In 2016 BMW constructed the ‘Imaginative and prescient 100’ idea which provided 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 long run, one the place driving may 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 must be self-explanatory, digitalization encompasses car management, the person interface, and importantly, the person expertise. Circularity might be described as a acutely aware try to, the place attainable, rethink, scale back, recycle, and reuse supplies and assets. BMW then constructed additional ideas to reveal these rules which paved the way in which for the ‘Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse’. Whereas electrification was on the coronary heart of the entire 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 person’s perspective.
BMW’s basis is motors, particularly engines – the idea for the corporate’s origin and the satisfaction 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 stuffed with self-driving autos? The important thing, BMW believes, shall be within the expertise, not merely the know-how. This text will discover technical options – at a excessive degree, however BMW desires to outline a driving expertise – an emotional expertise, and, haven’t any concern, 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 invaluable classes from the manufacturing of the i3, together with the best way to develop and manufacture electrical autos. As well as they gained invaluable insights into some great benefits of electrical autos in addition to their constraints. BMW then made the choice, within the 2010s, to provide ICE, hybrid, and all-electric autos on the CLAR structure. This made sense given the unsure way forward for the marketplace for all-electric autos and that electrical car know-how was nonetheless evolving.
Efficiency electrical automobiles, nevertheless, uncovered the prevailing automobile management know-how’s limitations. This was noticed whereas going vast 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 not like 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 car’s management software program. A brand new strategy to car management was wanted for all-electric autos, particularly in the event that they had been meant to be efficiency automobiles.
Tesla’s resolution to all-electric driving is the benchmark and their System-on-Chip (SoC) is used of their electrical and absolutely self-driving succesful autos. 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 infrequently 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 car, the NPU evaluates the car’s sensor knowledge, and the GPU could also be used to help with notion duties and likewise current knowledge 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 knowledge bus structure than the present structure, ten occasions the throughput in reality. It’s the bandwidth of the bus – what number of bits of data it could actually carry – in addition to bus size that determines how shortly the car 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 power financial savings, gaining additional effectivity than an off-the-shelf RTOS may 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 car entry. The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ will synchronize drivetrain, braking, steering, and power recuperation with the processing scale and bandwidth to securely tame the torque tiger.
The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ has proven off its potential to handle excessive powered electrical autos with BMW’s Imaginative and prescient Driving Expertise (VDX), which affords a peek at future M all-electric autos. The ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’ system manages the over 13,000 lb-ft of torque obtainable on the VDX wheels seamlessly.
To handle the varied electrical subsystems within the automobile, BMW divides the ‘Neue Klasse’ into 4 electrical zones, entrance, middle, rear, and roof. BMW makes use of sensible eFuses to observe voltage, present, and/or temperature for gadgets which can be inside a zone and are ready, utilizing firmware embedded in them, to speak by a knowledge bus particular to the zone. Alerts are then despatched on to the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’. The eFuses afford higher safety to important circuits and scale back weight. They use field-effect transistors to interrupt energy supply to a defective module, reasonably than a conventional fuse’s gradual sacrificial failure, or cumbersome relays. Energy is delivered to car modules, like lights, radio, heater controls, from a standard energy bus then by an eFuse; that is one space the place car wiring weight discount happens.
The Energy of 800 Volts: Lighter, Sooner, Extra Environment friendly
BMW may also use an 800 volt electrical structure for the powertrain. This brings an a variety of benefits like the flexibility to make the most of greater efficiency motors, to scale back cooling necessities, present quicker charging, and scale back weight. Increased voltage means much less present is required to provide energy which permits for a discount in wire diameter and, subsequently, weight.
BMW’s newest era of electrification – Gen6 – will use electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM) for RWD and on the rear axle on AWD autos. For potential FWD and AWD the automobiles will use asynchronous motors (ASM) on the entrance. Vitality losses are diminished 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. It will improve vary and scale back charging occasions. The motors will have the ability to present a driving expertise from delicate to wild, with the potential for over 1,300 HP in a future M mannequin.
BMW may also use cylindrical battery cells in Gen6 electrification. They can be utilized with out the necessity for a separate container, not like the present prismatic battery cells. This reduces weight and might ship house financial savings. The brand new batteries have a higher power density, over 20%, than the present era of batteries. This interprets to prolonged vary. Using the 800v structure, charging time shall be diminished. 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 chance of ‘thermal runaway’ in comparison with the earlier era batteries.
This new Gen6 structure will, in fact, be managed by the ‘Coronary heart of Pleasure’, promising excellent car dynamics. The motive force’s enter on steering, braking, acceleration will really feel crisp given the excessive processing bandwidth employed. The motive force will see data displayed on a panoramic heads-up show projected onto the bottom of the windshield. It is going to be customizable and is supposed to be as intuitive as attainable. The thought is to make use of know-how to help reasonably than resist the motive force. The panoramic show is consistent with BMW’s slogan, “Eyes on the highway, palms 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 cozy. The wheels are exceptionally effectively completed. Movement photographs of the automobile present nifty styling and BMW has managed to take care of the ‘5 spokes’ look whereas static. The headlamps/grille and taillights of the Imaginative and prescient Neue Klasse’ are gorgeous – the 3D impact is sweet from nearly 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 mixing of the rear spoiler into the taillights is intelligent. The higher accent line on the edges of the automobile, that gives a horizontal reference entrance to rear, seems to be a part of the window – it will likely 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. Trying on the design and drawing on reminiscence of small sedan designs of the previous, it could seem that Italian influences are current in addition to Paul Braq’s E12. Regardless, this might effectively 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’ shall be. Right here’s to the subsequent 100 years.
