Author: tsport100

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Panasonic may invest $1 billion in Tesla’s U.S. battery plant

Panasonic Corp is inviting a number of Japanese materials suppliers to join it in investing in a U.S. car battery plant that it plans to build with Tesla Motors, with investment expected to reach more than 100 billion yen, the Nikkei reported.

Tesla shares also hit an all-time high on Tuesday after one brokerage firm set a new target price that suggested shares would rise almost 50 percent from Monday's closing price.

The plant, expected to go on-stream in 2017, will bolster Panasonic's supply of lithium-ion batteries to the U.S. electric-car maker.

Last week, Tesla shed some light on its plans for building a lithium-ion battery plant, or "giga factory," that will cut battery costs and allow the company to launch a more affordable electric car in 2017. However, it said at the time that further details would be announced this week.

Tesla declined to comment on Tuesday. Panasonic, the carmaker's primary supplier of lithium-ion batteries, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The U.S. plant, which will handle everything from processing raw materials to assembly, will produce small, lightweight batteries for Tesla and may also supply Toyota Motor Corp and other automakers, the Nikkei said.

In Tesla's earnings conference call last week, Chief Executive Elon Musk said the electric car maker expects to build the factory with more than one partner, but a "default assumption" was that Panasonic, as a current battery cell partner, "would continue to partner with us in the giga factory."

"The factory is really there to support the volume of the third generation car," Musk said on the call. "We want to have the vehicle engineering and tooling come to fruition the same time as the giga factory. It is already part of one strategy, one combined effort."

Tesla posted better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and said deliveries of its luxury Model S electric sedan would surge more than 55 percent this year to more than 35,000 vehicles.

Shares in the Palo Alto, California-based company, which was founded in 2003, surged as much as 19 percent on Tuesday, hitting a new all-time high intraday trading price of $259.20 a share after Morgan Stanley raised its target price for the stock to $320 a share from $153.

Tesla shares were still up $30.50, or 14 percent, at $248.15 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.

Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas said in his research note that the potential for lower battery costs through higher sales volume could nearly double Tesla's share of the global car market to 0.9 percent by 2028. Tesla remains the firm's top pick in the U.S. auto sector with an "overweight" rating.

"Tesla is an extremely ambitious company for whom flooding the market with fun-to-drive EVs and giving competitors a headache might not be the endgame," he said.

Stifel analyst James Albertine said the giga factory could be far more than an auto opportunity, as Tesla could have an even more significant opportunity to supply the energy storage market. He expects the factory would take two to three years to build and require a $5 billion to $6 billion capital infusion.

"While we remain negative on Tesla shares above $200 as an automotive OEM (original equipment manufacturer), the energy storage opportunity requires a broader perspective and could very well justify current, if not higher valuation levels," he said in a research note.

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Consumer Reports: Tesla Model S as “Best Overall” Automobile [VIDEO]

Electric luxury car Tesla Model S was named by Consumer Reports magazine on Tuesday as its overall top pick for 2014, while Japanese models took just five of the top 10 spots, their worst showing in the 18-year history of the annual rankings.

The battery-powered Tesla Model S was chosen best overall for its "exceptional performance and its many impressive technological innovations," Consumer Reports said, noting it was "pricey" at $89,650.

Tesla Motors said it expects to deliver about 35,000 of the model this year. By comparison, the best-selling car in the United States last year, the Toyota Camry, sold about 408,000 in 2013.

Consumer Reports hasn't named a best overall since a Lexus model took the top honors in 2010.

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BMW to launch Carbon Fiber wheels

BMW could offer entire wheels in carbon fiber reinforced plastic, are close to production and available in one or two years. According to BMW the full-CFRP wheel is 35-percent lighter than a forged alloy wheel, and the one using a CFRP rim and alloy spokes will be 25-percent lighter.

