Porsche picks Intel's Mobileye for automated driver-assist technology

Porsches is all about the driving experience, but there are times when even Porsche owners will want to hand over the driving duties to the vehicle, like in heavy traffic or during a boring commute.

Porsche understands this, and it's why the automaker is planning highly automated driver-assist technology for future models. In an announcement on Tuesday, Porsche said it plans to integrate Intel-owned Mobileye's SuperVision automated driver-assist system in its cars.

“There are certain aspects of partially automated driving that we are interested in,” Michael Steiner, Porsche's head of R&D, said in a statement. “Intelligent systems like Mobileye SuperVision technology can aid the driver in everyday situations, for example by not having to keep their hands on the wheel the entire time in traffic jams.”

Mobileye is a major supplier of camera-based sensor technology to OEMs, including Porsche's Volkswagen Group parent, and in recent years the company has been developing its own driver-assist systems. Mobileye's most advanced system is SuperVision, which Porsche said it will tune for its vehicles.

SuperVision can handle a variety of road and traffic situations in hands-free mode but still requires the driver to monitor the road at all times and be ready to take action if necessary. This means it still ranks at Level 2 on the SAE scale of self-driving capability. Level 3 is the first level where the experience is both hands- and eyes-free.

Specific functions of SuperVision include the ability for a car to follow a navigation route selected by the driver, change lanes, and pass slower moving vehicles on multi-lane roads. SuperVision can also handle certain parking situations. The system relies on 11 cameras and multiple radar sensors, as well as highly detailed maps. All of the data is processed with Mobileye's own system-on-chip computer and AI technology.

Porsche hasn't mentioned what functionality SuperVision will have in its cars. The automaker also hasn't said when SuperVision will be available or what vehicles will use it.