Munich / Aachen. The BMW Group is a pioneer in the
field of electric mobility and already offers a range of models with
electrified drive systems. The all-electric BMW i3 and the five-strong
line-up of plug-in hybrids – with their combination of electric motor
and petrol engine – are already a sales hit with customers, and the
BMW Group will develop even more models with electric drive systems in
the future. Equally, though, conventional diesel and petrol engines
will play a major role for a long time still.
In his talk at the 26th Aachen Colloquium Automobile and Engine
Technology, Klaus Fröhlich, Member of the Board of Management at BMW
AG, Development, presented the full spectrum of drive technologies
possible in the future – and, in so doing, mapped out the journey
ahead. One of the key messages of his speech centred on how the
challenge of keeping both customers and lawmakers happy by meeting all
their requirements would call for a wide variety of different drive
systems. “There will be no such thing as a ‘one-size-fits-all’
solution,” stated Fröhlich confidently. “We see the approach of using
myriad technologies continuing for many years.”
Although it is true that internal combustion engines will decline in
importance in the medium term, they will play a vital role for a long
time to come and still offer potential that could be tapped into with
additional investment. However, a wide spread of evolutionary advances
will be needed to meet future requirements with respect to CO2 and
other emissions, and 48V energy recuperation systems will play an
increasingly important role in this regard.
The proportion of electrified vehicles on the roads is growing
steadily. In the USA and a number of European countries, demand is
increasing at a faster pace than in Germany. Here, too, sales figures
received a major boost from the launch of the BMW i3 with new 94 Ah
battery. August 2016 saw worldwide sales of the BMW i3 rise by over
70% compared to twelve months previously. There is tremendous
potential for electric mobility in China, although this is subject to
considerable local variation. Electric mobility will continue to be
multifaceted in nature for a long while yet, guided by the particular
concept and market at hand. A total of 34,664 BMW i and BMW
iPerformance models had been sold in 2016 up to the end of August. A
significant fall in costs is not expected until after 2020.
It will be a few years before the battery electric vehicle (BEV)
becomes the all-encompassing solution for customers and model classes
across the board. Pure battery-electric drive systems allow customers
whose daily journeys don’t generally exceed 100 kilometres (62 miles)
to enjoy zero-emission electric driving in small to medium-sized
vehicles. The BMW i3 exemplifies a possible approach here, and now
also offers customers an electric range of over 200 km (125 miles) in
real-world use.
When it comes to medium-length journeys and mid-size vehicles, the
BMW Group offers an extremely wide choice of plug-in hybrid models
(PHEVs). These all-rounders offer an entry point into customer-focused
e-mobility in many segments.
Meanwhile, hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEVs) offer
the ideal combination of zero-emission motoring and everyday
practicality when extended ranges and high running resistances are
required. The key benefit for customers of fuel-cell drive systems is
their short refuelling time – which is similar to that offered by
vehicles with conventional combustion engines. What is lacking here,
though, is the requisite hydrogen infrastructure and production
set-up, and cross-sector partnerships have been launched to accelerate
the process of establishing such an ecosystem. All of which means that
the large-scale manufacture of hydrogen fuel-cell technology will
become viable in the course of the next ten years, putting it firmly
on the radar for customer usage.
The latest demonstrator and research vehicle with a hydrogen
fuel-cell electric drive system is derived from the BMW Group’s
modular electrification toolkit. Partner networks, such as the one
that exists between the BMW Group and Toyota, are an excellent way of
arriving at objectives more quickly and cost-effectively.
Fröhlich outlines the roadmap to hydrogen-powered fuel-cell electric
driving as follows: “BMW will enter the fuel cell market early in the
next decade, starting with very small production runs. However, until
2025 at least costs will remain too high and the hydrogen
infrastructure too sparse to allow broad-based market penetration. By
the time the fundamentals are in place, the BMW Group will also have
marketable products ready that are attractive to customers.”