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In an era of rising fuel standards, BMW wants to be the first in creating technologies to conserve energy. One of these technologies is predictive engine management. This technology allows for the intelligent engine control unit that uses the vehicle’s navigation system to more efficiently regulate functions such as battery recharging and engine cooling.
Once the driver inputs the destination, the technology calculates the locations of hills, high-speed highways and low-speed city streets — then plan to recharge the battery for more efficient use. For example, the computer will schedule recharging when the path is downhill because less power is required there.
There are a couple more technologies that BMW is preparing for their consumers including a device that would capture waste heat from the exhaust and convert it into electricity and steer-by-wire, an electronic steering that eliminates the mechanical link between the steering column and the vehicle’s wheels.
BMW has already invested $1.5 billion the research and development of their fuel-saving technologies such as stop-start, regenerative brakes and electric power steering.
Source: Autonews