Innovative use of materials in the BMW i3 and BMW i8.
Systematic lightweight design is particularly important on electrically powered vehicles, given that vehicle weight is one of two main constraints on vehicle range, along with battery capacity. For EVs, too, reduced weight means reduced energy consumption and improved driving dynamics. In order to offset the weight penalty of the electric components, the BMW Group came up with a rigorous lightweight design strategy for the BMW i brand in the form of the LifeDrive concept, an innovative vehicle architecture which for the first time combines an aluminium chassis and a CFRP passenger cell.

CFRP: high-tech material of the future.
Carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) boasts a particularly favourable strength-to-weight ratio and is therefore an ideal material for use in the vehicle body. For the same functionality, CFRP is around 30 per cent lighter than aluminium and 50 per cent lighter than steel. Used in the right places, this material therefore reduces weight, optimises the vehicle’s centre of gravity and improves body strength. This material is currently being used not only in the new BMW i3 and BMW i8 models: the sporty BMW M3/M4 and BMW M6 models have likewise been utilising the benefits of this high-tech material for some time. Components such as their roof and bumper supports are made of CFRP. The BMW Group is currently working on further potential applications, including the use of this material in rotating-mass components. Examples include hybrid aluminium/CFRP wheel rims, while CFRP’s high rigidity and low weight allow the CFRP propeller shaft on the BMW M3/M4 to be produced as a single-piece component, without a centre bearing. This results in 40 per cent weight savings over the previous model and reduced rotating masses, leading to further improved response.

In future, other BMW and MINI models will also benefit from this lightweight material in various ways. For example, production offcuts can be reprocessed into “secondary” (recycled-content) CFRP, which can be used to reduce the weight of components such as seat frames, instrument panel frames and spare wheels by up to 30 per cent, with simultaneous improvements in terms of cost-efficient, environmentally friendly manufacturing.

Technology leader in mass production of CFRP components.
After more than ten years of intensive research, resulting in improvements to processes, materials, production machinery and tools, the BMW Group has today become the first and only car manufacturer in the world with the necessary know-how to use CFRP in mass production. The processing technology used is unique and cycle times for even the more complex CFRP components are unusually short. The same is true of the specially developed bonding process used in the fully automated assembly of body parts.

As well as setting standards in the production of CFRP finished components, the BMW Group also attaches utmost importance to the use of environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and largely CO2-free processes in the manufacture and processing of the raw materials themselves. From fibre production right through to recycling of fibres and composites, the company is involved in all the various process steps in a state-of-the-art CFRP production chain that begins in Moses Lake in the USA and moves through Wackersdorf and Landshut to final assembly in Leipzig.

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Garlits 200 Mph Dragster gets Lawless V-6 Electric Motor Installed

SR-37, the Quest for 200 MPH on Batteries Dragster, is being configured with its own 1.5 megawatt power grid for 2014. At the famed Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing in Ocala, FL, a technical team from Lawless Industries (Poland, OH) has outfitted SR-37 with a large battery-powered motor system befitting the largest name in drag racing sport.

Lawless Industries, using six (6) 7.5” series-wound DC motors custom-built by General Electric and donated by Crescent Electric Supply (East Dubuque, IL), carefully modified the motor package for drag strip use in SR-37. Motors were tuned with a splined shaft for high torque output, internal motor wiring and insulation improved for high load, brush timing advanced to synchronize the 6-pack, and the package rigorously unison-tested prior to assembly into the dragster. The completed Lawless V-6 electric motor assembly has been final-fitted into the SR-37 digger’s rear engine motor compartment and engaged to the Goethe Enterprises driveline directly behind. Motor control for Big Daddy is provided by Manzanita Micro “Zilla” controllers. The entire motor package is engineered so that each motor can be driven by over 200 horsepower for a 200 MPH+, 6-second run down the 1/4 mile asphalt strip.

The distinctive side pods of SR-37 will conceal the source of the massive power. A custom one-off multi-cell Lithium Polymer battery system engineered by Derek Barger/HighTech Systems LLC of Colorado will produce 1500 kilowatts (1.5 megawatts) of instantaneous launch energy for the digger, a total power source of over 2000 HP! The array is comprised of (4) packs, (2) per side pod, and operates at a peak voltage of 420V. Total battery power weight is 500 pounds, about the same as a fully dressed Top Fuel engine. The entire battery array can be fully recharged and ready for the next run in as little as 5 minutes.

