Efficient Dynamics

Connecting the driver to their vehicle and to their world in an intelligent manner

BMW is the leader of in-car comfort, infotainment, and safety technologies. The features that allow our drivers to easily find the route to their weekend getaway, listen to music from their iPod, place handsfree phone calls, stay safe with collision warnings, and much more are part of BMW ConnectedDrive. BMW ConnectedDrive is a concept from the BMW Group that develops the technology of tomorrow for the automobiles of today. Its focus is on connecting the driver to their vehicle and to their world in an intelligent manner.

Power from your brake pedal

With Brake Energy Regeneration, BMW EfficientDynamics point the way to a more energy-efficient future. On many new BMW models, like the all-new 2011 BMW 5-Series, Brake Energy Regeneration reduces fuel consumption over time. The car's generator starts converting excess kinetic energy and storing it in the battery when the driver's foot is taken off the accelerator. When the driver presses the accelerator, on the other hand, the alternator is decoupled from the drivetrain. The system intelligently manages the times at which the alternator charges the battery for maximum efficiency.

Conventionally, a car's alternator runs to continuously charge the vehicle's battery. In the application of the new 5 Series, the alternator only charges the battery when the car is braking or decelerating, and does not draw power from the engine in other situations.

The process reduces fuel consumption by 1-2% over time.

A new unique approach to the hybrid automobile segment.

Depending on the configuration of the vehicle, BMW ActiveHybrid technology offers the driver three significant options: to drive under electric power alone, to use the power of the combustion engine, or to benefit form the combination of both drive modes. The vehicle can be driven in the all-electric mode completely free of fuel consumption and emissions at speeds up to 60 km/h. The combustion engine cuts in as required, and is automatically switched off when driving in overrun at speeds slower than 65 km/h.

To understand the effects of BMW's ActiveHybrid technology, consider the ActiveHybrid X6, one of the two models currently available in BMW's hybrid stable. The car pairs BMW's highly-efficient 4.4L V8 gasoline engine to two electric motors. The result is a significant increase in both power and fuel efficiency. The BMW ActiveHybrid X6 pushes 485 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque (up from 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque), making it the world's most powerful hybrid vehicle. Simultaneously, fuel consumption and emissions are reduced by nearly 20%. Indeed, the ActiveHybrid X6 is significantly more powerful than the V8 gasoline model of the X6, while consuming fuel slightly more than the six-cylinder iteration of the vehicle.

Diesel, Reinvented.

BMW has mastered diesel technology after decades of research, development, and production. Interestingly, although not very common in the North American market, diesels account for about 2/3 of BMW’s sales in Europe.

The North American aversion to diesel-powered automobiles can mainly be traced back to the terrible record of domestic diesel engines of the 1970s. Rushed to market during the 70s fuel crisis, these diesel engines experienced troubles, and gave diesels the reputation of noisy, smelly, dirty, and sluggish engines. Europeans, on the other hand, have been enjoying the benefits of diesel technology for years.

Diesels provide maximum performance and optimum efficiency. In addition to increased torque and significantly improved fuel consumption, today's diesels are clean and environmentally friendly. BMW's North American diesel offering is a powerful 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder dual-turbocharged engine boasting 425 lb-ft of torque at just 1,750 rpm. That is where BMW Advanced Diesels shine. With excessive amounts of torque available early in the rev-range, the 335d and X5 xDrive35d feel effortlessly quick and powerful right from the start of every acceleration.

The torque that diesel engines produce is unmatchable with a gasoline engine of a similar displacement. The 3.0L diesel in the 335d and X5 xDrive35d have more than twice the horsepower and three times the torque of the first diesel BMW produced close to 30 years. Yes, BMW's Advanced Diesel engine is extremely powerful.

What's even more promising with BMW's diesel technology is the renowned fuel efficiency. The powerful 335d consumes 9.0L of fuel in the city, and sips just 5.4L on the highway. That's compared with 11.9L and 7.6L consumed by the 335i. And the sprint to 100 km/h only takes a mere 0.2 seconds longer.

And rest assured that your new diesel-powered BMW is clean for the environment. A Particular Filter removes the smallest particles of nitric oxides from the exhaust without impacting performance or efficiency. And a catalyst converts any remaining particles of nitric oxides into nitrogen and water vapor, before releasing them through the tail pipe.

Downsizing Engines. Upsizing Performance.

BMW's EfficientDynamics program is all about achieving maximum performance and driving dynamics with minimum fuel consumption and environmental impact. Many technologies are built into every new BMW to make the vehicle more fuel efficient. One of these achievements is what BMW calls virtual displacement. For many years, the most common method of exerting more power and torque from an engine has been adding cylinders and increasing its displacement (size). With “Virtual Displacement”, BMW is doing the exact opposite. Vehicles previously powered by eight-cylinder engines can be replaced by models powered by innovative and efficient, yet powerful six-cylinder units.

Reducing engine sizes and adding technologies like direct injection and turbo-charging has allowed BMW to achieve V8 performance from an Inline-6, and the performance of a V12 from a V8.

For example, in 2009, BMW launched the all-new 7 Series lineup. Here is a comparison of the 2008 760Li (6.0L V12 engine) and the 2009 750Li (4.4L V8 engine):

2008 BMW 760Li

• 6.0L V12 engine
• 438 horsepower
• 444 lb-ft torque
• 0-100 km/h in 5.4 seconds
• 16.8L/100 km City, 10.9L/100 km Highway

2009 BMW 750Li

• 4.4L V8 Twin-Turbo engine
• 400 horsepower
• 450 lb-ft torque
• 0-100 km/h in 5.5 seconds
• 14.6L/100 km City, 9.2L/100 km Highway

The 2009 BMW 750Li matches the performance of the outgoing 12-cylinder 760Li, while on average using two liters less fuel for every 100km. That's nearly a 15% improvement.

Furthermore, consider the brand new 2011 BMW X5 xDrive35i. With a 3.0L turbo-charged inline-six, the Sport Activity Vehicle accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in the same 6.8 seconds as the outgoing 4.8L V8 model (2010 BMW X5 xDrive48i), while using over 25% less fuel.

BMW's EfficientDynamics technologies that are fit together to create Virtual Displacement are an effective means to reducing fuel consumption and our impact on the environment.

A turn for the better.

To give you more bends per liter, an electric motor is used to assist the steering in many recent BMWs. Unlike conventional hydraulic systems, Electric Power Steering is supported by an electric motor which helps to ensure that energy is only used during actual steering maneuvers. If the steering wheel is kept in a constant position when driving straight ahead or cornering, the electric motor is inactive and therefore does not use any energy. Like some other BMW EfficientDynamics technologies, Electric Power Steering will improve fuel consumption by a few percent over time, while continuing to deliver the Ultimate Driving Experience that BMW is known for.