In 2016 BMW constructed the ‘Imaginative and prescient 100’ idea which supplied us a glimpse of issues to return. The ‘Imaginative and prescient 100’, constructed to have a good time BMW’s centenary, explored BMW’s imaginative and prescient of driving in a altering world. It was a waypoint in direction of the longer term, one the place driving might nonetheless be a ardour in an age when self-driving automobiles would develop into widespread. BMW emphasised the rules of Electrification, Digitalization, and Circularity with the ‘Imaginative and prescient 100’.
Electrification, Digitalization, and Circularity Outlined
Whereas electrification ought to be self-explanatory, digitalization encompasses automobile management, the consumer interface, and importantly, the consumer expertise. Circularity might be described as a aware try to, the place attainable, rethink, scale back, recycle, and reuse supplies and sources. BMW then constructed additional ideas to display these rules which paved the best way for the ‘Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse’. Whereas electrification was on the coronary heart of all the ideas, the BMW i Imaginative and prescient Round demonstrated the circularity precept whereas the i Imaginative and prescient Dee demonstrated the digitalization, particularly from the consumer’s perspective.
BMW’s basis is motors, particularly engines – the idea for the corporate’s origin and the delight of its engineers and workforce. What occurs in an all-electric world, how can BMW reply and stay related and true to its previous? And the way does ‘Freude am Fahren’ translate in a world filled with self-driving automobiles? The important thing, BMW believes, might be within the expertise, not merely the know-how. This text will discover technical options – at a excessive stage, however BMW needs to outline a driving expertise – an emotional expertise, and, haven’t any worry, the act of driving will nonetheless be a big a part of the BMW ‘Neue Klasse’ expertise.
From i3 to CLAR: The Platform Studying Curve
BMW realized priceless classes from the manufacturing of the i3, together with easy methods to develop and manufacture electrical automobiles. As well as they gained priceless insights into some great benefits of electrical automobiles in addition to their constraints. BMW then made the choice, within the 2010s, to supply ICE, hybrid, and all-electric automobiles on the CLAR structure. This made sense given the unsure way forward for the marketplace for all-electric automobiles and that electrical automobile know-how was nonetheless evolving.
Efficiency electrical automobiles, nonetheless, uncovered the present automotive management know-how’s limitations. This was noticed whereas going broad open throttle on a BMW i4 M50 from 5 mph. It was entertaining however not fairly as refined correctly. The torque tugs on the steering wheel, not in contrast to the Saab 9-3 Viggen used to. The electrical motor’s instantaneous torque, versus a gasoline engine’s transitional buildup of torque, pushes the boundaries of the automobile’s management software program. A brand new method to automobile management was wanted for all-electric automobiles, particularly in the event that they had been meant to be efficiency automobiles.
Tesla’s answer to all-electric driving is the benchmark and their System-on-Chip (SoC) is used of their electrical and totally self-driving succesful automobiles. The SoC implements an actual time working system (RTOS) that makes use of a neural processing unit (NPU), and a graphical processing unit (GPU), and sometimes a redundant pair of central processing items (CPU), together with a excessive bandwidth reminiscence bus and shared reminiscence areas between the processors. The CPUs are used to regulate the automobile, the NPU evaluates the automobile’s sensor information, and the GPU could also be used to help with notion duties and likewise current information to the motive force and passengers.
Introducing the Coronary heart of Pleasure: BMW’s Customized Car Mind
That is precisely what BMW’s ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ ECU will do. The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ is a dense built-in system on a chip that makes use of the next bandwidth information bus structure than the present structure, ten instances the throughput in truth. It’s the bandwidth of the bus – what number of bits of data it may well carry – in addition to bus size that determines how rapidly the automobile can reply to inputs.
BMW will make the most of a customized in-house RTOS that takes benefit of the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ management unit’s capabilities. It’s optimized to scale back latency, reacting to interrupts nearly instantly. It additionally ekes out each attainable vitality financial savings, gaining additional effectivity than an off-the-shelf RTOS might present. BMW’s RTOS brings the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ to life.
Whereas the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ acts on driving dynamics, three different excessive bandwidth processors take care of automated driving; infotainment; and local weather, lighting, and automobile entry. The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ will synchronize drivetrain, braking, steering, and vitality recuperation with the processing scale and bandwidth to securely tame the torque tiger.
