Embotech and BMW said they have reached 1 million vehicle movements using automated driving technology across four sites in the U.K. and Germany. The application targets a task that is often still handled manually: moving vehicles after they leave the production line to parking or loading areas. According to the companies, the milestone reflects a shift from pilot-scale use to operation inside BMW’s live production network.
Embotech, a company spun out of ETH Zurich in 2013, said it develops safety-certified SAE Level 4 autonomous driving systems for industrial logistics. It cited two TÜV-certified systems, Automated Vehicle Marshalling and Autonomous Tractor Solution, built on a shared platform for automotive plants, distribution centers, ports, and logistics yards. For Automated Driving In-Plant, the company said the setup is vehicle- and OEM-agnostic and can connect to existing drive-by-wire functions.
A key part of the architecture is that perception is handled in the infrastructure rather than on the vehicles themselves. Embotech said Hesai lidars are installed in the production environment, which avoids hardware changes on the vehicles. The setup also includes a standardized software interface, offboard computers, and servers that update driving trajectories 10 times per second. The company added that its AI-based software handles perception, prediction, and planning, while a separate deterministic architecture certified by TÜV SÜD defines and enforces the safety boundary.
Operationally, Embotech said the system can work alongside factory workers and manually driven vehicles and fit into existing processes in all weather conditions. A fleet manager receives destinations from the OEM’s back-end systems, assigns routes, and manages communication among automated vehicles. The stated value for manufacturers goes beyond each individual move to smoother vehicle flow, more flexible operations, and round-the-clock capability independent of shift staffing.
BMW and Embotech said the system has scaled to about 3,500 vehicle movements per day with more than 99.5% availability. Following an initial pilot in 2022, deployments expanded to Dingolfing, Leipzig, and Regensburg in Germany and MINI Plant Oxford in the U.K. BMW also said it is rolling out the technology worldwide, while Embotech said the next planned step is deployment at BMW Spartanburg next year in the U.S. Embotech added that the second 500,000 automated movements were completed in seven months, after the first 500,000 took 15 months.
