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20.07.2010
25 years of innovation: The BMW ‘think tank’ celebrates its birthday.
BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH (‘BMW Research and Technology’) is a unique research pool for technical developments all about driving pleasure, sustainability and safety.
In the heart of Munich around 200 researchers develop technologies and concepts for the individual mobility of tomorrow. In 2010 the think tank of BMW Group turned 25. Reason enough for an overview – from A to Z.
Branch offices
BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH cooperates with a large number of national and international competence networks from universities and other institutions. Of special importance are their two branch offices in the US: the Technology Office Palo Alto in Silicon Valley, California, and the Liaison Office in Clemson, South Carolina. Both are in close contact with universities such as Stanford University or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for example, but also with research institutions and high-tech companies in other industries, looking for innovative trends and technologies to use for enhancing vehicles. At German and European level there is an intensive exchange with universities and research institutions. With its participation in the inter-European university network Eurécom – with headquarters at the high-tech location Sophia Antipolis in southern France – BMW Group’s research subsidiary secures access to leading information and telecommunications technology. In addition, with its base at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH is a driving force behind the automation of intelligent behaviour and, in doing so, of the ‘car of the future’.
 
Car2X
The exchange of information between vehicles and traffic infrastructure (Car2X) is one of the principle topics of research. Thanks to the work of the engineers, traffic lights can transfer information, for example, to inform a driver assistance system about the optimum speed for a personal ‘green wave’ of traffic lights. Moreover, data can also be transferred between vehicles so that they can keep each other up-to-date on the traffic situation or the condition of the road or to give ample warning of accidents, traffic jams or black ice.
Concept vehicles
In the course of the last 25 years about 30 concept vehicles have been designed and some of them have been built. Among these are, for example, the two-seat BMW Z1 Roadster. This ‘debut masterpiece’ is already a legend due to its revolutionary chassis concept, the manufacture and use of new materials and the optimization of development processes. The result was so impressive that only three years after development the first series-production vehicles were already leaving the BMW factory in Munich.
Connected Drive
With the development of electronic systems that enable intelligent networking of the driver, vehicle and the environment, the experts at BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH have made significant contributions to enhancing comfort, safety and driving pleasure. Many of the driver assistance systems, mobility services and systems for integrating external communications and entertainment systems that are available today as part of BMW ConnectedDrive in current series-production vehicles are based on their innovations. Among the current research success stories are the Narrow-Passage Assistant, which supports drivers when travelling on especially narrow roadwork lanes, and the Emergency Stop Assistant, which will bring a vehicle to a safe stop in a medical emergency.
Drive Stick
BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH is also constantly pioneering the development of revolutionary operating concepts and control systems. One example of this is the concept presented in a second-generation BMW 3 Series compact of a completely new kind of cockpit design at the centre of which are so-called Drive Sticks. Instead of a steering wheel and gas and brake pedals, the concept vehicle has two control sticks rising up vertically from the door trim panel and the central console that are used to control driving direction, acceleration and delay by means of drive-by-wire technology.
Efficient Dynamics
With the development strategy Efficient Dynamics, BMW Group has the world’s most effective programme for reducing fuel consumption and emissions on the road. Besides consistently applied lightweight construction, the development of drive systems optimized for fuel efficiency, intelligent energy management in the vehicle and the effective use of aerodynamic principles are a particular part of this strategy. Since its founding, BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH has achieved significant advances in all of these fields and many of the results have found their way into the serial development of new models.
Electromobility
It’s already been 20 years since the engineers presented the BMW E1 – the first fully functional concept vehicle with a purely electric drive. The vehicle had a range of up to 200 km and a top speed of 120 km/h. An Auto Zeitung reader’s survey selected it as the winner of the category ‘Environment and Technology’, the magazine Auto Bild described it as ‘the most modern car of the century’. For the current development of, for example, the Megacity Vehicle for zero-emission mobility in the metropolitan areas of major cities, BMW is still profiting today from the experience it gained back then.
Expertise
With about 200 outstanding researchers, developers, engineers and experts from the most diverse subject areas as well as intensive contact to researcher and developer groups around the globe, BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH has extensive expertise that is unparalleled in the world.
Founding
‘BMW Technik GmbH’ was founded in 1985. Eighteen years later it was renamed BMW Forschung and Technik GmbH and has since then focused on cross-platform vehicle technology development.
Fuel consumption
On the 25th anniversary of its founding, BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH is presenting the results of two projects that are taking innovative paths to achieving a significant reduction in fuel consumption and emissions: A research vehicle with fuel-cell hybrid technology and a concept vehicle with reformer technology for optimizing the emissions behaviour of internal combustion engines. Both projects focus closely on the requirements of everyday driving. The goal of the fuel-cell hybrid vehicle is zero-emissions mobility. Reformer technology makes for significantly improved emissions levels during the cold-start and catalytic convertor warm-up phase of a combustion engine.
Future
‘BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH is continually making its creative contribution to the future viability of our products,’ says Dr Klaus Draeger, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG for Development, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the think tank. That – so much is certain – will remain so in future.
Hybrid
For over 15 years the experts at BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH have been working on technologies for enhancing the efficiency of automobiles. The BMW ActiveHybrid technology used in BMW series-production vehicles also draws on the results of their research.
Hydrogen
BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH has racked up a large number of successes with its research projects and concept vehicles and these have made a major contribution to a better understanding of hydrogen technology and the general requirements for using it in cars. This includes the hydrogen record car H2R, which set nine international records in September 2004 for hydrogen-powered vehicles with a piston engine. The high-tech vehicle, which is driven by a twelve-cylinder engine, achieved a top speed of more than 300 km/h.
Infotainment and Co.
Integrating external communications and entertainment devices into vehicles is one of the main areas of focus of the branch office in Palo Alto. That’s where, among other things, the first interface for the user-friendly integration of the Apple iPod using the BMW iDrive System was developed.
As a means of networking mobility with the rest of the driver’s world, a multifunctional car key prototype, for example, has been developed at headquarters in Munich. The BMW key is equipped with a chip so that, among other things, it can be used to pay with when shopping or, for instance, to save hotel reservations on.
Milestones
Hundreds of innovations in the areas of vehicle technologies, hydrogen technologies, alternative drive and energy management concepts, active safety and driver assistance systems as well as information and communications technologies have been developed over the years. The most conspicuous milestones for the driver include the head-up display and the control knob of the iDrive.
Mode of operation
The researchers, engineers and designers at BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH enjoy a high degree of creative freedom because they are not subject to the constraints of later serial production. So innovative approaches can be pursued and unconventional solutions can be investigated without rigid production budgets nipping every idea that is off the beaten track in the bud as soon as it appears. In their work, these experts take advantage of various sources of inspiration ranging from bionics to space technology. They develop prospects for the future that go well beyond the product life cycle of a single vehicle model.
Realisation
BMW Forschung und Technik GmbH works according to, among other things, the principles of ‘cooperative research’. This ensures that the departments that are later responsible for series development are integrated into projects at an early stage. What’s more, the innovators of an innovation stay with their project after it moves on to the pre-series development and series development stage and transfer with their topic to the corresponding series development department at BMW AG.
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