Have you seen BMW’s new turbodiesel hybrid electric concept car? It’s called the “Vision EfficientDynamics Concept” and it focuses on cranking out performance from a three-cylinder turbodiesel engine coupled with a pair of electric motors cranking out 265 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.
From a developmental standpoint, the vehicle’s aim is to marry the performance of a BMW M Car, the looks of a supercar and the fuel economy and emission management of a small premium car.
In other words, all of the vroom-vroom of a gasoline-powered engine with none of the inefficiency.
How’s it get there? Through “exceedingly good balance of CO2 emission management,” the company says.
The tech behind the effort includes:
- All-wheel drive layout with an electric motor on both the front and rear axle.
- Acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h (roughly comparable to 0-60mph in the U.S.) in 4.8 seconds
- Top speed 250 km/h (155 mph), electronically limited
Fuel consumption in the EU test cycle was 3.76 litres/100 km (equal to 75.1mpg)- CO2 emissions 99 grams/kilometer.
- If you’re into aerodynamics, the drag coefficient is an F1-friendly 0.22.
- Electric power is generated without the slightest increase in fuel consumption through efficient Brake Energy Regeneration. Energy is stored in 98 lithium polymer cells.
The concept car is a 2+2-seater with gullwing doors. Roof and door inserts are made of polycarbonate glass that automatically become darker as a function of incoming light.
As a plug-in hybrid, BMW says the Vision EfficientDynamics concept is able to cover the entire fuel consumption drive cycle under electric power alone.
Still, the vehicle is able to cover a distance of just 31 miles in the electric mode alone.
Here’s a video about the design behind the project:
