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Wunderlich creates two-wheel-drive hybrid BMW motorcycle

Two wheel-drive motorcycles aren\\\\\\'t new, but more mainstream and niche companies are now dabbling in the technology. German aftermarket shop Wunderlich is the latest, creating the two-wheel drive BMW R1200GS LC by placing a 7.6-kilowatt hub motor on the front wheel. Wunderlich worked with Italian company Evolt on the innovation, good for 12 miles per hour by itself without the help of the boxer-powered rear wheel. Regenerative braking energy is stored in a small battery pack under the motorcycle\\\\\\'s front beak. Powered action works in forward, as well as in reverse up to three miles per hour. The rider is able to choose direction with a toggle switch in the cockpit. Wunderlich hasn\\\\\\'t said yet how power to the front wheel is controlled or if it is simply always fully on or off. It weighs 525 pounds, and has an allowable payload of another 467 pounds. Powering the front wheel, even with just 7.6 kW, would help move all that weight around in good conditions and could be a godsend in tough stuff out on the trail. Wunderlich showed off its creation at this year\\\\\\'s EICMA motorcycle show in Italy, we have a feeling some BMW owners will be waiting for word on production possibilities once the show is over. Related Video: Featured Gallery Wunderlich BMW R1200 GS LC News Source: EICMA via Asphalt and Rubber Green Misc. Auto Shows BMW Motorcycle Hybrid Off-Road Vehicles eicma bmw r1200gs

Pure black BMW i8 hydrogen fuel cell prototype on the track

Largely coated in matte black paint with just a few touches of dark blue contrast, the BMW hydrogen fuel cell-powered i8 prototype looks stealthy just sitting still. Now, that ninja-like styling is taking to the track in this video to prove that its performance doesn't come with much noise. The quiet hum of the tires and an odd whir from the rear are all that you hear coming. As this i8 prototype picks up speed around the circuit, the sounds that the drivetrain makes just get weirder. When moving slowly, you can pick out the usual whine that's expected from conventional electric vehicles. However at higher velocities, the coupe almost makes a noise like its constantly exhaling. Along with the recently unveiled BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo hydrogen-fueled concept, this sneaky looking i8 is part of BMW's technological push to become a greener automaker. The company is also prototyping a turbocharged engine with water injection and new plug-in hybrid powertrains. Although this low-slung coupe is by far the most attractive of that bunch. We might not be too far away from actually seeing this tech on sale on models bearing the Bavarian brand's roundel, either. Thanks to collaboration with Toyota, the company wants to have fuel cell components ready by 2020, and sales could start early in the decade. Hopefully all of the company's FCEVs look as menacingly great as this i8 by that time, though.

BMW tests M Lap Timer App with M4 Coupe at Brands Hatch

The 2015 BMW M4 looks to include all the necessary ingredients to offer dynamite driving experience. It's an M car after all. But in today's constantly connected world, the experience of hurtling a car around a track isn't always enough.
We want data, and while there are some solid telemetry apps available for smartphones (notably Harry's GPS LapTimer), manufacturers have been a bit slower to develop their own dedicated mobile telemetry trackers for their performance cars. With the new M4, though, BMW is taking the plunge, allowing drivers to track their lap progress through a new app, creatively called the M Lap Timer.
To show off the program, BMW has recruited touring car racer Andy Priaulx to perform a fast lap in an M4 at the UK's Brands Hatch circuit. The accompanying video doesn't do much to show off the app in action. Rather, it give us a stylized look at the metrics as Priaulx hustles BMW's hottest 4 Series coupe around the circuit.