Following our earlier News story at eurotuner.com about BMW’s new Vision concept car, the German manufacturer has released these photographs of the car to add to the design drawing we first ran.
The photos better illustrate its exo-skeletal bodywork crafted from aerodynamic knowledge gained in Formula One.
Powered by a three-cylinder turbo diesel engine and two electric motors, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics is capable of M3 performance but with a fraction of that model’s emissions.
The striking concept is showcased with a powertrain producing an anticipated 356hp for supercar performance. However, the vehicle has been designed to be capable of recording 75.1mpg on the combined cycle and CO2 emissions of 99g/km.
The vehicle’s impressive performance figures improve further when it runs solely in hybrid mode. When accounting for electrical energy generation, the CO2 emissions drop to a staggering 51g/km.
The Vision highlights a number of technologies that will appear on BMWs in the near future. The Air Curtain system, for example, channels air through the front valance, exiting ahead of the front wheel and deflecting air entering the wheel arch that would otherwise cause turbulence, thus improving performance.
The car cleaves through the air with the least possible resistance. The drag co-efficient is 0.22 - the lowest figure of any BMW road car. The subtle folds of the bodywork that sit proud of the passenger cocoon create downforce without the need for large spoilers.
The 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine is another feature that indicates production potential. In isolation, this new engine is capable of 163hp, a new record in terms of output per liter at 109hp. Mounted transversely and ahead of the rear axle, the diesel engine can be the sole power source or can work in conjunction with the electric drive. Alternatively, the diesel engine can be used to charge the electric battery pack.
The hybrid drivetrain features two electric motors - one on each axle. At lower speeds just the electric drive functions. The rear axle motor can produce up to 38kW of power and 290Nm of torque, while the second axle motor is capable of 60kW and 220Nm of torque. However, an overboost function allows the driver to top this up to 84kW for a 30-second boost and 104kW for a 10-second power enhancer. When taking all three power sources into account, these figures equate to a car that records a peak power of 356hp and torque of 590 lb/ft. Power is transmitted to the road via an enhanced version of BMW’s existing seven-speed Double Clutch Transmission.
The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics has a range of 31 miles when driving only on electric mode. Combined with the three-cylinder diesel engine this extends to a total possible distance between fill-ups and charges of 431 miles. Using a conventional domestic power source at 220 volts would result in the vehicle being fully recharged after 2.5 hours. Access to a slightly more powerful 380V sees the charge time drop to 44 minutes.
Unlike other hybrid vehicles that use existing vehicle architecture and then add a hybrid drivetrain, the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics isn’t penalised by weight. With its aluminum chassis to further save weight, the vehicle tips the scales at just 3070 lb.
For more details on this extraordinary concept, see our earlier News story at eurotuner.com