BMW's powertrain for tomorrow

SAE100 Future look: During recent years, BMW has significantly reduced both fuel consumption and emissions in its engines, while simultaneously increasing performance and torque.

One of BMW's core competencies is the development of combustion engines. During recent years BMW has significantly reduced both fuel consumption and emissions in its engines, while simultaneously increasing performance and torque. The latest milestones from these efforts are the first-ever variable-twin-turbocharger diesel power unit in a road vehicle, making its debut in the new BMW 535d, and the new BMW six-cylinder gasoline engine with 12% increased power and 12% less consumption. In the future, the introduction of spray-guided direct injection and the implementation of “lean combustion” will bring consumption in the gasoline engine closer to the values attained by modern diesel units.

An important component in developing drive technology lies in intelligent electric power for the drivetrain, for example through an “active gear” combined with high-performance capacitors. The function of an intelligently honed drive is to intervene electrically in the drivetrain and optimize driving situations like stop-and-go traffic or acceleration. However, all concepts geared towards intelligent electrification remain no more than an auxiliary solution for the internal combustion engine.