A highly efficient vehicle developed by the Bavarian automaker that will premiere in Geneva next week is the 2010 BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid.
The 2010 BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid powertrain is composed from a straight six gasoline engine featuring the company’s TwinPower Turbo technology plus an electric motor that produces a additional 40 kW.
The whole system is backed by a high-voltage battery pack positioned at the back thanks to witch the 2010 BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid can also run as an all-electric, zero-emission vehicle.
Power is sent to the wheels via a eight-speed automatic transmission and we should have more details with the 2010 BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid at the time of the show.
BMW press release :
Munich: The new concept car offers a particularly
good rendition of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan in all its dynamic,
efficient and innovative qualities, at the same time representing the
ongoing development of the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and the BMW
ActiveHybrid 7 with their drivetrain technology already in production.
The drive system featured in the BMW Concept 5 Series
ActiveHybrid consists of a straight-six gasoline engine with TwinPower
Turbo technology, eight-speed automatic transmission, and electric
drive. Integration of BMW ActiveHybrid technology in a sedan already
extremely efficient with its “conventional” combustion
engine reduces both fuel consumption and emissions once again by more
than 10 per cent. At the same time the electric motor offers a boost
function, supporting the gasoline engine in generating particularly
dynamic drive power for an even more sporting driving experience in
the car.
Intelligent energy management likewise serves to enhance the
efficiency of the overall system, its unique functions ensuring
appropriate control and management of all energy paths within the car
and appropriate interaction of the drivetrain components precisely
adjusted to driving conditions.
The drivetrain technology featured in the BMW Concept 5 Series
ActiveHybrid allows all-electric, zero-emission motoring in city
traffic. At the same time a special hybrid-based Auto Start Stop
function offers additional efficiency by consistently switching off
the combustion engine when stopping at the traffic lights, a road
junction, or in congested traffic. Optimised comfort, finally, is
provided by the auxiliary climate control function already featured in
the BMW ActiveHybrid 7.
Special development of ActiveHybrid technology as part of BMW EfficientDynamics.
The concept car based on the new BMW 5 Series Sedan for the first
time presents the next generation of BMW ActiveHybrid technology, a
special solution exclusive to BMW for intelligent interaction of the
combustion engine and electric drive focused specifically on the
requirements made of a dynamic sedan in the upper midrange segment.
Taking this approach, BMW is consistently continuing the development
of hybrid technology according to a modular principle (best of
hybrid), thus offering the optimum rendition of BMW ActiveHybrid
technology for each concept and vehicle segment.
In accordance with the BMW EfficientDynamics development strategy,
this ensures highly effective and practical use of hybrid technology
for the reduction of both fuel consumption and emissions.
Also in the BMW Series Sedan segment: the BMW among hybrids
combines supreme dynamics with maximum efficiency.
The combustion engine is supported in the BMW Concept 5 Series
ActiveHybrid by an electrical drive system developed specifically for
this model and arranged in compact dimensions between the straight-six
combustion engine and the automatic transmission. Drawing its energy
from a high-voltage battery at the back of the car, the electric motor
develops maximum output of 40 kW.
An automatic clutch connects the gasoline engine and the electric motors.
Due to the particularly high level of torque generated from the start
through the electric motors, the interaction of the two drive systems
ensures extremely spontaneous and dynamic acceleration whenever required.
Perfectly integrated, precisely controlled: high-voltage
battery supplying power to both the electric motor and the on-board network.
In overrun and when applying the brakes, the electric drive systems
acts as a generator developing electric power fed into the
high-voltage battery. This converts kinetic energy otherwise wasted as
heat in the brake system into electric power saved for subsequent use.
Such energy obtained without any further consumption of fuel may then
be used to generate drive power or operate electrical functions in the car.
This principle is the same as that of Brake Energy Regeneration
already applied in BMW’s current production models, with the
level of electrical energy generated by the electric motor being
significantly greater and the increase in efficiency correspondingly higher.
The high-voltage battery likewise developed for this specific concept
is fitted within a high-strength special case near the rear axle of
the BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid. This leads to an optimum
position in terms of both safety and harmonious weight distribution.
An integrated control unit permanently analyses the charge status of
the high-voltage battery and controls both the battery charge process
by way of Brake Energy Regeneration and the system cooling process.
