sensor is necessary. Commentators from the automotive world estimate that this capability will be particularly attractive in the Chinese market, where the average speed of travel in cities is relatively low due to traffic congestion.

Tsui goes on to review the autonomous parking capability of the new model, noting that he has not yet encountered such high capabilities. Although the 7 Series models are relatively large, the orientation and maneuverability allows the vehicle to park even inside challenging parking spaces. In addition, a predetermined route can be programmed so that the vehicle navigates independently, for example, from the entrance gate, through the driveway to the garage. The semi-autonomous driving technology in these vehicles may be among the best in the industry, a worthy competitor, and even beyond, for GM's SuperCars and Tesla's autopilot."