BMW Developing Navigation Nanny That Learns

by Martin Schwoerer

Published: February 23rd, 2009

bmw developing navigation nanny that learns

When developing new car gadgetry, automakers are faced with making a very basic assumption about their potential customers. Are we the consumers willing to trade our fundamental, if somewhat-anarchistic, assumptions of freedom for some wimpy, gas saving benefit? From accident black boxes to driver-behavior monitors, most red-blooded pistonheads say, hell no! Apparently BMW reckons that more people want toys than want (perceived) freedom. And they’re developing an intelligent navigation system that will learn your driving habits to prove it.

ILENA (Intelligent Learning Navigation) is a BMW project which intends to record your daily driving habits, in order to increase the efficiency of your car. Say, does your everyday commute involve a quick blast from 0-50 to merge on the freeway? Using ILENA, your car will pro-actively subtract power from the aircon and select a later shifting point for the auto transmission. The car’s camera learns to identify your regular route, the road’s gradients, curves, and braking points. Andreas Winkler, ILENA’s project head, says “using all this information, the navigation system generates an electronic horizon which helps in energy management”. Another example: ILENA would make sure that the battery of a hybrid vehicle would be fully charged just before entering an urban zone.

When ILENA is combined with BMW’s “Efficient Dynamics,” it can save 5% to 10% in fuel consumption, says BMW. (But wait: Efficient Dynamics has been widely criticised for not really saying much at all—but let’s not be too critical, shall we?) So BMW promises less fuel but more power to the people. Others will say: more Big Brother. I’d prefer to remember what the immortal LJK Setright said when 15 years ago he observed the Germans were “obsessed with power and electronic gimmickry.”

Martin Schwoerer

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ZoomZoom on Feb 24, 2009

Hahaha, another laugh for don1967's comment! But seriously folks; most drivers are "average" drivers. A typical bell curve would therefore hold that the great majority of drivers are "average and below". On any given day, I see the "average" driver putting on makeup, eating at the wheel, chatting on the cell phone, absorbed in his/her cigarette, reading the paper, reading (and responding to!) email, and so forth. It's obvious to me, we're just simply too busy to be expected to do something so menial as DRIVE the car we're riding in! Therefore, for our loved ones, and for our own safety and survival, we need to put "average" and "below average" drivers into the passenger seat, even if they are said loved ones. Or us (*). Therefore, I think this is a good first step to making our roads safer. (*) Or into the back seat for those red-light district rendezvous...

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Ricky Spanish on Feb 24, 2009

My 1994 Honda Civic got 40 mpg with an ICE engine and no electronic frills whatsoever. Top that BMW.

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