Enable the Maximum Road speed limit display

[EVMan]

How do i enable the Display maximum speed limit option on the front speedometer screen.
I have the Navigation GPS maps , but i do not have the technology package , or the online traffic Navigation package.

e.g , in the image , max speed is 50 miles per hour

 

[I33t]

Don't know how that can be altered, hopefully someone here can help.

But, that photo is not showing 50 miles per hour. It is showing 50 kilometres per hour:: km/h

 

[alohart]

Without the Technology Package, your i3 does not have the front-facing camera. There is evidence that this camera reads speed limit signs so that the speed limit can be displayed.

Some have surmised that map data is also used to display the speed limit. If true, the front-facing camera would not be necessary.

I believe there's an iDrive setting that controls whether the speed limit is displayed. If so, and this setting isn't available in iDrive on your i3, the speed limit probably can't be displayed.

 

[vaizki]

There is evidence that this camera reads speed limit signs so that the speed limit can be displayed.

At least my (euro) i3 seems to know the temporary speed limits at roadworks so I'm betting on the camera..

 

[nitramluap]

There is evidence that this camera reads speed limit signs so that the speed limit can be displayed.

At least my (euro) i3 seems to know the temporary speed limits at roadworks so I'm betting on the camera..

It's both. Data comes from the map database (depends on country) and the camera - it's in the manual... Certainly that's how it works in Australia. The camera definitely picks up the roadworks speed limit signs, and overhead adjustable and illuminated freeway speed signs.

I also note that it picks up variable school zone limits but only during the specified hours - im not sure if that is coming from the map, or the camera is reading the limit AND the times. I've tested this outside the times and ignores the limit. Pretty amazing.

Occasionally it will pick up a speed sign from an exit ramp mistaking it for the freeway speed limit but 99% of the time, it's accurate.

 

[vaizki]

it's in the manual...

My car did not come with a printed manual. The only manual I have is in the iDrive.. where it's split into 72 000 bite-sized mystic haikus in badly translated germanish. Yes, I'd like to "skim" through the manual once but it's not happening with the electronic version

 

[alohart]

The only manual I have is in the iDrive.. where it's split into 72 000 bite-sized mystic haikus in badly translated germanish.

Is the BMW i Driver's Guide app available in Finland? It is supposedly tailored to one's i3 by virtue of the VIN being entered into the app. Unfortunately, this version's translation from German is no better than that in the printed manual, but it's more convenient to read than the iDrive version.

 

[nitramluap]

it's in the manual...

My car did not come with a printed manual. The only manual I have is in the iDrive.. where it's split into 72 000 bite-sized mystic haikus in badly translated germanish. Yes, I'd like to "skim" through the manual once but it's not happening with the electronic version

Hopefully you can download the BMW i Drivers Guide App. I'm pretty sure it's a universal, worldwide app. Just punch in your VIN and it will tailor the manual to display your car's features only. And it shows you a picture of it with the right options!

BMW i Driver’s Guide by BMW GROUP
https://itunes.apple.com/au/app/bmw-i-drivers-guide/id780674884?mt=8

I've never even opened my paper manual!

 

[EVMan]

Can some one suggest what where are the settings in the Idrive Menu to enable disable this.
I will double check this in my Menu, if i am just missing it

Mostly the speed info comes form the Navigation Database , just like the Road names and all other map info.
Using cameras to do these this will return missing and inaccurate results , and overall poor experience , apart from being difficult.

 

[nitramluap]

Can some one suggest what where are the settings in the Idrive Menu to enable disable this.
I will double check this in my Menu, if I am just missing it

Via iDrive:
-> Vehicle Settings
-> Instrument Cluster Display
-> Limit Info (turn on/off)

Using cameras to do these this will return missing and inaccurate results , and overall poor experience , apart from being difficult.

Is that a fact?

In my experience it is accurate 99% of the time and useful in areas where there are variable speed limit signs (motorways, roadworks, school zones, etc). The BMW is clearly combining camera inputs with data from the navigation database and it says as much in the manual. Seems pretty smart to me. Tesla vehicles do the same.

