2020 X5 2020 Drive Assist Pro Nav Pano Adapt 66k on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW plans for retired batteries; automakers support dual-standard chargers

Toyota will test hybrids with silicon-carbide (SiC) power semiconductors. In Japan, Toyota has put the SiC power semiconductors into the power control units of a Camry Hybrid prototype and a fuel cell bus for a year-long test. Research suggests the SiC units will decrease electrical losses while managing power supply, thus improving overall powertrain efficiency. Current power semiconductors account for about 20 percent of electrical losses, and success with these tests could mean more efficient hybrids on the roads in the future. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Automakers from CCS and CHAdeMO camps are supporting dual-standard charging station networks. https://www.autoblog.com/bmw/, Volkswagen (CCS camp) and ChargePoint announced plans to build "express charging corridors" by installing about 100 DC fast chargers, many of which will support both types of charging. Kansas City Power & Light is partnering with Nissan (CHAdeMO camp) and ChargePoint to install DC chargers that "will charge any model of electric vehicle on the market." This leads the folks at Green Car Reports to look into whether this ends the looming standard war between automakers in the US. Read more at Green Car Reports. BMW, Bosch and utility company Vattenfall are making plans for a second life for retired BMW i3 batteries. The Second Life Batteries Alliance project will recycle the old lithium ion battery packs - which can still hold a charge - in off-grid storage and grid-stabilization applications, beginning with a grid storage system in Hamburg, Germany. Bosch has created a battery management algorithm to extend the life of the batteries and make sure they don't cause harm to Vattenfall's facilities. Read more at Transport Evolved.

BMW now wants to build 'ultimate machine driver'

The lines between the auto industry and Silicon Valley have been blurring for a while now. Google, for example, is hiring people from deep within the automotive world to spruce up its autonomous driving project. Apple is doing the same, and Tesla's sort of on both sides. More examples are easy to find. That's why it's no surprise, really, that there's a movement happening behind the scenes at BMW to reinvent the roundel. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show this week, BMW board member Klaus Froehlich told Reuters that the Bavarian automaker is refocusing its sights on Silicon Valley. The goal, Froehlich said, is to have half of BMW's research and development staff to be computer programmers. Their mission: to build the AI that will maneuver upcoming self-driving BMWs. In other words, after 100 years of building what the company calls the ultimate driving machine, BMW is shifting over to the ultimate machine driver. We should've seen it coming with that autonomous driving video last year. Many automakers are working on autonomous cars these days, and this is all nothing new for BMW, but Froehlich's comments show an increased focus on cars that will drive you. "For me it is a core competence to have the most intelligent car," Froehlich said. "Our task is to preserve our business model without surrendering it to an Internet player." Some of the tasks that Froehlich sees for an expanded software team will be developing better cloud connection, so that a self-driving car can get messages from a central network. It means perhaps licensing BMW's plug-in powertrains to smaller companies that maybe can't build their own but have other strengths that BMW can access. By developing its own staff and working with partners – the same strategy automakers have used for years – BMW is trying to get ready for the autonomous future. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Harold Cunningham/Getty Images Green BMW Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles Electric Future Vehicles bmw i research and development klaus froehlich

BMW M4 Convertible poised for Goodwood unveil

It shouldn't be a shock that BMW is working on a convertible version of the M4. Not only have we caught it testing twice, but this is an automaker that seems willing to build a vehicle for nearly every buyer's needs. Evo claims that the high-performance droptop is going to debut at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in England from June 26-29.
Judging from the spy shots we've seen, the M4 Convertible will consist of a retractable hard top like the 4 Series cabrio. Other than the roof, there aren't expected to be many changes from the coupe. The engine will be the same turbocharged, 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, but the added weight of the roof and its mechanism may take a small bite out of performance.
We spoke to BMW USA about the rumor and were told that it has no comment at this time. After the M4 Convertible, Evo claims that BMW is working on a M4 Gran Coupe. How that would be all that different from an M3, isn't exactly clear.