BMW 118d named "ecological" car of the year

[Christophe]

BMW 118d named "Global Eco Car of the Year" 21.03.2008

From March 28 to 30, 2008, the most ecological cars (less than 120 grams of CO2) will participate in the “Monte Carlo Alternative Energy Rally”. The vehicles will leave from Clermont Ferrand and Lugano in Switzerland and will reach Monte Carlo in 2 days. Objective: consume as little as possible and emit a minimum of CO2.
BMW will take part in 2 models, the 118d (emitting 119 grams) and 2 MINI COOPER D (1 COOPER D emitting 104 grams and 1 CLUBMAN COOPER D weighing 109 grams).



The announcement of this race comes as BMW wins the title of vehicle having made the most progress in its efforts in favor of the planet.

The award was presented to New York:

On the eve of the 2008 New York International Motor Show, the jury, made up of 47 journalists from the specialized press from 24 countries, awarded the award for "World ecological car of the year" to a vehicle contributing significantly to the reduction of polluting emissions. The jury recognized the benefits of BMW's EfficientDynamics strategy on fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

BMW's EfficientDynamics strategy has already won numerous awards in Europe, and this year the automaker has added a new title to its record.

According to the European test cycle, the BMW 118d consumes barely 4,5 liters per 100 kilometers and emits 119 grams of CO2 per kilometer.

"This car owes its extreme sobriety and low emissions to the latest developments in BMW's EfficientDynamics strategy, which combines the latest engine technologies with the most sophisticated innovations, for optimal performance: braking energy recovery, automatic stop and restart function, gear change indicator, rational management of auxiliary modules, tires with reduced rolling resistance and optimized aerodynamics "Declared Nicolas Wertans, Chairman of the Management Board of BMW France.

All EfficientDynamics functions equip series the BMW 118d, and almost all of its new models.

By the end of the year, 400 BMWs will be equipped with CO000 reduction and fuel consumption reduction technologies.

In 1 year, this “Efficient Dynamics” technology has saved 150 million liters of fuel…. Or the equivalent of a year of electricity in a city of 780 inhabitants.

Source: http://www.press.bmwgroup.com/pressclub ... 18d1f3788f

Learn more about the Efficiency Dynamics: https://www.econologie.com/forums/bmw-effici ... t4303.html

[Christophe]

Everything is not so rosy (or rather Green) at BMW because at the same time, THE SAME car with a "sport" engine the 135i was voted among the dirtiest cars of the year by Greenpeace.

See: https://www.econologie.com/forums/classement ... t5049.html

In addition, let's not forget that BM is also a manufacturer of BIG cars and the big cubic capacity of BM (from the 5 series and / or * 25 or * 35) are very uneconomical in terms of CO2 ...

But I repeat once again: BMW had no obligation to make its economical equipment series ...

Equipment that other manufacturers generally offer as an option ... see the Citroën start & stop not even offered on diesels ... without comment ...

[Yves LUBRANIECKI]

Hello,
Too bad that all these journalists - probably highly specialized - who gave this award do not know Ludwig ELSBETT, the German inventor, in the 1980s, of an engine capable of operating indifferently with any fuel from petroleum and any unmodified vegetable oil (we say pure) pure or mixed, in any proportion.
BMW knew him very well (he died in 2003) and so did his engine.
There was reason to develop a non-CO2 emitting car running on vegetable oil. This would have been the best way to combat the greenhouse effect in the automotive sector.
BMW, like all of its colleagues, has not done so.
It is a little annoying to see them all today inventing lots of very sophisticated tricks to achieve a result which is all in all much lower than what Elsbett technology would have authorized.
If it’s just to make money that they’re doing it when we’re at something like 28 or 29 billion tonnes of annual human-made CO2 emissions (Figures from the United States Department of Energy), c is downright criminal for our children.
It is all the more regrettable that this technique would make it possible to pass without trauma from the era of oil to that of after oil.
Yours.
YL.

[abyssin3]

Well, about electing a car, here is the greenpeace classification in favor of the Geneva Motor Show, which also features another BMW ...
http://www.greenpeace.org/france/voitures/

I also voted for the toyota Land Cruiser 4.0 V6 too

[Christophe]

Yes Abyssinian, I think we said the same thing with other words

Everything is not so rosy (or rather Green) at BMW because at the same time, THE SAME car with a "sport" engine the 135i was voted among the dirtiest cars of the year by Greenpeace.