The SR-37 Quest for 200 MPH on Batteries BEV Dragster has it all: Big Daddy Don Garlits, 1500 kilowatts, over 2000 horsepower, starting line launch times nearly as quick as a Top Fuel dragster, energy cost per run-about 25 cents.

The team hopes to commence spring testing soon with a build-up to full sub-200 mph 1/4 mile runs. The summer event schedule for record runs is being developed and will be announced during the test program.

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Tesla, Apple Merger Deal ‘Unlikely’ Says Elon Musk [VIDEO]

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that his company has met with Apple but added that it is "very unlikely" that Tesla would be bought by the company.

“We had conversations with Apple,” Musk said in an interview with BloombergTelevision. “I can’t comment on whether those revolved around any kind of acquisition.”

When asked if the electric automaker is for sale, Musk answered, “I think that’s very unlikely because we need to stay super focused on achieving a compelling – creating a compelling mass market electric car. And I’d be very concerned in any kind of acquisition scenario, whoever it is, that’d be become distracted from that task which has always been the driving goal of Tesla.”

Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that Tesla met with Apple’s top deal maker Adrian Pernica leading to speculations of a possible Apple acquisition of the electric car company that has been going from strength to strength. The report also caused Tesla shares to soar as much as 11 percent to an all-time high of $215.21 on Thursday. The shares closed at $209.97, up 8.4 percent.

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Yamaha Select Zytek Powertrain for MOTIV.e city car

New Zytek high-efficiency electric powertrain selected for Yamaha’s innovative MOTIV.e city car concept.

Yamaha’s new MOTIV.e city car concept, shown at the Tokyo motorshow, will be powered by an advanced electric drive from Zytek that employs a range of new design approaches to minimise the cost, weight and size of the system while maximising the performance and range. By supplying a number of core high voltage components as an optimised system, Zytek is also minimising the time required for vehicle development.

MOTIV.e comes from the partnership between Yamaha and Gordon Murray Design, using Murray’s revolutionary iStream® manufacturing technology to deliver a highly efficient yet fun-to-drive electric vehicle at an affordable price. Zytek’s sales and marketing director, Steve Tremble says that taking a fresh approach to the powertrain is central to achieving these goals.

“Yamaha wanted the vehicle to reflect the company’s reputation for outstanding engines,” he adds. “Interpreting this in an electric vehicle has driven excellence in performance and driveability, but also in weight reduction and efficiency to build on the potential of iStream to deliver an agile drivers’ car as well as maximising the range.”

Zytek supplies the electric motor, paired with a reduction gearbox from Vocis, and the electronic vehicle control module (EVCM) which provides the interface between the powertrain and the rest of the vehicle. The low cost power electronics is manufactured in high volumes by Zytek’s technical partner Continental. In keeping with the light weight and high efficiency targets for the MOTIV.e, the 25kW motor revs to 15,000rpm, much higher than comparable units, and drives through a single-speed reduction gearbox to give the required wheel speed. Increasing motor speed allows the electric engine to be smaller, lighter and more cost-effective than previous-generation units.

“The motor weighs just 13kg, the gearbox just 11kg,” explains Zytek’s engineering program manager, Neil Cheeseman. “These are components that you can pick up with one hand.”

Cheeseman believes the power electronics also set new standards for weight and packaging. The inverter, for example, weighs just 7.5kg “By making everything in house, Continental has eliminated many of the compromises that stem from using bought-in components,” he said. “Their substantial investment in power electronics has delivered a scalable, power-dense and cost-effective product range that is already proven on everything from small city cars to hybrid commercial vehicles.”

