BMW Vision Concept Shows Wild Side of Eco Performance

You’ve got to hand it to BMW. From the Hydrogen 7 and hydrogen H2R land-speed record car to its range of EfficientDynamics clean diesel and hybrid vehicles, this automaker is not lacking in imagination or advanced vehicle execution. Now, there’s the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept, an all-new 2+2 plug-in hybrid concept that illustrates how the company’s many eco-friendly technologies can be applied to sports cars, an enduring segment that will not diminish in popularity even as fuel efficiency and environmental performance become more important.
The Vision embraces a lightweight and aerodynamic bodyshell to enable high performance while also achieving higher efficiencies. It offers a sweeping roofline and an overall style that BMW likens to ‘the slender silhouette of a classic Gran Turismo.’ Inlets, ducts, and ground effects elements direct air in specific ways to enhance efficiencies and performance. A full belly pan encloses the underside of the car to further decrease wind resistance and contribute toward this slippery car’s 0.22 coefficient of drag. The Vision’s most obvious styling element is, of course, its gullwing-style doors … an unmistakably cool feature that distinguishes this BMW from the crowd.

This latest BMW ActiveHybrid example is powered by a 1.5-liter, direct-injected 3-cylinder turbodiesel engine and an electric motor at each axle. This compact 163 horsepower engine is positioned mid-ship just in front of the rear axle, a layout more typically seen in two seat sports cars rather than a four-seater like the Vision. As is the case with other popular hybrid designs, the Vision is capable of driving solely on electric power, via its combustion engine, or a combination of the two. Range on battery power alone is about 31 miles, according to BMW. All-wheel drive capability is provided while driving in electric mode.
Those electric motors do have an impact, with the Vision offering a combined system output of 356 horsepower with an impressive 590 lb-ft of torque. It launches from 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 4.8 seconds and, when driven more conservatively, is said to deliver average fuel efficiency in excess of 60 mpg as measured in the EU test cycle. Top speed is an electronically governed 155 mph. All this performance is made possible by high-power lithium-polymer batteries integrated in a chassis element running the length of the car. The 98 lithium-polymer cell each offer a continuous 600 Amp output with a maximum output of 1200 Amps for a period of 30 seconds.

BMW’s Vision EfficientDynamics concept car is far more than just visionary…it presents tangible evidence of the kind of innovations and efficiencies in store for BMW production models in the short term. In fact, BMW is unveiling forms of its ActiveHybrid technology in the ActiveHybrid X6 and ActiveHybrid 7 production models at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show this month.

Source:-http://www.greencar.com/articles/bmw-vision-concept-shows-wild-side-eco-performance.php