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BMW to Introduce Carbon Fiber Electric Car to Market in 2013

If you’ve been wondering where BMW’s ‘Project i’ field study program is headed, the wait is over. BMW has now announced its intention to produce a radically different urban electric car in 2013, a departure from the more conventional MINI E and 1-Series ActiveE battery electrics this automaker has focused on in recent years. BMW’s four-passenger premium city car is dubbed the ‘Megacity Vehicle.’

Megacity is a term used to describe the largest population centers on earth. In these busy, crowded environments, many traditional vehicles are too large or simply too inefficient. The Megacity Vehicle is a purpose-built urban transport that’s designed and engineered from the pavement up for its intended mission. A pure EV, the Megacity Vehicle is actually the latest in a long history of electric drive vehicles from BMW. Forty years ago, BMW produced a small fleet of bright orange electric 1602 sedans to serve as marathon support cars for the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Electric drive development continued over the next four decades with several notable concepts, then shifted into high gear with the current Project i program that launched in 2007.

The Megacity vehicle will break new ground on several fronts, not the least of which is body structure. While most lightweight cars tend to use unibody construction, the futuristic BMW will be body-on-frame. But this body-on-frame design is very unique, featuring an all-aluminum frame to carry the suspension, battery, and electric motor that will be mated to a carbon fiber body structure.

BMW’s design places the large lithium-ion battery pack mid-ship between the frame rails to maintain a low center of gravity. This location also protects the pack of 96 4-volt cells, which are wired in series and encased in an aluminum housing. Battery cells are from German supplier SB LiMotive. The rear frame section is a large cast aluminum structure that serves as a mount for the Megacity Vehicle’s 134 hp (100-kW) brushless electric traction motor. The rear-drive layout was in part chosen to maintain BMW’s legendary driving dynamics.

At half the weight of a steel body and 30 percent lighter than aluminum, the carbon fiber body is truly space-age construction. BMW has developed proprietary manufacturing techniques to make all the pieces come together and will produce the carbon fiber material through a joint venture with SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers at a new facility in Moses Lake, Washington. Besides being lighter, carbon fiber is also corrosion resistant and five times stronger than steel. We witnessed the results of initial crash tests of the body and frame structure while in Germany, and came away thinking it’s no wonder they make Formula 1 race cars out of carbon fiber. Simply, impact absorption and damping are impressive.

We will bring you more details on BMW’s ‘premium, clever, and clean’ Megacity Vehicle as this program progresses.

BMW TwinPower Turbo 4-Cylinder Eco Powerhouse

BMW is aggressively developing plug-in electric vehicles. Indeed, it has established a separate BMW i sub-brand to market EVs and plug-in hybrids like the i3 Megacity and i8 hybrid supercar.. However, BMW is still investing heavily in its core business – great performing ‘Ultimate Driving Machines.’ This means new gasoline and diesel engines that don't compromise performance while reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Recognizing it will be building internal combustion powered cars for at least a couple of decades, the BMW Group is investing almost $427 million in its engine plants in Munich and Steyr, Austria.
This new engine technology is being developed under BMW's all encompassing EfficientDynamics umbrella. The latest example is a new 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine that will initially power BMW's new X1 xDrive28i. This compact SUV will be the first four-cylinder BMW sold in the U.S. since 1999.
Like new smaller, high-performance, fuel efficient engines from other manufactures like Ford's EcoBoost, GM's Ecotec, and Chrysler-Fiat's MultiAir, BMW uses a combination of turbocharging, direct injection, and variable valve management to deliver greater output and efficiency from a smaller displacement engine..The BMW four features the automaker’s TwinPower Turbo technology that is already used on the in-line six-cylinder engines powering the 2011 3 Series Coupe and Convertible in 328i and 335i versions. TwinPower technology includes twin-scroll turbocharging direct gasoline injection, double VANOS variable camshaft control and VALVETRONIC variable valve control.
All this adds up to 245 horsepower, 15 more horsepower than the 3.0-liter, inline 6-cylinder used in the 2011 BMW 128i models sold in the U.S. Maximum torque of 258 lb-ft is available at a low engine speed of 1,250 rpm With all-wheel-drive, it gets an average of 30 mpg on the EU test cycle without compromising the performance expected in a BMW. For example, it can accelerate the X1 xDrive28i from 0 to 60 mph in 6.5 seconds.
One of big reasons that more fuel efficient, four-cylinder engines haven't gained wide acceptance in upscale vehicles is that they often were a bit rough running. BMW says the new four is as smooth running as it six-cylinder engines, which are noted for their smoothness. This was achieved by features like vertically offset balance shafts for optimized vibration compensation. In addition, a centrifugal force pendulum integrated into the dual-mass flywheel ensures a noticeable reduction in irregular rotations usually occurring at lower engine speeds. Thus, the engine’s early high torque output is available without any loss in comfort. This vibration damping from the centrifugal force pendulum remains effective across a broad engine speed range.
The new BMW Efficient Dynamics family of engines incorporates a standardized design and a significant number of common components for use in both gasoline and diesel engines. The technology can be used in three-, four- and six-cylinder engines with various power outputs. Next up could be a range of three-cylinder engines for the next-generation MINI and possibly a new entry-level, compact BMW.

BMW M9 PICTURE

BMW GINA

The GINA Light Visionary Model is a fabric-skinned shape-shifting sports car concept built by BMW. GINA stands for "Geometry and functions In 'N' Adaptations". It was designed by a team led by BMW’s head of design, Chris Bangle, who says GINA allowed his team to "challenge existing principles and conventional processes." Other designers include Anders Warming.
The construction began in 2001.

BMW 7 SERIES

The BMW Concept 7 Series ActiveHybrid was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October 2008. In August 2009 BMW announced the production versions of the ActiveHybrid 7, together with BMW ActiveHybrid X6.

The 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 is a mild hybrid and features a 0.4-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack. The electric motor is combined with BMW’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 and new 8-speed automatic transmission to accelerate from 0 – 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds. Estimated EPA fuel economy is 17 miles per US gallon (14 L/100 km; 20 mpg-imp) city and 26 miles per US gallon (9.0 L/100 km; 31 mpg-imp) for highway, which represents almost an 18% improvement over the non-hybrid 750i/Li.

US sales began in June 2010 with a base MSRP price of $103,125 for the ActiveHybrid 7 and $107,025 for the long wheelbase ActiveHybrid 7L. The ActiveHybrid 7 qualifies for a $900 U.S. Federal Tax Credit.

In 2007 the 7 series received minor updates both inside and out. On the exterior, new wheel designs were made available and power folding mirrors became standard. On the inside, an update to the iDrive system (but still no RTTI: Real Time Traffic Info) was also made standard. 2007 also saw the installation of an auxiliary input for connecting an audio source. Engine options remained the same as with the 2006 model, but the short wheelbase 760i, was no longer available for the North American market.