BMW selects slow road to electric future
05-13-16, 08:53 AM
#1
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Thread Starter
BMW selects slow road to electric future
http://www.msn.com/en-au/motoring/ne...cid=spartandhp
BMW has announced a five-year wait to see the next big step in the German luxury brand’s electric car – and whether it will also carry an Apple logo.
Harald Kruger, the chairman of BMW’s board of management, announced at the carmaker’s annual general meeting overnight that its next big leap in its “i” hybrid and electric sub-brand wouldn’t surface until 2021 – lagging rivals’ timelines for similar technology leaps.
He said the company’s performance now would help to “pay for revolution over the coming years”.
“I have always emphasised that electro-mobility is a marathon, not a sprint,” Kruger said.
“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up. In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster.
“This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.”
However, Kruger said the German luxury brand was still waiting to see which way drivetrain technology would turn before backing one.
“We will continue to chart our own course,” he said. “It is still unclear which drivetrain will prevail, but we are prepared: We are optimising the combustion engine with Efficient Dynamics NEXT, in which efficient diesel engines will continue to play an important role.
“At the same time, we are electrifying our vehicles – focusing on battery power for short distances and fuel cells for longer trips. In this area, we are working closely with our partner, Toyota.”
Kruger said he also wanted BMW to dominate in the field of autonomous car technology, which was still evolving.
“People often ask me, when will we be driving autonomously,” he said. “My answer is: We already can.
“A BMW test vehicle autonomously completed a lap of the Hockenheimring racetrack back in 2006. In 2011, a BMW drove on the A9 autobahn from Munich towards Nuremberg – without any driver intervention,” he said.
“It will be a while before these cars reach series maturity – also because the proper legal framework for customers and manufacturers has not yet been decided.”
Rumours have speculated that BMW has already held extensive talks with computing and software giant Apple, which is believed to be working on its own version of the autonomous car under the codename Project Titan.
News broke overnight that Apple – better known for its consumer-friendly smartphones and laptops than carmaking – has tripled its spend on research and development in the last year to almost $A14 billion as it ramps up development work of the so-called iCar
Thus, Toyota is probably just waiting to back the right horse, but it looks like both battery electric vehicles for short range, and hydrogen fuel cell for long range.
BMW has announced a five-year wait to see the next big step in the German luxury brand’s electric car – and whether it will also carry an Apple logo.
Harald Kruger, the chairman of BMW’s board of management, announced at the carmaker’s annual general meeting overnight that its next big leap in its “i” hybrid and electric sub-brand wouldn’t surface until 2021 – lagging rivals’ timelines for similar technology leaps.
He said the company’s performance now would help to “pay for revolution over the coming years”.
“I have always emphasised that electro-mobility is a marathon, not a sprint,” Kruger said.
“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up. In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster.
“This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.”
However, Kruger said the German luxury brand was still waiting to see which way drivetrain technology would turn before backing one.
“We will continue to chart our own course,” he said. “It is still unclear which drivetrain will prevail, but we are prepared: We are optimising the combustion engine with Efficient Dynamics NEXT, in which efficient diesel engines will continue to play an important role.
“At the same time, we are electrifying our vehicles – focusing on battery power for short distances and fuel cells for longer trips. In this area, we are working closely with our partner, Toyota.”
Kruger said he also wanted BMW to dominate in the field of autonomous car technology, which was still evolving.
“People often ask me, when will we be driving autonomously,” he said. “My answer is: We already can.
“A BMW test vehicle autonomously completed a lap of the Hockenheimring racetrack back in 2006. In 2011, a BMW drove on the A9 autobahn from Munich towards Nuremberg – without any driver intervention,” he said.
“It will be a while before these cars reach series maturity – also because the proper legal framework for customers and manufacturers has not yet been decided.”
Rumours have speculated that BMW has already held extensive talks with computing and software giant Apple, which is believed to be working on its own version of the autonomous car under the codename Project Titan.
News broke overnight that Apple – better known for its consumer-friendly smartphones and laptops than carmaking – has tripled its spend on research and development in the last year to almost $A14 billion as it ramps up development work of the so-called iCar
Thus, Toyota is probably just waiting to back the right horse, but it looks like both battery electric vehicles for short range, and hydrogen fuel cell for long range.