It also states in the manual:
"Traffic signs with additional symbols, for example in wet conditions, are also detected compared with internal vehicle data, for example the rain sensor, and displayed, depending on the situation"

That explains why it knows when the school speed limits are in play for me - it's comparing the internal car clock with the times listed on the speed signs.

 

[EVMan]

All i can say with my experience is
A navigation company doing this for 10 years
1) reading the road signs and speed limits with time of day
2) with high end costly equipment with image stabilizers
3) Driving under optimal light conditions and scanning comple roads
2) and then doing quality correction with high power consuming machines using AI
3) getting feedback from users and doing crowdsource correction of the data

and then selling that data which every one uses is above 95 % reliable.

The low powered low resolution camera in the low powered embedded systems with changing roads in extreme light conditions, will be less than 50% reliable ( not suitable for production )

 

[alohart]

The low powered low resolution camera in the low powered embedded systems with changing roads in extreme light conditions, will be less than 50% reliable ( not suitable for production )

If your i3 had a front-facing camera, you could do what Bjørn Nyland did with his Tesla Model S: cover the front-facing camera with tape so learn how doing so affects the speed limit display. I don't have a link to his video which I saw several years ago, but I believe it confirmed Tesla's description of Speed Assist. Compare speed limit data from map data with that read by the camera. If they agree, display the speed limit. If they don't agree or no speed limit data are available, display the speed limit read by the camera. There might be logic that favors map data if the quality of the camera's reading is insufficient due to factors that you have mentioned. The i3's speed limit system is identical to that used by the early Tesla Model S because they both use the same camera and logic provided by Mobileye.

So the camera is only part of the speed limit detection system. Working in cooperation with map data improves the camera's capabilities considerably. But without the camera, BMW must have decided that speed limit display would be too inaccurate to enable it on i3's without front cameras.

 

[EVMan]

The low powered low resolution camera in the low powered embedded systems with changing roads in extreme light conditions, will be less than 50% reliable ( not suitable for production )

If your i3 had a front-facing camera, you could do what Bjørn Nyland did with his Tesla Model S: cover the front-facing camera with tape so learn how doing so affects the speed limit display. I don't have a link to his video which I saw several years ago, but I believe it confirmed Tesla's description of Speed Assist. Compare speed limit data from map data with that read by the camera. If they agree, display the speed limit. If they don't agree or no speed limit data are available, display the speed limit read by the camera. There might be logic that favors map data if the quality of the camera's reading is insufficient due to factors that you have mentioned. The i3's speed limit system is identical to that used by the early Tesla Model S because they both use the same camera and logic provided by Mobileye.

So the camera is only part of the speed limit detection system. Working in cooperation with map data improves the camera's capabilities considerably. But without the camera, BMW must have decided that speed limit display would be too inaccurate to enable it on i3's without front cameras.

Agreed.
But i feel reading the timings of speed along with that , with each state having ts own format / language takes this to a different level.
So i3 also use Mobileye ? I have not good things about the reliability of the i3 ACC. e.g not recognizing Dodge cars rear end etc.
It may be a older version , as tesla sends regular updates .
Any smart system needs regular updates to learn from everyone and send back the updates to improve.

 

[nitramluap]

All i can say with my experience is

(snip)

The low powered low resolution camera in the low powered embedded systems with changing roads in extreme light conditions, will be less than 50% reliable ( not suitable for production )

So you're criticising a system that you have now discovered you don't even have in your vehicle? Yeah, that makes sense. :roll:

I presume you'd be extolling its virtues if your car did have it. Ergo, your opinion on the subject is rather valueless.

While it is not perfect, it works 99% of the time, and it's a driver's aid, nothing more so if it's not 100% accurate who cares?. It doesn't influence cruise control, nor does it annoyingly beep at you if you're 'speeding'. It does what it needs to do and does so very well. If ANY driver NEEDS this display to know what the speed limit is currently, then they probably shouldn't be driving at all...

