BMW Regenerative Braking Technology

In our recent feature of the 2008 BMW 5 Series Press Release, it seems that there's a new piece of breakthrough technology called the Brake Energy Regeneration to enable future models to be more energy efficient. We posted it again just in case you overlooked it.

"Brake Energy Regeneration …concentrates the generation of electricity for the on-board network on the car’s overrun and brake phases.

Operating on-demand, the electrical coolant pump in the new BMW 5 Series 6-cylinder engines consumes significantly less power than a conventional pump and helps the engine reach its normal operating temperature earlier. The Varioserv steering assistance pump, varying the curve ring as a function of pressure and volume flow, avoids the usual increase in drive losses as a function of higher engine speeds. And when the driver and passengers do not require the air conditioning, the a/c compressor is disconnected to reduce drag forces to a minimum."