Bmw is coming out with more turbo motors it looks like

[Bill R.]

A biturbo inline six with direct gas injection.

[Jay 535i]

Yup, BMW announced last year that they're returning to turbos, especially on small-capacity engines. I think the M engines will always remain NA.

[rob101]

Regenerative braking? do they just use that to charge the battery? Actually come to think of it is present regenerative braking just an Eddy current Brake? Our truck cranes have these fitted, function much like a Jake brake but no noise etc. mind you i can't see how that would help fuel economy that much, unless the cars are hybrid

[Zeuk in Oz]

Surprise, surprise - they had just about reached the end of conventional NA engine technology, I would have thought !

Direct injection, twin turbos - amazing how close to diesel technology they are getting !

[Incantation]

hardly close to the end. look at the NA f1 engines and the output they produce relative to the displacement.. or gp bikes

this move is likely strategically made to address the developing peak oil issue.. once gas goes way up these fuel-hungry newer cars will be less and less attractive because of how impractical they will be economically (which of course make their value/profit per unit plummet).

getting into turbos will keep fuel consumption down and delay this inevitability

[Zeuk in Oz]

I meant day to day, reliable workhorses. I would have thought supercharging would be the way to go - oh wait - that's right the opposition do that, don't they ?

[genphreak]

I meant day to day, reliable workhorses. I would have thought supercharging would be the way to go - oh wait - that's right the opposition do that, don't they ?

Indeed they do but superchargers just add weight, they don't help efficiency- I'd have thought more moving parts woudl actually make them less efficient further. With turbos at least they are collecting energy out of lost heat, so they work to improve efficiency. NA similarly does the same. Thing is what would happen if one did NA, vanos and and Twin Turbo? I suspect NA+turbo would impact on each other's effects just a little...

[Scott H]

way to go to get one of these engines to last for 10,000 starts and 250,000 miles. Also not on pump gas.

hardly close to the end. look at the NA f1 engines and the output they produce relative to the displacement..

[granit_silber]

way to go to get one of these engines to last for 10,000 starts and 250,000 miles. Also not on pump gas.

I remember some uproar in the F1 world last season when mid-way through the design process for this season's powerplants it was announced that the engine had to last for two races without a rebuild.
-ashley

[Robin-535im]

Or how about this, from the tail end of the article re: diesel emission reductions: "... which is the drastic reduction of NOx content by use of urea."

How cool is that? Sounds like the perfect addition to a diesel engine. No longer will the trucker have to pull over to go, just open the "urea container" and fill 'er up. Perfect. NOx too high? Have a beer, wait 15 minutes, problem solved. "Honest officer, I was just reducing the emissions!"