The german automobile manufacture, BMW, has been working on a BMW X3 Hybrid. With its new Concept X3 EfficientDynamics, BMW is jumping on the hybrid bandwagon but in compare to its competitors, the X3 uses high-performance capacitors (”Super Caps”) to store and supply electric energy to the vehicle’s well-packaged “Active Transmission.”
The Active Transmission combines an electric motor with the functionality of a conventional six-speed automatic gearbox, and attaches directly to a BMW straight-six gasoline engine that employs jet-guided direct injection to further increase efficiency.
The hybrid package is said to be good for up to 440 lb-ft of torque, with 295 lb-ft coming from the 80-hp electric motor. BMW says that the EfficientDynamics system would provide fuel savings of up to twenty percent.
There is still an uncertainty if BMW will actually go ahead and build this model for mass production, but we can all hope so since they could bring some new innovations to the the hybrid world.
