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BMW rethinks all-wheel-drive M cars

BMW M hasn't been able to decide whether it wants to jump on the all-wheel-drive bandwagon or not (with the exceptions of the X5 M and the X6 M, which are based on AWD architecture). That might be changing though, since M's president Friedrich Nitschke recently realized that 70 to 80 percent of Mercedes-Benz E63 AMGs are ordered with all-wheel drive. Earlier this year, Nitschke said that there were no new AWD M models planned, so this comes as somewhat of a surprise.
"On our cars we are thinking of all-wheel drive, but it won't come before we get the successor of the M5 and M6," Nitschke said in a Motoring report. "That's the timing and it's not practical to react in the current life cycles."
"On our cars we are thinking of all-wheel drive." - Friedrich Nitschke, BMW

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.

Recharge Wrap-up: BMW i sales hit 50k, SsangYong SIV-2 concept

BMW sold its 50,000th i car in January. The i3, which launched in September 2013, made up roughly 83 percent of those sales. The considerably more expensive i8, which launched in June of 2014, understandably made up fewer sales. The i3 is currently sold in 49 countries, while most of the i8's sales came from the US, UK, Germany, and Norway. Through December, cumulative i3 sales reached 17,116 in the US, 5,063 in Germany, 4,494 in Norway, 3,747 in the UK and 1,348 in Switzerland. i8 sales were 2,820 in the US, 964 in the UK and 793 in Germany. BMW sold 29,513 i-Series cars in 2015, and 1,255 in January of 2016. Read more at Hybrid Cars. SsangYong will debut its SIV-2 concept at the Geneva Motor Show. The SIV-2 – which stands for Smart Interface Vehicle – uses a 48-volt mild hybrid system with a turbocharged, 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, 500-Wh battery pack and 10-kW electric motor. The Korean automaker says the modular SIV-2 platform can also accommodate plug-in hybrid and battery electric versions. Alongside the SIV-2, SsangYong will introduce a new Tivoli XLV crossover, based on the XLV Air concept, which is expected to offer competitive fuel economy. Read more at Green Car Reports. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is receiving a $1 million contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to make recycled plug-in hybrid batteries. The 50-percent cost-share contract will help Worcester Polytechnic scale up its recycling process to make batteries using recycled cathode material. The process, which USABC calls "novel and efficient," will make the batteries less costly than ones made with all-new material, "thereby offering a value-driven path towards improved sustainability." United States Council for Automotive Research executive director Steve Zimmer says, "These programs are critical to advancing the technology needed to meet both near- and long-term goals that will enable broader scale vehicle electrification." Read more in the press release below. USABC AWARDS $1 MILLION TO WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC TO DEVELOP PROCESS FOR RECYCLED PHEV BATTERY CELLS SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Feb.