 

[I33t]

Can some one suggest what where are the settings in the Idrive Menu to enable disable this.
I will double check this in my Menu, if I am just missing it

Via iDrive:
-> Vehicle Settings
-> Instrument Cluster Display
-> Limit Info (turn on/off)

Interesting in Australia. My i3 BEV delivered in Dec '14, with almost everything apart from leather interior and the led headlights. Never had the speed display and I remember bmw said that it wasn't on the agenda in Australia because the speed display was not effective on Aussie highways. Not worried about it, but interesting that it has rolled onto the newer model.

Wonder if it will turn up on the next software update...

 

[nitramluap]

Never had the speed display and I remember bmw said that it wasn't on the agenda in Australia because the speed display was not effective on Aussie highways. Not worried about it, but interesting that it has rolled onto the newer model.

Yes, I had read the same and all vehicles I had tested (60Ah) didn't have it enabled either despite having the hardware for it. I was quite surprised when our cars came with it. I wasn't expecting it at all.

Wonder if it will turn up on the next software update...

I suspect that the answer might be 'yes' but there is only one way to find out - and report back.

My car (2017 BEV) has the following software versions listed on the iDrive display:
Media: MN-003.013.001
Telephone: TN-003.013.001
My map data is '2017' and a recent check with BMW Connected Portal shows it to still be the current version.

It would be nice if this feature can be enabled retrospectively for you and if you hate it, you can always turn it off.

 

[EVMan]

All i can say with my experience is

(snip)

The low powered low resolution camera in the low powered embedded systems with changing roads in extreme light conditions, will be less than 50% reliable ( not suitable for production )

So you're criticising a system that you have now discovered you don't even have in your vehicle? Yeah, that makes sense. :roll:

I presume you'd be extolling its virtues if your car did have it. Ergo, your opinion on the subject is rather valueless.
.

As a develop of new technology as part of my job, yes u do have my opinions, about quality , cost and choice of designs , how things work, how should they work. I also like to learn new things how they work. I did learn about the fact i 3 needs camera for speed reading, or may be its based on country or other factors including legal etc

My understanding and observation is any vehicle with Navigation display has speed info as part of the Navigation database. My 12 year old lexus with Navigation also had speed info.
My i3 in US with Navigation does not. I find it strange that i i3 will need a camera to display this info. I can understand - Supplement the speed info part.
I also find your opinion very very odd , that my ownership will change my opinion of how the system should work.
May be it does for you . Not for me.
The last time , i designed a system for a train positive speed control, and the fact i don't own that train , will not really matter to me.
And i also dont own a Tesla, leaf and many other things in life. So you think i can not have a opinion on that , based on ownership....Good luck to you to live Life with this attitude ..

 

[EVMan]

Can some one suggest what where are the settings in the Idrive Menu to enable disable this.
I will double check this in my Menu, if I am just missing it

Via iDrive:
-> Vehicle Settings
-> Instrument Cluster Display
-> Limit Info (turn on/off)

Interesting in Australia. My i3 BEV delivered in Dec '14, with almost everything apart from leather interior and the led headlights. Never had the speed display and I remember bmw said that it wasn't on the agenda in Australia because the speed display was not effective on Aussie highways. Not worried about it, but interesting that it has rolled onto the newer model.

Wonder if it will turn up on the next software update...

Possibly. I would suspect it may be some other reason like legal etc , why they may disable this.
Licensing of the speed database / technologies may also can be a reason...

 

[nitramluap]

Yawn...

 

[alohart]

My car (2017 BEV) has the following software versions listed on the iDrive display:
Media: MN-003.013.001
Telephone: TN-003.013.001

This software probably doesn't control the speed limit display; it's likely managed by one of the system software components. Unfortunately, the only way one can learn the system software version is by backing up a driver profile to a USB drive, mount the USB drive on a computer, open the backup file in a text editor, and read the value of the <i-step> tag which has the format I001-YY-MM-XXX where YY is the year, MM is the month, and XXX is a number that might be a subversion.