The BMW Drive Recorder has been around for about six years and debut in the 8 series in July 2019. It is based on the surround view cameras to record the shots of the area around the car with a 360-degree video. We hear that the German luxury brand has almost come to increase this technology by introducing a more advanced system.
According to a new report by a reliable member of the Bimmer Post Forums, a new security assistant function is planned. It will go beyond what the Drive recorder offers by resembling functions like Teslas Sentry mode. The new system will automatically record suspicious events, including burglary attempts, and send it to the dedicated smartphone app of the car. We also hear that the security assistant is triggered in the event of an accident.
We expect the new technology to support longer videos than the BMW Drive Recorder, which is currently limited to 80 seconds and consists of 40 seconds before and 40 seconds after activation. The actual duration depends on the vehicle because some modes are only limited for 60 seconds. There are other restrictions for the current setup, e.g. B. the possibility to save only 10 recordings before the oldest is automatically deleted. In addition, the drive recorder does not work if the vehicle is reversed.
When the Sentry mode is activated on a Tesla, the cameras and sensors of the car remain driven and absorbed. As soon as it has recognized something unusual, it automatically begins with the recording. The film material can be saved on a USB drive if one is installed. In addition, the headlights pulsate, the alarm triggered and the owner receives a warning via the telephone app.
The security assistant could circle on BMW next year. The same report claims that the first cars that offer this function are the 7 Series and the Electric i3. Both limousines are to be released in 2026 if we will also see the next generation X5. The 5 Series LCI is due a year later and is also assumed that it includes the same technology.
It is said that it is an optional function, but adding security assistants after purchase may be possible. Since it is based on software and rely on existing hardware, BMW could be tried to put it behind a paywall. In this case, it could be offered as a monthly or annual subscription or as a one -time fee for permanent activation. It is not as if it hadn’t been done before …
Source: Bimmer Post
