BMW 2007 Annual Report Download - page 224

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an ultra-high vacuum in the tank of the BMW Hydrogen 7 ensure absolutely minimal cooling losses – it
would take a snowball 13 years to melt completely in this marvel of insulation. Other fields of research
include innovative on-board power supply concepts and further consolidation of the hydrogen engine’s
performance. Even after 100 years of development diesel and petrol engines have only achieved an
efficiency of around 40 percent, explains Wolfgang Strobl. But with hydrogen as fuel higher energy
efficiency is already possible today. The 191 kW drive of the Hydrogen 7 – with the option of using
hydrogen or regular petrol – already accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 9.5 seconds. That goes to
show how powerful sustainable mobility can be.
The EfficientDynamics strategy represents a real paradigm shift in automotive design. Up until now the
energy-efficient models on the market were generally associated with pricey options and lower stand-
ards of comfort, performance and safety – and, as a result, were not very successful. The philosophy of
the BMW Group is completely different: The EfficientDynamics innovations come as standard in new
models and make an impact with every vehicle sold. Drivers who want to be responsible about their
mobility no longer need to forego dynamic performance. For the most part BMW Group customers are
happily unaware of the energy innovations in their vehicles. There are only two factors which make
them perceptible: better driving dynamics and lower consumption.
In this way the EfficientDynamics strategy has an impact that is both deep in terms of vehicle technology
and broad in terms of market. In 2007 alone the BMW Group already sold more than 450,000 vehicles
equipped with EfficientDynamics. In the European Federation for Transport and Environment’s (T& E)
comparison of the 14 highest-volume premium suppliers the BMW Group already occupies the top
spot for cutting CO2 emissions.
The authors of the independent US Environmental Defense Report were even more explicit: no other
manufacturer did more over recent years for the reduction of fuel consumption and CO2 emissions than
the BMW Group. In their performance class the vehicles of the BMW Group are already by far the most
efficient with regard to consumption and emissions.
And let us not forget that EfficientDynamics is only just gathering momentum: according to engineer
Liebl, The best ideas probably haven’t even occurred to us yet.