BMW and Toyota further inked a deal and announced that collaborative research into the next generation batteries for tomorrow’s greener cars has already begun. BMW will benefit from Toyota’s buying power and previous research in li-ion battery cells moving forward in addition to BMW sharing diesel technology with the Japanese firm in European markets.
The highly anticipated launch of BMWi signals a shift for the BMW as a brand into electric and hybrid technology. But it does not signal a shift away from BMW being a mass market automaker. Because of that BMWi needs more than the new models they will launch with in 2013. The i3 and i8 represent both ends of the market. But what about the lucrative middle? Enter the i4 and i5 and our favorite public source for insider BMW information, Scott27/Herr26 (Via GCF and the BF comment section):
Although IAA 2011 is the Preview of the Concept. IAA 2013 Will launch the Production cars and it will be around 2013 when you see the next idea for 4-wheeled mobility under BMWi.
But in the conception of the brand there is an idea of where to take the four wheel products – i3 and i8 will head the launch and when you look at the i8 in particular. It is evident that you see how the Vision Efficient Dynamics has progressed to become more “production” like. If you take for example the front end of the car – It is very much adapted to modern standards and is acceptable for pedestrian impact regulation. The A-pillars have been more reinforced and under the skin crumple zones at the front and rear have been engineered for production and “real-life” purpose.
For years the problem with carbon fiber has been producing large quantities cheaply. Now BMW and parter SGL Group seem to have solved the problem with a new process and new technologies. The result is mass produced carbon fiber that can be easily transported and assembled into automobiles anywhere in the world. BMW even hinted at local assembly of BMWi Carbon based cars with this new process.
So how does it all start? Check it out after the break.
The BMW ActiveE is the first real-world product of Project i that wears a roundel. And who better to give us an introduction of the car at Geneva than Rich Steinberg, BMW of North America’s Manager of Electric Vehicle Operations and Strategy.
First the look. As with the MINI E, the BMW ActiveE will have some exterior graphics and design elements that will distinguish it for a standard 1 Series Coupe. The interior will also be distinguished with displays specific to EV applications. Here Rich describes the newly developed electric motor and battery cell technology that differentiate it from the MINI E. As BMW announced more than a year ago, the batteries in the BMW ActiveE will feature liquid heating and cooling so that the batteries would be at optimal operating temperature in order to maximize driving range in either hot or cold ambient conditions. As the BMW Group identified through the MINI E field trial as early 2009, temperature extremes can significantly impact the potential driving range of a drivetrain which uses lithium-ion cell technology.
In a surprising move VW announced today that it has bought an 8% stake in SGL – BMW’s partner in its recent carbon fiber investment. According to Automotive News it’s come to a shock to BMW. Here’s a quote:
“VW did not tell us about it. We weren’t warned in advance,” Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW, told reporters on Tuesday during the Geneva auto show.
BMW’s Activate the Future Series released its final episode: Learning to Stop Worrying and Love the Future.It brings together many of the ideas throughout the series. Reinventing mobility and the infrastructure that carries it. Eerily similar to what we heard yesterday during BMWi’s introduction.
Official Release: Saturday evening saw the launch of teaser communications for the new BMW sub-brand. Light installations and video projections illuminated BMW Group buildings around the Petuelring road in the north of Munich. The four-cylinder building, BMW Welt and BMW Museum were bathed in the colours of BMW i.
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Sections: ActiveHybrid, EfficientDynamics, Official News, Project i, Technology Mar 27th, 2012 No Comments 