See: https://www.econologie.com/forums/classement ... t5049.html

[Christophe]

It is a little annoying to see them all today inventing lots of very sophisticated tricks to achieve a result which is all in all much lower than what Elsbett technology would have authorized.

Hello Yves,

I believe that "annoying" is an understatement and that with the oleaginizing microalgae, we found the oil replacement ...on the conditions of knowing how to invest today for the generations of tomorrow ...

For info, Yves is the author of this very good summary document on pure vegetable oils: https://www.econologie.com/plaidoyer-pou ... -3369.html

[Chatham]

Hello,
Too bad that all these journalists - probably highly specialized - who gave this award do not know Ludwig ELSBETT, the German inventor, in the 1980s, of an engine capable of operating indifferently with any fuel from petroleum and any unmodified vegetable oil (we say pure) pure or mixed, in any proportion.

Multi-fuel engines have been around for over 50 years, but so far, if they worked with any liquid likely to burn, they have not been particularly distinguished for their cleanliness ...
The Elsbett engine ok, the problem is that this design requires a very high t ° of walls (up to 700 ° instead of 250 ...) which is impossible to do effectively with conventional materials, less to build the engine entirely in cast iron (including pistons and cylinder heads) and causes big problems of lubrication because of the high t ° and for the moment ceramic is too expensive in large series ... one day maybe ... So far, all of MB's attempts in particular have resulted in resounding failures (engine breakage following detachment of ceramic inserts) ... leading to the abandonment of this technique.

[Yves LUBRANIECKI]

Hello,
Thank you Christophe and, above all, thank you "Chatam".
Your arguments are correct but incomplete. But first, I think there was no "ceramic insert" in the Elsbett engine which was rather rustic. It was a demonstration pre-series and I think that there are and will be cast irons capable of withstanding 750 ° without having to resort to ceramics which are very expensive.
Ludwig Elsbett himself told me that he was ready to guarantee his 3 cylinder 500 KM (except dual fuel circuit).
It is true that it was very reliable, but, for lack of means, it did not reach a level of industrial development and sophistication compatible with a general public use.
In fact, historically, the technologies have crossed: at the time when Elsbett proposed its engine (which had to be in gray cast iron for the reasons of temperature which you evoke), all the engine manufacturers were in the process of going to cast aluminum which does not support these high temperatures. This is due to the fact that at the time, we sought, on the one hand, to fight against weight and, on the other hand, we began to talk a lot about NOX (nitrogen oxides precursor of atmospheric ozone ) and that these NOX are emitted when the operating temperature is high.
That is, Elsbett offered a very hot engine just when all the engine manufacturers were doing everything they could to bring the operating temperature down ...
Nobody, among them, attached importance to the fact that the Elsbett engine had an exceptional performance for the time with a fuel economy of about 25% on what existed on the market then and especially the fact that releases from this engine, including NOX, were below the most stringent standards of the time.
It is quite obvious that if one had devoted the thousandth of what is wasted in research on hydrogen to the improvement of this technique, there is a long time ago that there would be on the market a range of engines diesel with Elsbett technology capable of driving all types of cars, from the most rustic to the most luxurious.
It is neither more nor less complicated than the research that is still being carried out today on the diesel engine, to the point of driving it, for example, to a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans…
The only detail that we pretend to forget is that, if we put carbon of fossil origin at the inlet of an engine, whatever we do, we have the same amount of carbon from fossil origin at the exit. In the current state of knowledge and as far as the eye can see, we cannot call it a "clean engine" since the massive problem we all face - even oil tankers and engine manufacturers and their children - is excess. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
One last point: everything I am saying there is not in contradiction with the usefulness of all the "small systems" that the manufacturers put on their cars to improve consumption because the time has largely come to force on the savings of energy and whether it is renewable or not does not change that.
We can dream of a sophisticated Elsbett diesel oil and electric hybrid vehicle with very low consumption. It would finally be a real clean vehicle. Contrary to what is often said, there is no problem of resources even and especially in respecting Man and his environment, but that is another story…
Yours.
YL.

[Christophe]

I think that a specific subject to the Elsbett engine would be welcome because it is very interesting but quite far from the bmw 118d ...

[martien007]

Thank you for all these explanations on this engine to accept Yves.

For BMW, their 118d is a facade although a beautiful evolution.