The Zytek EVCM is unique, being built on an electronics platform that duals as a development tool and a cost-effective production unit complying with all relevant automotive standards. Zytek says that unlike other dual-purpose systems that are suitable for production, their unit is cost-competitive with bespoke production technologies. It is also thought to be the only EVCM that takes a big further step in powertrain control integration by including thermal management within the decision-making algorithms.

“This is a new generation of EVCM that integrates torque arbitration, temperature control and voltage management to allow better decision making,” Cheeseman explains. “It optimises the driver’s torque request based on a broad range of parameters including battery charge and temperature and the grip available at the tyres to support control. By integrating these decisions, we can provide more with less to improve both the driving experience and the range while reducing the size, weight and cost of the power electronics and battery pack.”

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Electric Nissan e-NV200 van on sale in May

The new e-NV200 is based on Nissan's existing NV200 van but, it features the electric drive system from the Leaf.

Nissan will initially offer the e-NV200 in van and five-seat people carrier variants. Using the Leaf's electric motor and battery pack will grant it around 107bhp and 207lb ft, and the range has previously been claimed to be equivalent to the Leaf's - around 80 miles in real-world conditions.

The e-NV200 is targeted primarily at businesses. Official pricing is yet to be confirmed but Nissan had said the initially higher price would be offset by a "reduction in operating costs", compared to a standard diesel van. Currently, the diesel NV200 is priced upwards of £13,585.

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Kickstarter: An Unpretentious Guide to Electric Vehicles [VIDEO]

Here's a unique way to promote Electric Vehicles!

Los Angeles based Ayumi Kim works for a certain well-know California based electric vehicle manufacturer and initially got the idea to start this project as a way of sharing some of the left-field questions about electric vehicles she gets asked on a daily basis.

Ayumi, along with illustrator friend Sarah, have written a humorous FAQ that answers such real-world concerns as ""Can you plug a chainsaw into the cigarette lighter?" or "What happens if I hit a wombat with this car?"

Most of the booklet IS kid friendly, it being a coloring book and all, but there may be one or two questions that are PG.

The girls are looking to raise the modest sum of $3,500 to cover printing costs so if you're looking for a way to promote the cause and help them publish "educational materials to promote sustainability and green thinking" a pledge of US$15 will secure a copy.

Source: Kickstarter

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Explained: 2014 Formula One Brake-By-Wire Regeneration [VIDEO]

This year, the FIA Formula One World Championship is set for a wholesale change of the technical regulations that have doubled the power of the KERS system. because of the harvesting demands of the energy recovery systems, rear braking can be controlled electronically for the first time.

The braking system concept is totally new, taking the form of a brake-by-wire system for the first time at the rear wheels. This has become necessary due to the significantly increased performance of the ERS, which requires much greater variations in rear wheel braking torque than previously. With brake-by-wire, an electronic system measures how hard the driver presses the brake pedal and then – using the additional information from energy recuperation – determines in a split-second the amount of braking pressure that should be fed through to the rear brake callipers.”

Because the ERS (Energy Recovery System) is so much more powerful on these new cars compared to the KERS on the 2013 cars, harvesting energy when the car is braking – 161bhp of energy compared to 80bhp with the KERS – it is essential that the engineers install a system to compensate for the powerful effect that has on brake balance and braking stability. This makes it acceptable for the driver and doesn’t destabilise the car with a sudden balance shift. A lot of the lap time in modern F1 comes from stable braking.

How does it work?

An F1 car has two brake systems for safety – front and rear – so that if one fails the other will stop the car. For 2014, the rear brake system has the brake-by-wire, which assesses how much brake pressure the driver has called for when he presses the pedal and an electronic system modulates the power to the rear brakes, allowing for the ERS effect, that is taking energy to charge up the kinetic motor generator unit (known as MGU-K). It smooths out the process, slowing the car in a consistent way at the same time as ensuring the maximum energy harvest for the ERS.

