BMW i8 takes home engine of the year award
by Canadian Manufacturing.com Staff
BMW dominates engine awards with four wins
BMW i8 technical art on a white background. PHOTO BMW Group
Munich—BMW Group walked out of the International Engine of the Year Awards in Stuttgart with four wins. The drive unit in the BMW i8 earned two class wins as well as being declared overall winner. The engine of the BMW M3 and BMW M4 garnered a further class win.
The BMW i8 unit was voted class winner for its BMW TwinPower Turbo three-cylinder petrol engine, while the overall drive unit of the BMW i8 claimed a further class win as the best “new engine”. Its combination of electric motor and petrol engine also earned it overall victory. In the 2.5 to 3.0-litre displacement category, the M TwinPower Turbo six-cylinder in-line petrol engine of the BMW M3 and BMW M4 came out on top.
The International Engine of the Year Awards were launched in 1999, since then, 66 class and overall wins have gone to engines developed for BMW models. Each year an expert panel of judges, this time comprising 65 motoring journalists from 31 countries, selects the best engines in numerous categories. The prize-winners were presented with their awards on June 17, against the backdrop of the Engine Expo trade fair in Stuttgart.
The three-cylinder combustion engine in the BMW i8 develops 170 kW/231 hp and drives the rear wheels, while the 96 kW/131 hp electric motor draws its energy from a lithium-ion battery, which can be charged from a conventional domestic power socket, and sends its power to the front axle. This bespoke plug-in hybrid system, developed and produced by the BMW Group, enables a range of up to 37 kilometres in the EU test cycle and a top speed of 120 kilometres per hour on electric power alone, coupled with a “glued-to-the-road” all-wheel driving experience headlined by powerful acceleration and a dynamically-biased distribution of power through keenly taken corners. The more powerful of the two sources drives the rear wheels and uses the electric boost from the hybrid system while at the same time offering ground breaking levels of efficiency. The sprint from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour takes just 4.4 seconds, yet combined fuel consumption – as calculated in the EU test cycle for plug-in hybrid vehicles – stands at 2.1 litres per 100 kilometres, or approximately 135 miles per gallon – plus 11.9 kWh of electricity. This equates to CO2 emissions of 49 grams per kilometre.
The M TwinPower Turbo six-in-line petrol engine in the BMW M3 and BMW M4 is exceptionally high-revving for a turbocharged engine, resulting in linear power delivery over a wide engine speed range and a unique engine note. M TwinPower Turbo technology ensures that peak torque is on tap over a broad rpm range. A further hallmark of this engine is its outstanding efficiency.
