Munich / Stuttgart. Following its overall victory and
two class wins in last year’s International Engine of the Year Awards,
the drive system powering the BMW i8 has once again triumphed in its
class – the 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre displacement category – in this
year’s competition. The BMW Group’s success in the International
Engine of the Year Awards 2016 provides further evidence of the
performance potential of the Efficient Dynamics technology package,
which since 2007 has enabled a continuous enhancement of driving
pleasure while at the same time cutting fuel consumption and emissions.
The International Engine of the Year Awards were launched in 1999,
since when a total of 67 class and overall wins have gone to power
units developed for BMW models. Each year an expert panel of judges,
this time comprising 63 motoring journalists from 31 countries,
selects the best examples in numerous categories. The prize-winners
were presented with their awards on Wednesday, 1 June 2016 against the
backdrop of the Engine Expo trade fair in Stuttgart.
The plug-in hybrid drive system powering the BMW i8 combines the
performance of a sports car with the fuel economy of a far smaller
model. The three-cylinder combustion engine in the BMW i8 develops
170 kW/231 hp and drives the rear wheels, while the 96 kW/131 hp
electric motor draws its energy from a lithium-ion battery, which can
be charged from a conventional domestic power socket and sends its
power to the front axle. This bespoke plug-in hybrid system, developed
and produced by the BMW Group, enables a range of up to 37 kilometres
(23 miles) in the EU test cycle and a top speed of 120 km/h (75 mph)
on electric power alone, coupled with a “glued-to-the-road” all-wheel
driving experience headlined by powerful acceleration and a
dynamically-biased distribution of power through keenly taken corners.
The higher-output of the two power sources drives the rear wheels and
uses the electric boost from the hybrid system to deliver hallmark BMW
driving pleasure while at the same time offering groundbreaking levels
of efficiency. The sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just
4.4 seconds, yet combined fuel consumption – as calculated in the EU
test cycle for plug-in hybrid vehicles – stands at 2.1 litres per
100 kilometres (134.5 mpg imp) plus 11.9 kWh of electricity. This
equates to CO2 emissions of 49 grams per kilometre.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures, specific
CO2 emission values and the electric power consumption of new
passenger cars is included in the following guideline: “Leitfaden über
Kraftstoffverbrauch, die CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer
Personenkraftwagen” (Guideline for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and
electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which can be
obtained from all dealerships, from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH
(DAT), Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern-Scharnhausen and at
http://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html.
LeitfadenCO2 (GuidelineCO2) (PDF ‒ 2.7 MB)