Ideally, the driver would feel nothing unusual with this system, in that it should provide consistent, stable braking on demand. The job of the new rear brakes system is to ensure consistency. Some people might argue that the electronic assistance to the driver makes it a “driver aid” and in the sense that without it, it would be difficult to maintain a brake system that the drivers would be happy with. This damps it out. But as it’s written into the regulations it doesn’t fall foul of the regulation saying that the driver must drive “alone and unaided” – a rule that prevents the use of traction control, ABS and countless other technical goodies.

While FIA and pit lane boffins label everything with an acronym and make it sound overly technical, effectively formula One cars are adapting the 'brake pedal feel simulator' that most road car hybrid drivers, especially Chevy Volt owners, will be very familiar with, and from all reports it's taking the drivers some time to get used to it.

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First Look: BMW X5 eDrive plug-in hybrid

At BMW’s Efficient Dynamics Innovation Days 2014 in Germany, the company provided the first opportunities for test-driving the BMW X5 eDrive plug-in hybrid (PHEV) prototype. BMW also presented the first four-cylinder member of its new EfficientDyanamics engine family—the 2.0-liter unit would serve as the engine component in a future production X5 eDrive PHEV—as well as ideas for future solutions in the field of lightweight design, aerodynamics and thermal management.

Powertrain technology is key to BMW’s EfficientDynamics strategy, with a dual focus on the continuous evolution of conventional internal combustion engines on the one hand and the development of alternative drive concepts on the other. As well as achieving significant emissions reductions based on continuous evolutionary advances of the TwinPower Turbo gasoline and diesel engines, future BMW core brand models will also benefit from the transfer of new electrified drive technology (BMW eDrive) developed by the BMW i sub-brand.

All BMW eDrive components are developed in-house by the BMW Group and customized as necessary to suit different powertrain applications. Current examples are the all-electric BMW i3 and the plug-in hybrid BMW i8. The BMW i8 is at the leading edge of the Efficient Dynamics strategy; the technology used in the i8 powertrain will find its way into vehicles of the BMW core brand.

The i8 powertrain.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain of the production BMW i8 unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show (earlier post) combines electric drive with a highly turbocharged internal combustion engine. With its combined maximum output of 266 kW/362 hp, combined peak torque of 570 nm (420 lb-ft), 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration in 4.4 seconds, EU fuel consumption of 2.1 l/100 km (112 mpg US) and CO2 emissions of 49 g/km, this plug-in hybrid sports car shows that it is possible to improve performance and reduce fuel consumption at one and the same time.

The electric motor provides a boost effect that assists the gasoline engine when extra accelerating power is required. It can also act as the sole source of driving power, providing a maximum speed of 120 km/h (approx. 75 mph) and a range of up to 35 kilometres (approx. 22 miles). Its power is supplied by the lithium-ion high-voltage battery pack.

During overrun, the high-voltage battery can be recharged via the electric motor. It can also be recharged by the electric motor when power demands allow. The high-voltage starter-generator, responsible for starting the engine, can also be used as a generator to charge the battery.

Plug-in hybrids are efficient whether used for short-distance or for long-distance driving, or a mixture of the two. Intelligent powertrain management ensures that both power sources always work together optimally. Power sharing between the internal combustion engine and the electric motor is managed in accordance with load and driving situation.

Driver preferences are also taken into account, with a bias either towards sporty, dynamic performance characteristics or towards extra-energy-efficient operation of the overall system. To set these characteristics, the driver can choose from a range of pre-selectable driving modes, offering very dynamic, more comfortable or highly efficient operation.

Powertrain electrification has enormous potential for reducing fuel consumption and emissions—even for large, heavy vehicles—without compromising performance and dynamism. Quite the reverse, in fact, BMW noted: the boost function of the electric motor, the additional drive torque of which supplements the internal combustion engine during low- and mid-range acceleration, significantly enhances the sporty driving experience.

As a further step in the Efficient Dynamics strategy, there are plans in the medium-term to transfer the advanced powertrain technology of the BMW i8 to vehicles of the BMW core brand as well.

The X5 plug-in hybrid.

