At the 2010 Paris Motor Show, BMWBLOG spent some time with Laurent Chauvigne, BMW EfficientDynamics Specialist, to talk about the fuel efficiency within BMW fleet, future products and technologies carrying the stigma of EfficientDynamics, and in general, what EfficientDynamics stands for.

BMWBLOG: Tell us what's next for BMW in terms of EfficientDynamics.

Laurent Chauvigne: Yous tin encounter the next step for instance in the X3 – the auto start-terminate functionality, which was for the commencement fourth dimension combined by BMW with the automated transmission – the eight-speed automatic transmission, and besides combined with the 6-cylinder engine. Until now, the auto start-cease function was merely fitted on the 4-cylinder engine with manual transmission.

bmw efficient dynamics 20081 655x482 Then nosotros are optimizing the known technologies to use them broader in our product range or to have a ameliorate prediction of fuel consumption. Another 1 is reduced tires resistance – we already have a 2d generation of such tires, and we are looking with suppliers at new ones. Next, we expect at how the concatenation between fuel tank and wheels, and where goes the energy, where is an energy loss. And we're looking at all the points of the chain and try to optimize where it makes sense. You tin put a lot of money in the optimization of one signal, but perhaps you lot will see it is not so interesting for the consumer. And then nosotros're looking for example at the engine rut which majority of it is lost, only peradventure we can observe a solution to reuse the heat for other purposes.

BMWBLOG: As far every bit EfficientDynamics, are the hereafter plans to focus more than on fuel efficient diesel fuel-engines or a combination between diesel engines and electric motors?

Laurent Chauvigne: We are looking at all of these. On one side, we effort to have the normal emission optimized, diesel and gasoline engines. The second colonnade of the EfficientDynamics technologies is the free energy restriction regeneration, then we have the hybrid and the e-technology on the 3rd pillar, and we also have the hydrogen, which we showed already with the old 7 Series.

And so we are working on all these points of view, we want to brand the best for the customer – where information technology makes sense. For example in Europe, which is a big diesel marketplace, we will effort to bring optimized diesel engines with EfficientDynamics features considering perhaps a hybrid technology together with diesel makes so much sense. In U.s.a., on the other manus, at that place are big gasoline engines. So nosotros are looking at all the technologies, in mobility besides, with the MINI E and ActiveE and. Nosotros don't say we want to concentrate simply on these points of view, but we are besides looking at other possibilities and we place the features that make sense to each land, to each customer.

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Eight-speed ZF automated manual

BMWBLOG: You lot mentioned the hydrogen. What's the condition of that project?

Laurent Chauvigne: It's not totally stopped, like it was mentioned in press manufactures. Nosotros keep thinking about it. The trouble with hydrogen is that in that location are some infrastructure problems and also with the sustainable production of hydrogen where BMW can't play lone. Only we are keeping the technology in line because we accept already shown with the erstwhile 7 Series that information technology fabricated sense, we can align dynamic and powerful engines with fewer emissions.

BMWBLOG: There were some concerns at some point with the cooling system...

Laurent Chauvigne: We know about the issues, it was the goal of the onetime project 7 Series, so we worked on these bug. We know for example that nosotros didn't make a new hydrogen 7 Series because we wouldn't have whatever new data for this project, because most data nosotros get is already with the old 1. So nosotros look at what we have washed in our chore and we know the problems, but the problems with the infrastructure are the biggest ones. BMW can play a role to advance this, but we can't determine alone to build an infrastructure.

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BMWBLOG: You lot take also mentioned start-stop system and restriction free energy regeneration. What almost the KERS organisation from the Formula ane? Is that KERS system something that will be viable for production cars?

Laurent Chauvigne: At the moment, energy brake regeneration system is absolutely different than in Formula 1.  The applied science gave us lots of know-how, but you lot can't use one to i this technology in this car, because the Formula 1 is a very unlike affair compared to a consumer machine. So you can employ the know-how and peradventure some features of the organization, but the global arrangement is very different.

