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HouseofWheelsAuburn.com – Advice on Car Safety and Anything Automotive
I’m driving between road courses at BMW’s test facility in the South of France. The preproduction i8 is almost silent, a small whine through the front-mounted electric drivetrain can make it into the cabin. The engineers’ attempts at willing the automobile into good behavior are nearly as loud and much more perceptible. Even though the i8 represents a significant technological leap for BMW, I can’t get my first experience with an e36 M3 out of my head. The e30, BMW’s first M3, was a raucous car. The lightwe
BMW not merely builds the composite structure, but has gone as far as to regulate the process of making its own carbon fibers. It has partnered with composites firm SGL to build a fresh facility in Washington State to take polyacrilonitrile fibers imported from Japan and convert — by burning them — into carbon fibers. The spools of carbon fiber are sent to Germany, where these are woven into fabric. The material is then cut to shape, placed into molds and turned into structural CFRP (carbon fiber reinforced
The car might be driven in one of three modes. In E-mode, the car runs entirely on the 6. kWh lithium-ion battery and electric motor. BMW claims a range of 22 miles with a top speed of 75 mph. In comfort mode, both power-trains are being used and the battery is able to drop to 20% capacity prior to the gas engine is used for recharging. In comfort mode, BMW is claiming 95 mpg. This is in the European test-cycle and includes the mileage gained from the plug-in hybrid system. In sport mode, both powertrains a
motorcyclebus.com
HouseofWheelsAuburn.com – Advice on Car Safety and Anything Automotive