The BMW Concept X5 eDrive model presented in September 2013 at the IAA in Frankfurt showed a way in which Sports Activity Vehicles can be made more efficient. The SAV concept model combines the BMW xDrive intelligent all-wheel-drive system with a new BMW plug-in hybrid system.

Supported by the boost function of the electric motor, the SAV can deliver powerful acceleration and a 0 – 100 km/h (62 mph) acceleration time of less than seven seconds. The development goal for this model is average fuel consumption of approximately 3.8 liters per 100 kilometers (62 mpg US) in the EU test cycle, and CO2 emissions of 90 grams per kilometer—new benchmarks in this vehicle category. The vehicle is also capable of all-electric operation for up to 30 kilometers (more than 18 miles), in which mode its produces no emissions at all at the point of use.

With synchronization of the BMW eDrive technology with the intelligent BMW xDrive all-wheel-drive system, the drive torque from the electric motor, the four-cylinder gasoline engine or both power sources operating in tandem can be split in a variable ratio between the front and rear wheels. The split is automatically controlled to provide superior traction, optimal stability and highest standards of agility and performance under all conditions.

Whereas the BMW i8 is fitted with the BMW Group’s highly turbocharged three-cylinder engine, the future BMW X5 eDrive will use an advanced four-cylinder gasoline engine from the same family—the new Efficient Dynamics engine range with TwinPower Turbo technology. BMW said that this demonstrates its overall aim of providing a customized electric mobility solution in every model series.

Four-cylinder TwinPower Turbo.

The new Efficient Dynamics engine family comprises three-, four- and six-cylinder units. By increasing the aluminium content and using magnesium, the BMW Group has also achieved substantial reductions in the average weight of the new engines. At the same time thermal management and acoustic properties have also been improved.

The first member of this new engine family is the 1.5-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine making its debut in the BMW i8. BMW is now presenting the first four-cylinder engines in this new engine family. These 2.0-liter engines with TwinPower Turbo technology will enter the market in the first half of 2014, in both gasoline and diesel versions.

“TwinPower” stands for a combination of variable load control with advanced injection technology. TwinPower incorporates fully variable components such as VANOS or Double-VANOS seamlessly variable camshaft timing; VALVETRONIC variable valve control; and/or VNT (variable nozzle turbine) turbochargers on the diesel models. These are complemented by High Precision Direct Injection on the gasoline models, with common-rail direct injection on the diesels, and finally by the third element in this high-tech concept—turbocharging.

A feature of the gasoline models continues to be VALVETRONIC throttle-free load control.

Common to all units in the new engine family is an in-line configuration. The core engine comprises cylinders with an individual displacement of 500 cc. This means the new three-cylinder engine has a displacement of 1.5 liters, the four-cylinder engine 2.0 litres and the six-cylinder unit 3.0 litres. Thanks to construction commonality within a combustion type, the proportion of shared components has increased to as much as 60%, while design commonality between gasoline and diesel engines is approximately 40%. Finally, all the engines run cold on the intake side and hot on the exhaust side. This is one reason why the three- and four-cylinder engines from the new family can be mounted either longitudinally or transversely in future BMW and MINI models.

With the new modular engine family, the BMW Group is able to develop three-, four- and six-cylinder engines with different power ratings that are suited to different vehicle concepts. This makes it possible to achieve higher production volumes, leading to significant savings on development and production costs. At the same time the high level of design commonality between the engines makes it easier to develop additional versions and makes it possible to build relatively small volumes of such engines at short notice and cost-efficiently.

As a result it is now possible for the first time at the BMW Group’s engine plants to build both gasoline and diesel engines from the new family at the same time, on the same production line. That allows for flexible responses to variations in demand or in market trends.

Proactive drive system.

BMW’s proactive drive system—which is also applied in the X5 PHEV concept—is based on the principle that energy should not be used unless it is actually needed. The vehicle should anticipate driving situations in advance, so that it can automatically prepare for upcoming requirements. The necessary information is supplied by the vehicle electronic system’s numerous sensors, the navigation system and, most recently, front-mounted radar and camera sensors.

