BMW BLOG

Lexus is doing it, Infiniti has plans to bring a few to fruition and now German automaker BMW wants a piece of the action. Electric cars have been all the rage as of late (and the craze may be here to stay), so it’s only fitting that along with BMW’s excellent line up of petrol cars, comes a best in class electric car.

As many of you already know, BMW’s electric/city friendly line up of cars, better known as Project i, has been in debate for some time over whether they are going to offer the cars as a part of the BMW core line up or a subdivision of the BMW brand, much like MINI. Recent reports published by auto publications mention that the Project i vehicles will be offered as a “top tier” electric vehicle in the emerging EV sector of the automotive market.

According to Autocar UK, designers have been hard at work in BMW’s Technik and FIZ technical centers in Munich. They are formulating new design themes for the Project i line up. Project i vehicles will be offered in three different variants, including two wheeled, three wheeled and four wheeled vehicles.

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In the wake of a new era of energy consumption, society has never been more cautious as to how they use and consume energy on a daily basis. As time progresses, engineers are developing processes that are more environmentally friendly, all the while keeping in mind that efficiency is key.

We, as a society, are just on the cusp of rethinking this entire process called “Efficient Dynamics”, a term synonymously coined by BMW, means much more than just a traditional buzz word. In summation, it means taking what already exists, what we already know, and make it better and more powerful all the while keeping efficiency at the forefront.

Refining processes, delivery methods and identifying points of waste are just some of the items engineers and designers keep in mind when creating the future Ultimate Efficient Dynamic Drive Machines! One area that the cars of today are very wasteful in is the conversion of energy from fuel.

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Along with the SIMPLE Concept revealed minutes ago, BMW sends another concept to the Museum. BMW CLEVER, short for Compact Low Emission Vehicle for Urban Transport is part of the Project i program to produce practical, low-emission city vehicles.

It’s a three-wheeled vehicle powered by a natural gas engine and measure 3 meters long, 1 meter wide and 1.4 meters tall, weighs in at under 400 kilograms.

BMW CLEVER Concept accelerates from 0 to 60 km/h in around 7 seconds, going on to a top speed of approx. 100 km/h. The two gas cylinders each contain 1.7 kilograms of CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) to provide a range of about 200 kilometers.

More information and photos in the press release below.

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BMW surprises today by revealing one of their latest concepts: “The Simple Concept”. Simple combines features from both automobiles and motorcycles, and it’s a three-wheel concept.

The rumors of a similar concept started earlier this year and today, we have the opportunity to see this lightweight vehicle that is already heading to the BMW Museum.

Press release, photos and videos below, but more information will follow later today.

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And when you thought we’re done with the Frankfurt Auto Show coverage, we’re coming back with some new videos of the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept presentation which took place a week ago at IAA 2009.

Portraying one of the most adventurous and emotional concept designs seen at Frankfurt Auto Show, the new BMW Vision EfficientDynamics has received nothing but praises from all the journalists present and not only.

A week later and the Vision Concept still makes the headlines of major auto publications around the world, both due to its design language and rumors around a future sportscar based on the concept.

As we’ve mentioned several times before, BMW has had one of their best auto shows in the past years, an impressive setup and display of cars(over 70 vehicles). We’re glad that we were there to report live and bring you the most comprehensive BMW news. But we are not done, beside the two videos posted today, we will have more Vision Concept news in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

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It was just a matter of time until someone would be courageous enough to draw some renderings of the recently unveiled BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. By courageous, we mean a rendering artist that can somewhat match the already gorgeous concept design.

Tough task, we know!

Our friends over at Promotor and Andrei Avarvarii, the rendering artist helping us with the “Be A Designer Project”, decided to draw a future BMW supercar that would take on the Audi R8 and Mercedes SLS. Using a fictitious name, BMW M10, the rendering is solely based on the Vision Concept, but with some much needed changes for a production car.

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Ever since BMW has officially unveiled their Vision EfficientDynamics Concept, many of you had several questions regarding the engines’ placement. At the Frankfurt Auto Show, next to the Vision Concept area, BMW displayed the platform of this concept with all the three power sources: a turbodiesel engine and two electric motors.

The 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine has a rear/mid-mounted placement with the second electric motor residing between the turbodiesel engine and the 6-Speed DCT gearbox. The 1.5-liter 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine outputs 163 horsepower and 214 lb-ft. of torque. The rear-mounted electric motor produces 33 horsepower continuously(51  hp peak) and maximum torque of 214 lb-ft.

The synchronous electric motor placed at the front axle constantly outputs 80 horsepower. Extra power of 112 hp is available for 30 seconds and for 10 seconds, 139 horsepower. Total torque: 162 lb-ft.

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We hope you’re not tired of the BMW Vision Concept photos because we are definitely not. The Vision EfficientDynamics Concept is without a doubt the main attraction at the BMW Hall in Frankfurt. While there are plenty of world premieres, the Vision Concept stands out with its futuristic and unconventional design.

As you would expect, getting close to the car can be quite difficult and it requires approval from BMW’s Communication department. With their help, not only we had the opportunity to get close to the car and snap some gorgeous photos, but also we had the opportunity to interview the two, young and extremely talented Vision Concept designers.

We’re still sorting through our notes and audio recordings, but we will have some exclusive details on this breathtaking concept. For now, what we can share with you is that the Vision EfficientDynamics Concept design started this January and it has been completed in about 7 months.

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We’re assuming you’re not tired of the BMW Vision Concept…okay, at least for now, so please bare with us. Continuing the coverage from the Frankfurt Auto Show, we decided to go back and snap some more shots of the innovative and breathtaking Vision EfficientDynamics Concept.

VED is one of the reason why we went to the Frankfurt Auto Show and our efforts have bee rewarded by this phenomenal looking concept. The exterior design does not disappoint and once again, photos don’t do any justice.

Despite being a concept at this point, sources close to BMW talk about future models that MIGHT borrow some technologies and design cues from the Vision Concept.

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In the eve of the Frankfurt Auto Show, BMW hosted a preview of the upcoming BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept. BMW’s CEO, Dr. Norbert Reithofer and BMW’s head of development, Dr. Klaus Draeger were present at the event and spoke about BMW’s future plans.

“The car needs to evolve through innovation,” said Reithofer . “We have the engine more efficient and make the total of vehicle technology more optimally. In addition, Hybrid is also for us a temporary solution. And especially for large metropolitan areas, a car is needed for electric base. We will continue our research work which hydrogen regard.”

Once again, BMW has reassured everyone of their plans in the electric vehicles field and to read between the lines, Project i is moving forward and will play an important role in BMWs future.

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