BMW: All Models Electric Within Decade

[toerag]

(RTTNews.com) - German luxury car giant Bayerische Motoren Werke AG or BMW Group (BAMXY, BAMXF, BMW.L) is looking to go all-electric over the next 10 years due to the upcoming stricter carbon emission laws. Virtually every BMW model would be converted to electric drivetrains, including range-extending engines and plug-in hybrids.

The transition will see even the company's top-selling 3 Series sport sedans turned into plug-in hybrids.

The company is weary of the stringent European Union regulations that greatly reduce the average carbon emissions permitted from road vehicles. They are said to be tougher than either North American or Chinese emission levels.


http://www.nasdaq.com/article/bmw-all-models-elect...

[Jimbo.]

Hardly surprising: with the Zoe, Leaf, Pruis, RXs, LSs and Teslas, the hybrid/electric car has all sides of the market covered, and not just the town car or high-end oddity. And I have no problem with this, TBH, as the idea of pissing away energy as heat when braking is just ludicrous. May as well use it!

[HustleRussell]

The tech will get lighter, more efficient, more sustainable and more compact. It'll be good.

[SidewaysSi]

In general I don't like modern cars. Don't see that changing.

I will keep my old sheds until the planet's resources run dry...

[AnotherClarkey]

I don't think it is too surprising. As more and more people get experience of electric cars they won't want to put up with the noise, vibration, onerous servicing and laggy transmissions associated with internal combustion engines for general driving about. Nothing to do with 'green', not much to do with cost, just a better experience.

Internal combustion will continue on for those regularly covering long distances and 'purists'.

[Condi]

So what about those people who cant wait for 4 hours for it to charge? All you're doing is shifting the emissions elsewhere... Seem completely pointless to me!

No, the future of cars will be hydrogen based. Fuel cells produce electric and only emit water as a byproduct.

[DCLXIV]

Misleading title from the article. Everything will have a significant hybrid content, but they certainly won't be going full electric.

[Krikkit]

Condi said:

So what about those people who cant wait for 4 hours for it to charge? All you're doing is shifting the emissions elsewhere... Seem completely pointless to me!

No, the future of cars will be hydrogen based. Fuel cells produce electric and only emit water as a byproduct.

I think the idea is to convert to electrically driven, but IC-powered driventrains (like the i8), or at least have hybrid regenerative braking... Good idea though, as long as proper drivetrains are available.

[turbobloke]

Condi said:

So what about those people who cant wait for 4 hours for it to charge? All you're doing is shifting the emissions elsewhere...

Exactly.

Condi said:

Seem completely pointless to me!

It's fashionable apparently and the EU drones driving these changes seem to lack anyone who understands much science.

Condi said:

No, the future of cars will be hydrogen based. Fuel cells produce electric and only emit water as a byproduct.

Far more sensible all round, if something simply has to be done - which it doesn't, but then we're dealing with politicians.

[Wills2]

Sounds good, perhaps the next M5 could be 600hp from 4.4 V8 TT + 100hp electric motor for the push to pass button, just in case the 600hp wasn't enough...

[Jimbo.]

Condi said:

So what about those people who cant wait for 4 hours for it to charge? All you're doing is shifting the emissions elsewhere... Seem completely pointless to me!

No, the future of cars will be hydrogen based. Fuel cells produce electric and only emit water as a byproduct.

You just plug it in overnight or whilst you're in the office. And when that particular charge is gone, you run it like, well, the hybrid like it is. I've currently got a PHEV for work, and it's no additional work or hassle. Just flip a switch of an evening before you go to bed...

And for emissions, yes, you're just changing the source. However, I'm led to believe that electricity generation and distribution is more efficient that an ICE generating motive power and all the work that goes into producing petroleum/diesel.

[E92Dan]

Jimbo. said:

You just plug it in overnight or whilst you're in the office. And when that particular charge is gone, you run it like, well, the hybrid like it is. I've currently got a PHEV for work, and it's no additional work or hassle. Just flip a switch of an evening before you go to bed...

And for emissions, yes, you're just changing the source. However, I'm led to believe that electricity generation and distribution is more efficient that an ICE generating motive power and all the work that goes into producing petroleum/diesel.

And what about people who can't park near their house? How do they charge the car overnight?

[Jimbo.]

E92Dan said:

And what about people who can't park near their house? How do they charge the car overnight?

At work, should a point be available? In the town or supermarket car park, as points get more and more common? Or you just run it as a hybrid and don't worry too much about it. When the battery is depleted in the Outlander, I still "gain" enough when decelerating for it to function as - and benefit from it being - a hybrid I.e. Crawling on electric, engine off when stationary/slowing etc, etc. its not perfect, but it's better than a wasteful ICE-only setup.

[confused_buyer]

There is no way the generating and distribution networks could cope with even a relatively small percentage of cars being plug-in at the moment and if you look at the rate many countries (including the UK) are building power stations over the next few years it is difficult to see how a serious boom in such cars will work.

The challenge will not be finding a plug-in point but all the lights not going out when everyone gets home and plugs in their cars!

[kambites]

confused_buyer said:

There is no way the generating and distribution networks could cope...!

There is enough spare capacity in the UK's national grid to power something like 80% of privately driven vehicles if they're charged off-peak without compromising our ability to shut stations down for maintenance. Take into account the reduction in grid demand from the fact that we would no longer be refining so much crude oil (although obviously that would require also cutting things like disposable plastic usage) and that becomes >100%.

That's missing the point anyway. The article is saying that all BMW's models will have some form of electric propulsion available. They're not saying that there wont be conventional engines available too and they aren't saying they will be pure EVs. Having a hybrid and/or ranger extender EV available in each body style seems like it can only be a good thing to me.



I'll certainly be looking to buy something with an electric drive component when we next replace the family car. I wont be replacing my own car at all if I can help it. If it means I never have to own a diesel, I'm all for it.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 30th August 20:17

[GroundEffect]

Really not surprising. Full hybrids are the future for a long time to come. And if the Hyper cars can do it, then there's no reason to fret.

[Super Slo Mo]

Condi said:

So what about those people who cant wait for 4 hours for it to charge? All you're doing is shifting the emissions elsewhere... Seem completely pointless to me!

No, the future of cars will be hydrogen based. Fuel cells produce electric and only emit water as a byproduct.

And how do we make hydrogen without using copious quantities of electricity? At the moment we've still got the same issue, it's shifting the emissions elsewhere regardless.

[kambites]

Super Slo Mo said:

And how do we make hydrogen without using copious quantities of electricity? At the moment we've still got the same issue, it's shifting the emissions elsewhere regardless.

We've got an order of magnitude more of the same issue. Going Fossil fuel -> electricity -> grid -> hydrogen splitting -> transportation -> fuel cell -> electric motor is far less efficient that going fossil fuel -> electricity -> grid -> battery -> electric motor.

[Lugy]

Now I might not be a very good internet sleuth but I can't find any more info on this, I'd have thought there would've been something from BMW either on ttterbook or their website.

[Olf]

I have an i3 and a Z4MC.

The days of internal combustion engines are seriously numbered if BMW can double the mileage range. The driving experience is already amazing and the cost of running is so low it's almost comical. Honestly it will be a no brainer for 95% of people once the range is sorted.