Hybrid Future At BMW
md.relwan
Unlike the mainstream market where hybrid technology is used to maximize
fuel efficiency, luxury automakers have employed hybrid systems as a way
to maintain or improve performance while making concessions to
efficiency.
The upcoming 2010 ActiveHybrid X6 and 2011 ActiveHybrid 7 from BMW are
prime examples of this philosophy, combining already powerful V-8
engines with electric motors for added performance and superior fuel
economy to comparable non-hybrid models.
The 2010 ActiveHybrid X6, for example, is no wimp when it comes to
performance, sprinting to 60 mph from rest in just 5.6 seconds and on
to an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. And it does it all
while returning a fuel economy of 22.8 mpg in the combined cycle, about
20% better than the standard V-8's ratings.
This raises questions such as why a luxury automaker like BMW is
focusing so much on the eco-friendly technology and what kind of hybrid
vehicles can we expect in the near future?
Speaking with Autocar, the project leader of the 2010 BMW ActiveHybrid
X6, Peter Tuennermann, explained that electrification will play an ever
increasing role in personal mobility in the future--especially in the
face of tougher emission regulations--and that hybrid vehicles are just
a stepping stone towards this electrified automotive future.
Tuennermann went on to reveal that volume models like the 3-, 5- and
7-series were more suited to mild hybrid systems like the one in the
ActiveHybrid 7 where the electric motor only aids the internal
combustion engine and cannot actually power the vehicle by itself, and
that larger and heavier models like the X3, X5 and X6 were better
suited to a full hybrid solution.
The BMW exec wasn�t willing to reveal what model will be BMW�s next
hybrid but he did mention that it would be launched within the next 12
months. He also confirmed that research on diesel-electric hybrid
powertrains was taking place and that such a design would most likely
be in the form of a range-extending plug-in hybrid vehicle.
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md.relwan
bfd
wrote:
I agree. I recall reading in Roundel that BMW, MB and Porsche are not
all that thrill about hybrids and don't see much sale advantages (10%
increase? less?), especially in Europe. The reason is diesel. Diesel
engines are big in Europe, infrastructure is more supportive than here
in the US, and the gas advantages of hybrids over diesel is very
small, if any.
As you stated in your last line, the mfrs think there's advantages in
diesel/hybrid, i.e., see 2009/10 BMW "Vision" concept car. That
vehicle has like 3 electric hybrid motors to supplement a very small
turbo diesel engine. Range is like 400 miles @ 60-65mph, with
performance # around 4.8 seconds for 0-60. Although MB has its Gull-
Wing/now called Swing-Wing all electric hybrid super car coming, it
and Porsche are also working the diesel-hybrid angle too. Good Luck!