05-13-16, 09:04 AM
#2
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
Meantime, Benz readies four (4) electric vehicles!
http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...la-motors.aspx
The world's oldest automaker is said to be gearing up to take on its newest rival with 4 "premium electric vehicles" of its own. Here's what we know.
The Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA, for "Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile", was first unveiled in Frankfurt last year. It's obviously just for show, but it may be a preview of the styling of Mercedes' upcoming range of premium electric vehicles. Image source: Mercedes-Benz
No matter what you think of the company's stock, it's clear that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) has made a huge impression on the global auto business. Before Tesla, electric cars were mostly frumpy green-minded things that weren't especially fun to drive.
Tesla has shown the world that electric cars can be fast and luxurious and very desirable -- and cool. In the process, it has generated huge demand for its products.
Now the world, or at least the major automakers, are starting to respond. Given that all of Tesla's sales so far have been in luxury-vehicle segments, it's no surprise that the biggest challenges to Tesla look to be coming from the longtime luxury-car leaders. They're the ones most likely losing sales to the Silicon Valley upstart.
And in an ironic (but unsurprising) twist, the biggest, or at least the most direct, challenge to the world's newest major automaker might end up coming from the world's oldest: Mercedes-Benz.
The world's oldest automaker is at the forefront of emerging technology Mercedes-Benz traces its roots all the way back to 1886, but here in 2016 it's no high-tech slouch. Far from it: Among other things, Mercedes' parent company Daimler (NASDAQOTH
DAIF) has made a huge commitment to self-driving technology, and has already emerged as a self-driving leader. Despite what you may have heard, the first car to market with limited self-driving capabilities wasn't Tesla's Model S, it was Mercedes' S-Class sedan in 2014.
Daimler also owns several heavy-truck and bus brands, and it hasn't been shy about demonstrating its significant commitment to self-driving technology in trucks as well as in Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles. In contrast, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz have spoken with a somewhat quieter voice when it comes to electric cars. Mercedes has shown a number of electric concepts over the years; it partnered with Tesla to build some small electric cars, and it has aggressively pursued plug-in hybrids, but it hasn't made a big Tesla-like push into purely electric luxury cars.
That's about to change in a big way.
Reports from multiple sources say that sometime in 2014, Mercedes approved an investment of over $2 billion in a new family of purpose-built electric vehicles that squarely target (and that aim to out-do) Tesla's equivalents. The company is said to have four new battery-electric vehicles under development -- and all four seem likely to be Mercedes-flavored riffs on the themes set by Tesla.
The first of these new battery-electric Mercedes-Benzes will likely come to market in 2018. It's believed to be a sedan that is larger than the compact C-Class but a bit smaller than Mercedes' midsize E-Class. It will be closely followed by a similarly sized crossover SUV. They're said to have dramatic, distinctive styling in the vein of the Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA show car unveiled last fall (and pictured above).
The Concept IAA's grille is very different from current Mercedes-Benz production models, but there's no doubt that the car is a Mercedes. Image source: Mercedes-Benz
The two will be followed by a pair of considerably larger siblings: An all-electric sedan sized like Mercedes' big S-Class, and a very large electric SUV, larger than any SUV in the current Mercedes product line. Details on range and pricing are scant, but CEO Dieter Zetsche said last month that he feels electric cars need a range of at least 500 kilometers (310 miles) in order to become mainstream options, according to Automotive News.
It's also a safe bet that the new electric Benzes will feature thrilling, Tesla-like acceleration. Tesla's success may have made high performance, at least in a straight line, part of the price of entry into the "premium electric vehicles" segment.
Will buyers who want a Tesla be willing to look at a Mercedes instead?
Even if its upcoming electric vehicles are very competitive with those from Tesla, it's hard to say how many buyers Mercedes-Benz will be able to pull away from the Silicon Valley automaker and its aura of futuristic cool.