More models from all BMW Group model ranges are already adopting this type of vehicle energy management, with navigation-based information allowing the transmission management and the Proactive Driving Assistant to identify the upcoming route and route profile, i.e. features such as uphill and downhill gradients and speed limits. This ability to “see ahead” allows the transmission to automatically select the correct gear in good time to suit the driving situation.

Depending on individual driving style, ECO PRO mode can achieve a reduction of up to 20% in fuel consumption. A further 5% saving can be achieved by using the coasting function, Proactive Driving Assistant and ECO PRO Route. The Proactive Driving Assistant works in tandem with the navigation system to identify route features in good time. It takes into account speed limits, corners, the start of built-up areas, roundabouts, turn-offs and motorway exits. And based on the recorded driving data, the system also offers tips on a fuel-saving driving style.

In COMFORT and SPORT modes, the proactive drive system adapts the automatic transmission’s shift program to the driving situation. Whereas a conventional shift strategy is “blind” and only operates reactively, in response to throttle position and driving resistances, the Proactive Driving Assistant makes it possible to “anticipate” the route ahead and to adapt gear changes appropriately in real time.

The coasting function (on models with automatic transmission) disconnects the engine from the powertrain at speeds between 50 and 160 km/h (approx. 30 and 100 mph), allowing the vehicle to coast using only kinetic energy.

When ECO PRO mode is activated, the BMW navigation system shows the driver not only the fastest and shortest routes to a given destination but also the most efficient. Taking into account the current driving situation and route profile, the system calculates which route will offer maximum fuel savings with minimum loss of time. The driver can then decide whether to save time or fuel. The savings achievable on a particular route are shown as a percentage. In the event of congestion or other hold-ups on the selected route, the system will propose alternative routes. The route calculations also take into account, on a continuous, real-time basis, the driver’s individual driving style, based on vehicle fuel consumption in different driving situations.

The ECO PRO Analyser, which is a standard component of ECO PRO mode, allows drivers to analyze their driving styles at any time and to identify further potential for reducing fuel consumption. Before, during and after the trip, the driver can call up statistics in the ECO PRO Analyser to check efficiency of accelerating, decelerating and changing gear, and to see what sort of positive impact an improved driving style could have on fuel consumption and therefore also on range. The ECO PRO driving tips are intended to aid more fuel-efficient driving.

Using BMW ConnectedDrive Services and the free-of-charge BMW Connected App, the recorded data can also be transferred to a compatible smartphone. A rating scale indicates the fuel efficiency of the driving style.

With onboard radar and camera sensors, the third generation of the Proactive Driving Assistant is also able to incorporate the vehicle’s immediate driving environment into its operating strategy. This information allows the automatic transmission to adapt its shift strategy even more precisely to the current driving situation for greater efficiency. For example, the system can identify slower-moving vehicles in the lane ahead, as well as vehicles in neighboring lanes. Strategically timed gear changes can then be performed which provide sufficient deceleration, even without braking, to prevent collisions with vehicles in front. At the same time, gear changes can provide the necessary power reserves for overtaking and dynamic lane changes.

The proactive drive system also improves the dynamic characteristics of the vehicle, whether in ECO PRO mode, which is geared to maximum efficiency, in SPORT mode, where the automatic transmission uses a performance-biased shift strategy, or in COMFORT mode, which adopts a more relaxed, easygoing strategy.

If the vehicle is approaching a curve, the transmission automatically changes down to the most appropriate gear, if necessary making use of engine braking effect. All the necessary shift operations will have been completed by the time the vehicle enters the corner. If the system detects that another bend is coming up very soon, it identifies the radius of the corner and again selects the optimal gear. This ensures that higher engine braking power is available on approach.

The power reserves available for subsequent acceleration are also increased, while unnecessary gearshifts and hunting between gears on or between bends is avoided.

The proactive drive system works in a similar way at roundabouts, intersections, turn-offs and at slip roads on or off motorways. Regardless of the route specified in the navigation system, the proactive drive system also reacts to the use of the direction indicator.