The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ has proven off its capacity to handle excessive powered electrical automobiles with BMW’s Imaginative and prescient Driving Expertise (VDX), which affords a peek at future M all-electric automobiles. The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ system manages the over 13,000 lb-ft of torque out there on the VDX wheels seamlessly.
To handle the various electrical subsystems within the automotive, BMW divides the ‘Neue Klasse’ into 4 electrical zones, entrance, heart, rear, and roof. BMW makes use of sensible eFuses to observe voltage, present, and/or temperature for units which might be inside a zone and are in a position, utilizing firmware embedded in them, to speak by way of an information bus particular to the zone. Alerts are then despatched on to the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’. The eFuses afford higher safety to vital circuits and scale back weight. They use field-effect transistors to interrupt energy supply to a defective module, somewhat than a standard fuse’s sluggish sacrificial failure, or cumbersome relays. Energy is delivered to automobile modules, like lights, radio, heater controls, from a typical energy bus then by way of an eFuse; that is one space the place automobile wiring weight discount happens.
The Energy of 800 Volts: Lighter, Quicker, Extra Environment friendly
BMW will even use an 800 volt electrical structure for the powertrain. This brings an a variety of benefits like the power to make the most of increased efficiency motors, to scale back cooling necessities, present quicker charging, and scale back weight. Increased voltage means much less present is required to supply energy which permits for a discount in wire diameter and, subsequently, weight.
BMW’s newest technology of electrification – Gen6 – will use electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM) for RWD and on the rear axle on AWD automobiles. For potential FWD and AWD the automobiles will use asynchronous motors (ASM) on the entrance. Power losses are lowered by 40%, weight by 10%, and manufacturing prices are lowered by 20% in comparison with Gen5 tech. Right here is the ‘Circularity’ precept in motion. This may improve vary and scale back charging instances. The motors will be capable to present a driving expertise from delicate to wild, with the potential for over 1,300 HP in a future M mannequin.
BMW will even use cylindrical battery cells in Gen6 electrification. They can be utilized with out the necessity for a separate container, in contrast to the present prismatic battery cells. This reduces weight and may ship area financial savings. The brand new batteries have a higher vitality density, over 20%, than the present technology of batteries. This interprets to prolonged vary. Using the 800v structure, charging time might be lowered. The batteries use recycled lithium, cobalt, and nickel. The price to fabricate the brand new batteries is subsequently as much as 50% lower than the previous batteries. The very form of the cylindrical batteries present superior thermal administration when in comparison with prismatic cells. This reduces the danger of ‘thermal runaway’ in comparison with the earlier technology batteries.
This new Gen6 structure will, in fact, be managed by the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’, promising excellent automobile dynamics. The driving force’s enter on steering, braking, acceleration will really feel crisp given the excessive processing bandwidth employed. The driving force will see data displayed on a panoramic heads-up show projected onto the bottom of the windshield. Will probably be customizable and is supposed to be as intuitive as attainable. The concept is to make use of know-how to help somewhat than resist the motive force. The panoramic show is in line with BMW’s slogan, “Eyes on the highway, fingers on the wheel”.
Design Reimagined: Retro Cues With a Futuristic Edge
The styling of the ‘Neue Klasse’ is a return to its roots for BMW. It’s meant to be an emotional tug in direction of the acquainted and comfy. The wheels are exceptionally properly achieved. Movement pictures of the automotive present nifty styling and BMW has managed to keep up the ‘5 spokes’ look whereas static. The headlamps/grille and taillights of the Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse’ are gorgeous – the 3D impact is nice from virtually each angle. Whereas it doesn’t want a grille it’s good that it’s there, the equal Tesla entrance fascia, with out a grille, is boring. The combination of the rear spoiler into the taillights is intelligent. The higher accent line on the perimeters of the automotive, that gives a horizontal reference entrance to rear, seems to be a part of the window – will probably be fascinating to see how that makes it into manufacturing.
Incorporating the Hofmeister Kink within the door panel was very intelligent. One is absolutely impressed with the angularity of the design, sharp creases and muscular wheel arches. Wanting on the design and drawing on reminiscence of small sedan designs of the previous, it might seem that Italian influences are current in addition to Paul Braq’s E12. Regardless, this might properly be a traditional.
From the ‘Imaginative and prescient 100’ idea to the ‘Neue Klasse’, BMW has proven what it believes the way forward for ‘Pleasure of Driving’ might be. Right here’s to the subsequent 100 years.
