BMW engineers have come up with a great way for their plug-in hybrid owners to get the best emission free driving when needed. Its called eDRIVE Zone and it is software system that detects areas in the city which have been designated as a ‘Green Zone’ or emission free driving area and the car will switch automatically (with available battery ‘juice’) to pure battery mode for quiet emissions free motoring.
Launched in England in August this year, this feature will only work in countries where they have designated certain major city centers to be emission free like Munich and London to name a few. Malaysia is still far away from implementing this ruling for Kuala Lumpur as we have not enough emission free vehicles to make it happen….not at least for the next 10 years.
In electric mode, plug-in hybrid models and vehicles with a pure electric drive train drive locally emission-free and virtually silently through the city. In this way, they also help improve quality of life in urban settings.
Press Release: The BMW Group is using innovative digital services to help increase the amount of electric driving by plug-in hybrid models. BMW eDrive Zones is the only function of its kind worldwide to automatically switch the vehicle to electric drive mode whenever it enters a green zone.
As cities increasingly discuss the introduction of “low emission zones”, BMW is making another important contribution to boost the uptake and attractiveness of electromobility among consumers, by launching BMW eDrive Zones in London and Birmingham. With electric ranges of up to 54 miles, BMW plug-in hybrid models are built with cities in mind, as they can complete most commuting trips on pure-electric power. This new technology helps drivers do just that.
BMW eDrive Zones is a new digital service that automates the process of switching to electric-only power when a BMW plug-in hybrid vehicle enters a defined area of these cities. The service, unique in the worldwide automotive industry, also automatically ensures that the electric power is conserved for use during the part of the journey within the low emission zone, if the journey destination is entered into the vehicle’s navigation system.
Ultra low emission zone road sign
This new technology ensures BMW plug-in hybrid models offer consumers the best of both worlds: electric-only driving in the city, where it makes the most difference and a highly efficient internal combustion engine to cover long distances.
“This is the flexibility that customers want, as they make the transition to electromobility” said Pieter Nota, BMW AG board member for Customer, Brands, Sales commenting on the UK launch of BMW eDrive Zones. “A plug-in hybrid vehicle combines the best of two worlds: emission-free city-driving as well as long-distance capabilities. We urge governments to prioritise plug-in hybrid vehicles in order to encourage consumers.
BMW eDrive Zones technology supports customers to drive as efficiently as possible in London and Birmingham. It improves air quality in cities fast and reduces running costs for drivers. It’s win-win for everyone”, Nota added.
HOW eZONES WORK.
The BMW eDrive Zones service, available as standard on BMW plug-in hybrid models running the latest BMW Operating System 7.0, works using geo-fencing technology via GPS within the vehicle’s navigation system. The eDrive Zones in London and Birmingham are highlighted graphically on the vehicle’s Central Control Display navigation screen, so drivers can see their location.
This feature, which is enabled in customer vehicles as of today, covers the same geographic area as the TFL Congestion Charge/ULEZ zone in London, while in Birmingham the service covers the city’s planned Clean Air Zone, which is due to be implemented in 2021. BMW plans to introduce this technology in additional cities across the UK and Ireland in the future.
The BMW eDrive Zones service is now available as standard on BMW 330e, BMW 530e, BMW 745e and BMW X5 xDrive45e, with additional compatible models launching in the future. BMW eDrive Zones have also been made available via a free over-the-air software update for compatible BMW plug-in hybrid vehicles, meaning existing customers can also benefit from this technology.