Apart from the electric motor, the high-voltage battery also delivers
electric power to the car’s on-board network. Among other
things, this allows efficient operation of the car’s auxiliary
climate control activated whenever required by a remote control
function to cool down the car’s interior significantly even
before starting the engine.
Convenient use of the all-electric driving mode and the Auto Start
Stop function is likewise guaranteed in this way, with all electrical
functions such as the audio system, climate control or navigation
remaining fully available even with the combustion engine switched off.
Unique: intelligent energy management with advance analysis of
driving conditions.
BMW ActiveHybrid technology provides its unique potential in terms of
both efficiency and driving dynamics under all kinds of conditions and
throughout a wide load range.
Unlike conventional hybrid cars whose extra efficiency is largely
limited to city traffic, both the BMW ActiveHybrid X6 and the BMW
ActiveHybrid 7, by combining the combustion engine and the
electric motor, are able to offer significantly lower fuel consumption
and emission ratings also at higher speeds. This is made possible by
technically sophisticated power electronics masterminding the
interaction of the combustion engine and electric motor and thus
optimising the overall efficiency of the drive system as a whole.
The BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid once again raises the
range of functions provided by such power electronics to an even
higher standard. As an example, the energy contained in the fuel and
provided by the high-voltage battery may now be used even more
specifically and efficiently to provide that Sheer Driving Pleasure so
typical of BMW.
Taking additional factors into account, the interaction of the two
drive units in the BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid is tailored
to the driver’s requirements and current driving conditions with
maximum precision. At the same time the power electronics also control
the operation of the car’s ancillary units and comfort
functions, again in the interest of maximum efficiency.
The range and diversity of parameters taken into account by the
system is indeed quite unique in the automobile, just as the number of
functions controlled in this way. A high level of all-round networking
allows the power electronics to provide intelligent energy management,
thus optimising the operating strategy of the entire vehicle under all conditions.
A further unique feature of energy management in the BMW Concept
5 Series ActiveHybrid is the car’s ability to adjust its
operating strategy not just to current, but also to upcoming driving
conditions. To do this the power electronics from the start evaluate
data indicating a possible change in exterior conditions or the
driver’s wishes and prepare the components in the drivetrain as
well as the car’s electronic system for a possible change in requirements.
To analyse driving conditions up front, the system uses data provided
by engine and chassis management as well as the sensors in the driver
assistance systems on board the car. Data saved in the navigation
system on the route chosen by the driver likewise goes into the final
calculation, enabling the system to forecast driving conditions on the
route directly ahead. Then, proceeding from this analysis, the car is
coordinated in advance and the optimum use of all systems serves to
use the energy available with maximum efficiency.
Should the system determine, for example, that the autobahn ahead is
about to lead downhill, the charge level of the high-voltage battery
is intelligently controlled in advance to regain brake energy upfront
with maximum efficiency.
Similarly, the high-voltage battery may be fully charged in good time
before the driver reaches his destination, enabling the system to
switch off the combustion engine at an early point and change to
all-electric drive along the final stretch of road. Indeed, this
forward-looking function is able to extend the cruising range on
electric power by up to 30%.
The BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid: the future of
driving pleasure and efficiency in the upper midrange segment.
Optimised to an even higher standard in the BMW Concept 5 Series
ActiveHybrid, the drivetrain and control systems underline the great
significance of hybrid technology as a cornerstone of BMW
EfficientDynamics. Looking at a new generation of hybrid technology
from BMW featured in the BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid
therefore offers particularly attractive perspectives, the ongoing
development of BMW ActiveHybrid technology serving to provide
substantial progress in all areas leading to a harmonious all-round
concept with distinctive features typical of the brand.
The BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid is therefore more dynamic,
efficient and more intelligent than conventional representatives of
this drive technology, standing out clearly as the BMW among hybrid
cars in this segment.
The BMW Group
The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of
automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and
Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24
production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network
in more than 140 countries.
The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of approximately 1.29
million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial
year. Revenues for 2009 totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December
2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.
The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established
ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain,
comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to
conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result
of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the
Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last five years.
2010 BMW Concept 5 Series ActiveHybrid Video :
