Porsche picks Mobileye platform for hands-free driving
Sports car manufacturer Porsche and technology company Mobileye have entered into a strategic cooperation for the series production of premium driving assistance system solutions. Porsche plans to offer automated assistance and Navigate-on-Pilot functions based on Mobileye’s SuperVision technology platform in future models.
Although the typical Porsche driver will still intend to drive his or her car primarily manually in the future, there are aspects of semi-automated driving that are of interest to Porsche, explained Michael Steiner, Porsche’s board member for research and development and head of development at the Volkswagen Group. “For example, intelligent systems such as the Mobileye SuperVision technology can relieve the driver of everyday tasks so that, for example, he no longer has to have his hands on the steering wheel all the time in traffic jams,” Steiner said. At the same time, he emphasised that it will still be possible to steer the vehicle oneself at any time.
In the opinion of Porsche management, Mobileye SuperVision is one of the most advanced driver assistance systems in the world. Provided that the legal framework and the traffic situation allow it, the system enables the driver to take his hands off the steering wheel on different types of roads. At the same time, they must remain alert at all times and continue to visually monitor the traffic environment. This corresponds to SAE level 2++. However, since this designation is not an official SAE level, the correct classification should be SAE 2. “In any case, it is not Level 3,” a Porsche spokesperson clarified.
With Mobileye SuperVision, cars can follow pre-set routes, automatically merge in and out, and automatically overtake slower vehicles on multi-lane roads. With eleven cameras and supporting radar detection, the system monitors the surroundings all around. Further components are high-resolution maps (“Road Experience Management”) and the Mobileye EyeQ6 High Systems-on-a-Chip (SoC). This combination of software and hardware performs calculations for assistance functions with the help of artificial intelligence.
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The Intel company Mobileye has been a partner of the Volkswagen Group for some time. The Volkswagen Group has been working with Mobileye for years on advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The Mobileye SuperVision technology can also be used as a platform solution by other Group brands. In the area of automated driving functions, the Volkswagen Group also cooperates with Bosch and Qualcomm, and in China with Horizon Robotics.
“Mobileye is one of the world’s leading providers of automated driving functions. We are thus further advancing our strategy of modern sporty luxury,” praises Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche (and, at the same time, CEO of Volkswagen). “We are combining an outstanding product with a very personal experience. Our customers’ wishes and lifestyles are important to us. We intend to exceed their expectations time and time again – we do this with first-class partners like Mobileye.”
Porsche is taking a crucial role in the overall integration of Mobileye SuperVision into its future models. Porsche engineers will integrate and tune the systems accordingly for a “brand-typical” driving experience. The monitoring system, which checks the driver’s attention, will also be adapted by experts from the company. The same applies to the integration into the user interface of the Porsche Communication Management (PCM).
The Porsche spokesperson declined give a time horizon for the start of series production of correspondingly equipped vehicles. “As you know, developing cars takes time,” he said. Only this much: The next generation of sports cars from Stuttgart will be equipped with them.
The Mobileye platform could theoretically also be used by other vehicle manufacturers of the Volkswagen Group. “Technically, this is possible, but a decision on this has not yet been made,” the spokesperson said.
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