BMW ActiveHybrid 5
Increasing fuel economy with smart navigation
Better fuel economy comes in interesting packages
Thanks to hybrid cars, start/stop is becoming standard in many conventional vehicles — improving fleet fuel economy much more than just hybrids can provide.
And thanks to hybrids like the BMW ActiveHybrid 5, navigation might one day make every car more fuel efficient.
I typically don’t find new luxury hybrids and plug-ins to be that arousing. While I’m glad that buyers in these segments have more foreign-oil fighting offers; ultimately, a true attack on oil cartels like OPEC must drive through mainstream buyers.
Nevertheless, the new ActiveHybrid 5 is a bit stimulating. No it’s not the 335 hp or the 5.7 second 60 offered by the 3.0 liter inline six ActiveHybrid 5. It’s not the lithium-ion battery pack, nor the 2.5 miles of EV range BMW’s latest hybrid provides either.
Instead, it’s the navigation system that is integrated with the hybrid drive.
Punch in a destination and the ActiveHybrid’s nav system will determine not just the most fuel efficient path, but the most fuel efficient way of utilizing the energy available. Consequently, the new BMW hybrid knows when its best to use more or less battery power based upon the upcoming road conditions. Additionally, the ActiveHybrid strives to fully replenish the battery pack as it nears the final destination.
So what, you might ask?
According to a recent IBM study, telematics like navigation and car-to-car communications could increase fleet fuel by 20 percent — without the need for batteries. Add this this technology to hybrids and plug-in vehicles, and the potential increases even further.
But is a 20 percent increase in fuel economy worth the cost of the navigation system?
Who cares? With a few car-to-car sensors in new cars, an app for the latest smartphones could provide the telematics for cheap, mainstreaming capabilities for such fuel economy-improving systems.
Sure hybrids and plug-ins will require extra coding for further integration into their hybrid and electric drives, but scale will quickly make such code cost-effective. Then there’s the gained efficiency.
