BMW lighting up CES 2023!

BMW has used CES2023 to launch its own vision of the future – the iVision DEE (Digital Emotional Experience).

Oliver Zipse (Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG) believes that electro mobility is the perfect fit for what has always been the “ultimate driving machine”. If you think BMW are going to be left behind on the electric vehicle revolution you are very much mistaken. The iVision DEE acts as a platform to display some pretty whacky ideas but also cutting edge tech that will appear in the soon to be released ‘Neue Klasse’.

Zipse explained that his vision for the future is for a car that “welcomes you”. This, he believes, is the most important aspect of the continued digitalisation of cars. BMW are fully aware of the special relationship between driver and machine and are hoping to digitise this connection.

The concept iVision DEE welcome you audibly while special glass displays your own personal avatar and name as you approach but this is not what the Chairman means. Zipse is talking about a digital interface that is as excited for the drive as you are. DEE uses data from previous drives to anticipate the driver’s every need. Zipse doesn’t just want your new BMW to be a reliable and convenient form of transport, but a faithful companion in the same way that many people feel their smart phones are – an indispensable connection to the real and virtual world.

To showcase this new technology, BMW ‘painted’ the concept iVision DEE with an E Ink coating that can instantly change into any combination of 32 colours. The coating is paper thin and the technology is mind blowing, but, ultimately, a bit pointless. Likewise, the customisable avatar is a little irrelevant, however, what is far more impressive is the near production ready head-up-display.

Working in a similar way to a traditional high-end head-up-display, DEE does away with a traditional dashboard all together. Instead, DEE uses a full width, full height head-up-display to project information normally reserved for dash dials up on the windscreen. This display is entirely customisable by the driver. Further still, passengers can display their chosen information onto the windscreen as well. Naturally, the passenger display can not be seen from the driver’s seat.

The real benefits to a full screen head-up-display is in safety. This system can use advanced semi-autonomous driving sensors, such as radar cruise sensors, to identify and then highlight driving dangers, such as cyclists or pedestrians. SatNav directions can be mirrored onto the screen with the aid of augmented reality displays. It sounds like it would be a distraction, but, in reality, it is seamless and intuitive.

It is wonderful to think that this technology will be available in BMW models in the next couple of years.

EFTM’s Coverage of CES 2023 is made possible by the ongoing support of our regular advertisers and supporters such as Arlo, Belkin, Oppo, Netgear, JBL and Trend Micro, and by additional support from Samsung, LG, Hisense, TCL, BMW and Boost Mobile.