I think it's more likely that Mercedes will be able to capture buyers who are new to electric cars, buyers who might have considered taking a chance on a Tesla but who feel more comfortable with an established luxury-car brand -- or who are concerned about Tesla's still-iffy quality.
How many folks like that are out there? We don't know yet, and Mercedes' expectations for its new electric vehicles' sales volumes aren't yet clear. But there's a hint that the company has fairly high expectations: Daimler is building a new battery factory, it's second. The company said last month that it will invest 500 million euros (about $570 million) in a new factory in Germany that will "produce batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles."
Daimler already has one battery factory up and running in the city of Kamenz; the new factory will be built nearby. It's expected to start operations in the third quarter of 2017 -- just in time to supply the first of Mercedes' new Tesla-fighting electric vehicles.
How busy will it be? We'll have a better guess once Mercedes shows its hand, which it probably will by this time next year. Stay tuned.
The world's oldest automaker is said to be gearing up to take on its newest rival with 4 "premium electric vehicles" of its own. Here's what we know.
The Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA, for "Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile", was first unveiled in Frankfurt last year. It's obviously just for show, but it may be a preview of the styling of Mercedes' upcoming range of premium electric vehicles. Image source: Mercedes-Benz
No matter what you think of the company's stock, it's clear that Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) has made a huge impression on the global auto business. Before Tesla, electric cars were mostly frumpy green-minded things that weren't especially fun to drive.
Tesla has shown the world that electric cars can be fast and luxurious and very desirable -- and cool. In the process, it has generated huge demand for its products.
Now the world, or at least the major automakers, are starting to respond. Given that all of Tesla's sales so far have been in luxury-vehicle segments, it's no surprise that the biggest challenges to Tesla look to be coming from the longtime luxury-car leaders. They're the ones most likely losing sales to the Silicon Valley upstart.
And in an ironic (but unsurprising) twist, the biggest, or at least the most direct, challenge to the world's newest major automaker might end up coming from the world's oldest: Mercedes-Benz.
The world's oldest automaker is at the forefront of emerging technology Mercedes-Benz traces its roots all the way back to 1886, but here in 2016 it's no high-tech slouch. Far from it: Among other things, Mercedes' parent company Daimler (NASDAQOTH
DAIF) has made a huge commitment to self-driving technology, and has already emerged as a self-driving leader. Despite what you may have heard, the first car to market with limited self-driving capabilities wasn't Tesla's Model S, it was Mercedes' S-Class sedan in 2014.Daimler also owns several heavy-truck and bus brands, and it hasn't been shy about demonstrating its significant commitment to self-driving technology in trucks as well as in Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles. In contrast, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz have spoken with a somewhat quieter voice when it comes to electric cars. Mercedes has shown a number of electric concepts over the years; it partnered with Tesla to build some small electric cars, and it has aggressively pursued plug-in hybrids, but it hasn't made a big Tesla-like push into purely electric luxury cars.
That's about to change in a big way.
Reports from multiple sources say that sometime in 2014, Mercedes approved an investment of over $2 billion in a new family of purpose-built electric vehicles that squarely target (and that aim to out-do) Tesla's equivalents. The company is said to have four new battery-electric vehicles under development -- and all four seem likely to be Mercedes-flavored riffs on the themes set by Tesla.
The first of these new battery-electric Mercedes-Benzes will likely come to market in 2018. It's believed to be a sedan that is larger than the compact C-Class but a bit smaller than Mercedes' midsize E-Class. It will be closely followed by a similarly sized crossover SUV. They're said to have dramatic, distinctive styling in the vein of the Mercedes-Benz Concept IAA show car unveiled last fall (and pictured above).
The Concept IAA's grille is very different from current Mercedes-Benz production models, but there's no doubt that the car is a Mercedes. Image source: Mercedes-Benz
The two will be followed by a pair of considerably larger siblings: An all-electric sedan sized like Mercedes' big S-Class, and a very large electric SUV, larger than any SUV in the current Mercedes product line. Details on range and pricing are scant, but CEO Dieter Zetsche said last month that he feels electric cars need a range of at least 500 kilometers (310 miles) in order to become mainstream options, according to Automotive News.
