It’s amazing how digital technology enables car manufacturers to create autonomous vehicles that provide passengers with the most relaxing travel experience. During the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in January 2022, BMW unveiled a new feature that allows passengers of self-driving cars to lounge and binge watch during long autonomous rides. As many opined that doing nothing while traveling for hours can make a journey too boring for comfort, the creative minds at Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) have finally figured out how to harness digital technology to effortlessly provide the next level of quality in riding comfort and mobile entertainment.
Actually, as early as 2015, BMW was already pondering how to convince skeptics that aside from convenience, there are other benefits to riding a self-driving car. In its 2022 CES presentation, this German original equipment manufacturer (OEM) announced the integration of the “BMW i3 Urban Suite” in their line of luxury self-driving cars.
What Exactly Does the BMW i3 Urban Suite Offer?
After outfitting its luxury autonomous cars with comfortable lounge chairs sometime in 2020, BMW gave the passenger section the feel of a modern hotel lobby by way of the BMW i3 Urban Suite.
The latter actually has different modes of entertainment, to which the Theater mode comes with a fold-down screen of a smart TV located in front of a comfortable back seat lounge chair with a side table and lamp.
There’s no other passenger seat, but there’s a footrest built into the table, and thermoelectric cup holders that can either warm up or chill beverages. There are also charging ports and a clothes hanger to keep outer garments organized inside the space. Moreover, the lounger tilts up to a 60-degree angle to make reading or watching, a truly relaxing experience.
The main highlight of the BMW i3 Urban Suite is the 31-inch, top of the line high resolution, smart TV supported by Amazon’s on-demand streaming platform Fire TV. The streaming service is country-specific though, but the Diamond Surround Sound System by Bowers & Wilkins gives passengers a mobile cinema-like entertainment anywhere and whenever.
The giant screen can be retracted and folded back into the headliner, if a passenger wants to have an outside view. The touch controls are within easy reach as they are accessible in the rear doors.
Through the 5G connection of the suite’s “Theatre” Mode, the car’s entertainment system is able to stream on demand the latest shows available at Fire TV. However, as an 8K TV touted to have the highest resolution in terms of image display, there still isn’t much content to stream on demand from Fire TV. The bright side to it is that the luxury car’s theater mode is 8K-ready when the related content becomes available at Fire TV.
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