BMW Hybrid Tourer Shows Up in Paris

With the new BMW Concept Active Tourer, BMW presents a vehicle at the 2012 Paris Motor Show which is the first in the premium compact segment to combine comfort and space functionality with dynamic performance and style.

The BMW Concept Active Tourer is a key component in the ongoing development of the BMW brand and its model portfolio. As a plug-in hybrid, the BMW Concept Active Tourer also provides a glimpse ahead to future drive variants in automobiles of the compact class.

The eDrive concept familiar from the BMW i8 is used here for the first time in a model of the core BMW brand and will in future be the designation for all electric and plug-in hybrid drives. It covers all components of the electric drive, the electric motor developed by BMW, the lithium-ion battery and the intelligent engine control unit.

The new BMW Concept Active Tourer combines compact dimensions and an attractive, sporty design with hallmark BMW quality. With an exterior length of 4,350 millimetres, a width of 1,834 millimetres and a total height of 1,560 millimetres, the BMW Concept Active Tourer is geared towards customers of the premium segment who appreciate a high level of comfort, a raised seating position and a generous amount of space. The BMW Concept Active Tourer will also be attractive to families who attach importance to functionality and versatility as well as lifestyle and athletic flair.

A long wheelbase of 2,670 millimetres, a high roof line and a compact transverse engine with front-wheel drive make it possible to create a generously sized interior. The spacious load compartment of the BMW Concept Active Tourer provides fully-fledged everyday suitability since the batteries of the hybrid drive are housed entirely underneath the load floor.

An innovative panorama sunroof creates a unique ambience, extending across the entire roof surface of the BMW Concept Active Tourer. The composite glass roof with innovative Suspended Particle Device (SPD) technology means that the desired brightness or temperature effect can be created at the press of an electric button - either being darkened to the level of powerful sunglasses or raised to crystal clear brightness.

Occupants can achieve a special lighting effect by manually adding a large-area leaf structure design to the glass roof. Electrical impulses cause the molecular structure of the glass to change at continuously varying levels between light and dark according to preference. The play of light and shadow thus created highlights the sense of space, thereby generating a pleasantly atmospheric lighting effect on all seats.

A particular highlight of the BMW Concept Active Tourer is the multifunction instrument display. Instead of a conventional instrument cluster with four analog circular instruments providing the driver with information on speed, engine speed, fuel level and oil temperature, there is a 10.25-inch integrated screen which makes for a modern display experience. The familiar look with four circular instruments is still retained, but the use of extended Black Panel Technology gives the drive a whole new range of display options.

For example, the screen shows the drive experience modes COMFORT, SPORTand ECO PRO with differing indicators and in distinctive colour schemes, thereby ensuring increased safety and efficiency as well as exemplary driver orientation. As a result, the instrument cluster provides the driver with information which perfectly matches the situation on the road.

The BMW Concept Active Tourer is fitted with the latest-generation multicolour Head-Up Display. It projects all important information in brilliant resolution directly into the field of vision of the driver via a retracting glass surface. The intensity of projection automatically adapts to the light available. The day and night design is the same as that of the instrument panel. Depending on the driver's preference, not only the current speed and speed limits can be displayed but also overtaking bans.

The driver can also obtain navigation assistance as well as a range of warnings. Because of the large number of driver assistance systems available, the scope of information which can be displayed in the Head-Up Display has reached a level as yet unequalled in this class of vehicle.

The drive of the BMW Concept Active Tourer follows the BMW Group's pioneering philosophy of sustainable mobility. The drive technology of all BMW plug-in hybrid models and electrically powered BMW i models bears the designation BMW eDrive, a term which includes all electric drive components. The BMW Concept Active Tourer has been designed as a so-called plug-in hybrid - ideally combining the benefits of electric drive with those of a classic combustion engine. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV = Plug-in-Hybrid Electric Vehicle) will have a particularly important role to play in future. This is because plug-in hybrid vehicles normally have a range of well over 20 kilometres when run on electricity and can therefore be used efficiently for both short and long trips as well as in mixed mode.

In the case of the BMW Concept Active Tourer, a state-of-the-art 1.5-litre petrol engine from the BMW Group Efficient Dynamics family of engines interacts perfectly with a synchronous electric motor.

The synchronous electric motor in the BMW Concept Active Tourer was also developed by the BMW Group. With a fully charged battery, the BMW Concept Active Tourer has a maximum range of over 30 kilometres when running on electric power alone. This means that the majority of day-to-day trips dispense with local emissions entirely. What is more, the boost function can be applied to use the power provided by the synchronous electric motor for such things as highly dynamic acceleration manoeuvres. In both cases the drive power is made available spontaneously and without delay. The maximum torque of 200 Newton metres is available from standing. The lithium-ion battery of the BMW Concept Active Tourer can be charged at any 220 volt household power socket.

Power can be drawn from both axes of the BMW Concept Active Tourer and fed into the lithium-ion battery so as to enhance the efficiency of the plug-in hybrid. While the electric motor automatically recuperates maximum energy at the rear axle during deceleration, a high-volt generator connected to the combustion engine additionally charges the battery whenever needed.

The BMW Concept Active Tourer is fitted with the ECO PRO mode which is also available in current BMW serial production models. This additional method of cutting fuel consumption remains globally unique in the automotive sector to date in this form. At the appropriate opportunities, ECO PRO mode reduces the power of the interior air conditioning and other electrically powered comfort functions, ensuring drive components operate on maximum efficiency according to the current situation on the road. ECO PRO mode also provides the driver with valuable advice. To this end, this system is linked to the navigation system. Based on the calculated route data and the driver's individual style of driving, ECO PRO mode is able to indicate how to reach a given destination with the lowest level of fuel consumption, for example. The preview assistant gives the driver tips such as "Remove foot from accelerator" if a tight bend or speed limit is approaching which the driver cannot even see yet. The preview assistant can take into account such features as bends, built-up areas, roundabouts, T junctions and motorway exits. At the same time, an anticipatory transmission assistant optimises the electronic transmission control system for imminent situations.

ECO PRO mode can also activate the so-called coasting mode at two levels between 50 and 160 km/h. Here the system completely deactivates the combustion engine at speeds of up to 125 km/h. It also decouples the engine from the drivetrain up to a speed of 160 km/h, allowing comfortable driving while making full use of the kinetic energy already generated.

Credits: wilswong