It's also a safe bet that the new electric Benzes will feature thrilling, Tesla-like acceleration. Tesla's success may have made high performance, at least in a straight line, part of the price of entry into the "premium electric vehicles" segment.
Will buyers who want a Tesla be willing to look at a Mercedes instead?
Even if its upcoming electric vehicles are very competitive with those from Tesla, it's hard to say how many buyers Mercedes-Benz will be able to pull away from the Silicon Valley automaker and its aura of futuristic cool.
I think it's more likely that Mercedes will be able to capture buyers who are new to electric cars, buyers who might have considered taking a chance on a Tesla but who feel more comfortable with an established luxury-car brand -- or who are concerned about Tesla's still-iffy quality.
How many folks like that are out there? We don't know yet, and Mercedes' expectations for its new electric vehicles' sales volumes aren't yet clear. But there's a hint that the company has fairly high expectations: Daimler is building a new battery factory, it's second. The company said last month that it will invest 500 million euros (about $570 million) in a new factory in Germany that will "produce batteries for electric and hybrid vehicles."
Daimler already has one battery factory up and running in the city of Kamenz; the new factory will be built nearby. It's expected to start operations in the third quarter of 2017 -- just in time to supply the first of Mercedes' new Tesla-fighting electric vehicles.
How busy will it be? We'll have a better guess once Mercedes shows its hand, which it probably will by this time next year. Stay tuned.
05-13-16, 12:18 PM
#3
“At the same time, we are electrifying our vehicles – focusing on battery power for short distances and fuel cells for longer trips. In this area, we are working closely with our partner, Toyota.”
05-13-16, 03:18 PM
#4
http://www.msn.com/en-au/motoring/ne...cid=spartandhp
[I]BMW has announced a five-year wait to see the next big step in the German luxury brand’s electric car – and whether it will also carry an Apple logo.
....
“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up. In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster.
“This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.”
[B]However, Kruger said the German luxury brand was still waiting to see which way drivetrain technology would turn before backing one.
[I]BMW has announced a five-year wait to see the next big step in the German luxury brand’s electric car – and whether it will also carry an Apple logo.
....
“We are further expanding the BMW i line-up. In just a few weeks, we will offer an i3 with 50 per cent more battery capacity. In 2018, we will launch a BMW i8 Roadster.
“This will be followed in 2021 by the BMW i NEXT, our new innovation driver, with autonomous driving, digital connectivity, intelligent lightweight design, a totally new interior and ultimately bringing the next generation of electro-mobility to the road.”
[B]However, Kruger said the German luxury brand was still waiting to see which way drivetrain technology would turn before backing one.
BMW probably lost a lot of money in their BMW i3 push so it makes sense they are slowing it down.
05-13-16, 04:02 PM
#5
Lead Lap
Thread Starter
05-13-16, 04:27 PM
#6
BMW would sell a few more of those i3's if they didn't look like a pokemon toaster. I don't get why they had make it look so unconventional, ugly, and in a very unpopular body style, the 2 door hatchback doesn't sell in the United States.
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05-13-16, 06:51 PM
#8
desireable ones, aka Tesla's yes... but as we said before, makes no sense for BMW to sell EVs at loss when they have regular cars that sell at good profit margin.
Every EV but Tesla's has huge discounts, and Tesla itself just had over $200m in operating loss last quarter.
I was checking Leaf prices in Germany, and it is priced less than Golf 1.6d and still they cant sell them.
05-14-16, 02:45 AM
#9
Lexus Test Driver
That's sad because BMW has a good thing going with the i-series cars. Maybe they're waiting for better battery or fuel cell tech to give their cars better autobahn performance. Looking at Tesla sales, I think that's not needed by the majority of buyers, but they've hit the brakes while Daimler and VW Group power ahead on EVs. Their loss, I'd say. Coming European regulations could make diesel cars less popular and electrified vehicles are the only alternative.
05-14-16, 03:49 AM
#10
Lead Lap
Completely expected given the tone investors have taken with BMW over the last couple of year and some change. A lot of people weren't OK with the original i sub brand strategy and were pressuring Harold to change course.
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