3 important facts: lighter, stronger, more advanced.
BMW engineers have not just worked on forward thinking design and driver focused drive dynamics when they start development on all their new vehicles. BMW engineers work to provide a lighter more dynamic vehicle which is stronger while providing advanced engineering under every new bodyshell.
The advances achieved with the latest generation models, like the all new 7 Series and the soon to arrive 5 Series succeed in resolving a number of traditionally conflicting aims: both cars come with an array of new innovations but weigh less, performance is more dynamic but fuel consumption has been reduced, and while it is more luxurious than ever, emissions are lower. This ground-breaking evolution is due to what BMW calls EfficientDynamics technology which has been their corporate mantra for years.
With the latest BMW models, engineers looked at comprising the most diverse range of measures ever to have been implemented in a production BMW. The unrivalled expertise derived from the development of BMW i cars has successfully been harnessed.
Careful material selection, energy-efficient production processes and further improved arrangements for environmentally friendly recycling help the new BMW 7 Series to obtain an exemplary life cycle assessment covering its entire product life. The environmental impact – the “greenhouse potential” – is around 25% lower than in the outgoing model.
One solution was to incorporate more lightweight materials in the car. The carmaker has used carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) rods inside structural elements in the body such as the roof, a technology BMW dubs “carbon core.” Reducing the weight of the roof, for example, lowers the car’s center of gravity, improves handling and boosts fuel efficiency. Roughly a third of the maximum 130kg weight reduction stems from the use of CFRP.
The BMW EfficientLightweight concept means that the models in the new BMW 7 Series and the 5 Series line-up are up to 130kg lighter than their predecessors, despite boasting a significantly greater number of comfort and safety features.
For the 7 Series the key element here is the special body structure known as the Carbon Core. Thanks to its composite construction featuring CFRP, ultra-high-tensile steels and aluminium, the intelligent body design succeeds in increasing the strength and rigidity of the passenger cell while also bringing about a substantial reduction in vehicle weight. By using a hybrid construction of CFRP with ultra-high-tensile steels for structural elements, such as those in the vicinity of the B-pillars, the design of the sheet-metal components can be adapted to save weight.
The Carbon Core body is based on technology transferred from BMW i car development (remember cars like the i 3 and the super sexy i 8 which are selling very well in developed nations). The new BMW 7 Series is the first ever vehicle in which industrially manufactured CFRP is used together with steel and aluminium. It combines with the use of aluminium for specific sections of the body and chassis along with the systematic improvement of smaller details. Apart from the doors, the bootlid is also made from aluminium for the first time, and its use for assorted suspension components reduces the unsprung masses by as much as 15% – to the benefit of suspension comfort. The vehicle’s centre of gravity is now even lower, and the load is distributed 50:50 between the two axles for perfect balance.
BMW EfficientDynamics is BMW’s strategy to minimise fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions while increasing dynamics and driving pleasure. It is a package of innovative functions covering the drive system, energy management and vehicle concept, and is a standard feature in every BMW. That is BMW EfficientDynamics.
