Remember way back when we said that we would tell you more about the BMW 5 Series ActiveHybrid concept when we got a chance to see it on the Geneva show floor? Yeah, well, not so much.
BMW was not getting into the technical nitty-gritty today. BMW says that the vehicle has a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 and a 40-kW electric motor. How much power that combination creates is a mystery, as is the arrangement of those parts and the, well, mostly everything else. It's better, perhaps, to simply think of this concept as a non-specific expression of the company's oft-referenced Efficient Dynamics motif.
We know that, unlike the mild-hybrid system of the 7 Series ActiveHybrid, the 5 Series version can run on pure electric power, at least in theory. And we don't know how long it would run solely on electrons. BMW also mentioned that the 5 Series ActiveHybrid's powertrain can interact with the car's navigation system to provide optimum fuel economy according to the planned route. So, in other words, if your route calls for a long highway run followed by an in-town jaunt, the car could make sure that the batteries would be fully charged just in time for the city drive so that the trip could be completed in pure-electric mode.
Perhaps in this fashion, and with its full hybrid capability, the 5 Series ActiveHybrid could achieve better combined fuel economy than the line of fuel-efficient diesels BMW is already putting into production in the new 5 Series. Maybe. Oh, and the wheels look every bit as silly in person as they do in photos.
blueguydotcom says:
07:52 AM, 03/ 2/10
Rather a diesel. It'll be lighter, handle better and, in spite of claims, probably deliver better freeway mileage.
cr_driver says:
09:24 AM, 03/ 2/10
Is this a failure already?