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The steering wheel as fitted on the BMW Sauber F1.08B with the KERS device

BMWBLOG: What other companies invest the same amount of money for like efficient cars?

Laurent Chauvigne: I don't know exactly the figures, only at the moment nosotros're leaders in the EfficientDynamics. We have more ability and amend consumption than Audi or Mercedes models. Then when yous compute the ratio efficiency and dynamics, ours are better.

Alexandru Seremet (BMW Advice): It is also important not to await just at who is the most efficient in terms of fleet, considering the fleet tin can vary a lot. For example, if you have smaller cars in your fleet, it is important to see the residuum between emissions and power. In that location you can actually see the functioning. From this point of view, nosotros accept performance similar to Volkswagen. So we are the best and in that location are a serial of reports that place u.s. as leaders.

Moreover, when y'all talk almost efficiency and sustainability, you don't expect just at the emissions produced when yous drive the car, but you lot demand to accept into account as well the emissions and pollution created while producing the car. And in this regard BMW is the very strong. And BMW is investing a lot in this field, reducing the emissions throughout the whole process, including the product procedure (moulding, painting without h2o, etc).

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BMW 320d EfficientDynamics

BMWBLOG: What makes that BMW 320d EfficientDynamics so special? Why is it different from the regular 320 diesel?

Laurent Chauvigne: Nosotros made the car with energy saver tires from Michelin – second generation of reduced resistance tires, you take the electrical power steering, the special clutch – the final bulldoze is longer than the normal one, then you don't have whatsoever vibration of the engine at depression-speeds of the engine. And nosotros have special aerodynamics elements that accept been optimized – the car is a little bit lower than normal ane, so that at the end you lot have 109 g/km CO2 emissions for BMW 320ed and the normal one has 125 g/km, and then a ten-20% optimization – so information technology'south a big number.

BMWBLOG: Is that the almost fuel efficient BMW at present?

Laurent Chauvigne: It's the most efficient BMW and when y'all encounter 109 grams/km and 163 hp, it's a big number. There is also the MINI with the 99 grams, the normal MINI with lots of EfficientDynamics controls in it.

BMWBLOG: Since you lot mentioned MINI, besides the MINI electric, are there BMW technologies making their manner into MINI cars?

Laurent Chauvigne: The aforementioned EfficientDynamics features: anti brake regeneration, auto starting time-end, and so on.

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BMWBLOG: In display here in Paris, you have a BMW Z4 23i with EfficientDynamics characterization fastened to it. What makes it then special?

Laurent Chauvigne: For case in this one you don't take the machine starting time-terminate functionality because it was a six-cylinder engine, and the commencement time this combination is used is now in the X3. Merely energy brake regeneration is in it, electric power steering, reduced resistance tires, special continent control – for case the climate control with a special clutch, so the climate works only when you utilise it; when you don't use it it is turned off.

So in all of our cars we have EfficientDynamics features, nosotros but choose what makes sense for each of them, for the consumers. A lot of journalists ask what is the EfficientDynamics with the M models. When yous await at the ability of the M Models, and yous compare information technology to other carmakers, the efficiency is better with this power. Information technology seems to be high, simply for this power, information technology's a good value.

BMWBLOG: Is the X3 more fuel efficient than its competitors: Audi Q5 or the Mercedes GLK?

Laurent Chauvigne: Nosotros have published the consumption figures for Europe: the X3 35i has a fuel consumption of 8.8 liters/100km. The Audi Q5 for example has higher consumption figures, and with less power. The ratio is actually impressive for the X3. As well about the X3, we have the 20d and the 35i, in which we take the aforementioned EfficientDynamics features.

BMWBLOG: Then in a few words, what is EfficientDynamics?

Laurent Chauvigne: Information technology's everything. Information technology's very important not to concentrate but on hybrid technology or a specific engineering science. Nosotros look at the entire concatenation of energy and we try to optimize at all the points that are making sense. And EfficientDynamics is the reason why we have these wording, because it's not a terminology, but it's all a strategy.

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