Diesel beats hybrid for World Green Car award
At the New York International Auto Show, Americans were again puzzled at the results of the World Green Car awards – a diesel powered sedan vehicle walked away with the prize for the second year in a row. After a victory for the Mercedes Benz E320 Bluetec last year, BMW trumped the opposition with its 118d Efficient Dynamics hatchback. The opposition? Well, apart from the Smart ForTwo CDi that came second and the VW Passat 1.9 TDI BlueMotion in third, every other of the 10 finalists was either a hybrid or fuel cell powered vehicle.
It can be argued that the award was not for the specific BMW model per se, but more for the Efficient Dynamics package it incorporated. This package includes several fuel saving techniques that will be on offer in most BMW and Mini vehicles pretty soon. These include:
- Regenerative braking, where using electricity produced while the engine is idle under braking to power electrical systems (saving = 3%)
- Auto start-stop function, where the engine automatically shuts off when the vehicle is standing still and re-starts with the push of the pedal (saving = 3%)
- Electric power steering (saving up to 3%)
Other features include lighter and more power engines than before while being smaller and lighter, air conditioning compressors that disconnect, pressure controlled electrical fuel and oil pumps, and aerodynamically optimised cooling systems.
Relevance for South Africa: Most BMW and Mini models will start adopting the Efficient Dynamics package from 2009 onwards. With an estimated fuel consumption saving of up to 20%, environment saving driving could now be much easier to achieve, admittedly at a higher price than the average motorist can afford. Nevertheless, technological wonders only seen at auto shows up until now could be in South Africa soon. Also, keep in mind that BMW works closely with Peugeot and Citroen (PSA) on engine technology for small vehicles. More mass-market vehicles from PSA could also benefit from Efficient Dynamics soon.
By Christie Viljoen
Sources: BMW; Easier Motoring; Technoride; Wheels24
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That’s pretty cool