BMW has been trying to convince auto regulators to replace mirrors with cameras for a few years now.
Getting behind the wheel of the automaker's i8 mirrorless concept car at the BMW booth just outside of the Las Vegas Convention Center, as part of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 experience Thursday morning, and it's easy to understand why BMW is so adamant about getting this done.
From the moment I raised the i8's butterfly doors and plunged into its plush driver's bucket seat with BMW's project manager of camera monitor systems, Philipp Hoffman, beside me, I was blown away at how seamlessly the cameras work together — not to mention, how they're flat out more effective than traditional vehicles' mirrors.
The i8 concept touts eight cameras in total — two on each side (replacing the left and right side mirrors), two in the back, and two more in the front. The rear-view mirror — or what used to be the rear-view mirror — is a camera monitor split into thirds, showing the driver real-time footage from each of the left and right sides and also what's behind him or her.
"Please turn the indicator to the left," Hoffman tells me.
As soon as I tugged down on the left-turn signal, the left-third of the monitor, acting as the rear-view mirror, expanded, giving me an extra five degrees of view. Hoffman claims BMW is the only automanufacturer to have that feature.
Altogether, the side cameras on the i8 will give drivers 50 extra degrees of view that we don't have right now with traditional side mirrors on vehicles, helping to eliminate blind spots completely, and possibly avoiding bad accidents.
When I threw the car in reverse, the middle of the triple-split camera monitor widened, making sure I received a generous view of everything going on behind me.
"You really have a camera monitor system to replace mirrors here," Hoffman said.
Because the side cameras are more aerodynamic than traditional side mirrors, they give off less drag, allowing the vehicle to perform better on the road. They're also well-equipped to handle the bitter cold of the winter, as Hoffman told Tech Times that the cameras are coated with heated Gorilla Glass.
Although there are still regulation obstacles to overcome for BMW, trying to push for cameras over mirrors, Hoffman projected 2017 as the possible year that the mirrorless camera system could impact the United States. Before that, though, they could impact European BMWs as soon as this year.
