Munich/Stuttgart. For the fifth year in a row the
winner of the International Engine + Powertrain of the Year award in
its class is the powertrain of the BMW i8 (BMW i8 Roadster: fuel
consumption combined 2.0 l/100 km [141.2 mpg imp]; electric power
consumption combined 14.5 kWh/100 km; CO2 emissions
combined 46 g/km; BMW i8 Coupe: fuel consumption combined 1.8 l/100 km
[156.9 mpg imp]; electric power consumption combined 14.0 kWh/100 km;
CO2 emissions combined 42 g/km*). This year it was
competing in a brand new category: Best Hybrid Powertrain. A big
surprise was the distance in score: The powertrain of the BMW i8 took
the lead earning 233 points against 138 points for the competitor
finishing in second place.
The BMW i8 is the pioneer and technology donor for the entire BMW
plug-in hybrid family. This line-up is set to grow to a total of ten
models by the end of 2019, allowing BMW to offer a wider choice to
customers than any competitor. Together with the BMW i3, the BMW i8
laid the foundations for the BMW Group to become the market leader in
the electrified vehicle segment. It has topped the registration
statistics for new electrified vehicles in Europe and Germany – not
just in the premium segment but for the market as a whole (source: IHS
Markit report from 14.5.2019; new registrations of BEV and PHEV
combined) – since 2017.
The BMW i8’s powertrain came onto the market in 2014 and has scooped
the coveted award in its category every year since. In that first
year, it was also crowned Best New Engine and took the overall award
for good measure. By collecting an award again in 2019 – for the fifth
year in a row – the plug-in hybrid powertrain has provided further
evidence of how far ahead of its time it remains. Billed as the sports
car of the future, the BMW i8 has been ranked consistently as the
top-selling PHEV sports car since its launch in 2014. The BMW i3 and
i8 stand at opposite ends of the model spectrum as an expression of
what is reasonably achievable today. Between them stand the wide range
of core BMW models that have since benefited from the transfer of
technology, allowing the BMW Group to offer a broader line-up of
electrified models than any other premium car manufacturer.
The latest version of the BMW i8 combines sports-car performance with
fuel economy worthy of a compact model. Its three-cylinder combustion
engine delivers 170 kW/231 hp to the rear wheels. The electric motor,
whose output has now been upped to 105 kW/143 hp, draws its energy
from a lithium-ion battery – which can be charged from a conventional
domestic power socket – and sends its power to the front axle. This
model-specific plug-in-hybrid system, developed and produced by the
BMW Group, enables an all-electric range of up to 55 kilometres
(34 miles) in the EU test cycle. The combined effect of the electric
motor powering the front wheels and the combustion engine at the rear
axle creates an all-wheel-drive system that keeps the car glued to the
road and comes into its own when accelerating hard or powering through
corners, in particular.
The more powerful of the drive duo powers the rear wheels and uses
the electric boost from the hybrid system to deliver hallmark BMW
driving pleasure combined with trailblazing efficiency. The sprint
from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) takes just 4.4 seconds, yet combined fuel
consumption – as calculated in the EU test cycle for plug-in hybrid
vehicles – stands at 2.0 litres per 100 kilometres (141.2 mpg imp),
plus 14.5 kWh of electrical energy. This equates to CO2
emissions of 46 grams per kilometre. The BMW i8 Coupe, meanwhile,
posts figures of 1.8 litres per 100 kilometres (156.9 mpg imp), plus
14.0 kWh of electrical energy, resulting in a CO2 figure of
42 grams per kilometre.
This year was the 21st edition of the International Engine of the
Year awards. Since the event’s inception, power units developed for
models from the BMW Group’s brands have racked up a total of 70 wins
in their categories and overall. The task of electing the best engines
in numerous different classes falls to a jury of experts, which this
year was made up of 70 motoring journalists from 31 countries. The
award winners selected by the jury were announced on Wednesday, 22 May
2019 at the Engine Expo show in Stuttgart.
* The fuel consumption, CO2 emissions, electric power
consumption and operating range figures were determined according to
the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version applicable. The
figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the
range shown considers the different sizes of the selected wheels/tyres
and the selected items of optional equipment.
The values are based on the new WLTP test cycle and are translated
back into NEDC-equivalent values in order to ensure comparability
between the vehicles. [With respect to these vehicles, for
vehicle-related taxes or other duties based (at least inter alia) on
CO2 emissions, the CO2 values may differ from
the values stated here (depending on national legislation).]
The CO2 efficiency specifications are determined according
to Directive 1999/94/EC and the latest version of the Pkw-EnVKV, and
based (for classification) on the fuel consumption and CO2
values as per the NEDC cycle.
Further information on official fuel consumption figures and specific
CO2 emission values of new passenger cars is included in
the following guideline: ‘Leitfaden über den Kraftstoffverbrauch, die
CO2-Emissionen und den Stromverbrauch neuer
Personenkraftwagen’ (Guide to the fuel economy, CO2
emissions and electric power consumption of new passenger cars), which
can be obtained free of charge from all dealerships and at https://www.dat.de/en/offers/publications/guideline-for-fuel-consumption.html.