Auto special: Innovative NEV technology remakes future of luxury cars

Since early this year, BMW Brilliance's latest achievement in new-energy vehicles has successfully hit the market.

On Jan 15, the first-ever plug-in hybrid business sedan under the BMW brand, the new BMW 5 Series Plug-in Hybrid, or 530Le, was officially launched in China with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of 698,600 yuan ($110,660).

The NEV was produced in BMW Brilliance's plant in Dadong, Shenyang, capital of Liaoning province, using technologies at the forefront of the industry.

The vehicle is the latest achievement of BMW Brilliance in electric mobility. It is also a significant milestone in the market for luxury plug-in hybrid sedans in China.

"This is another 'first' for BMW Brilliance in the vision of e-mobility," said Olaf Kastner, president and CEO of BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. "In the past two years, we were recognized as the first premium joint venture brand to offer an NEV model, the ZINORO 1E, and with the BMW 530Le, we are the first to push out a premium plug-in hybrid business sedan. BMW Brilliance strives to be the leader in ushering the Chinese automotive industry to a bright and sustainable future."

The market launch of the 530Le is proof of BMW Brilliance's commitment to its localization strategy. The local BMW Brilliance R&D team played a key role in the development of the 530Le, and the road test of the NEV model in extreme weather was also undertaken in China.

Developed based on the successful BMW 5 Series Li, the 530Le combines tailor-made characteristics and the mature e-mobility technology and knowhow of the BMW i family.

It is the first plug-in hybrid business sedan to deliver luxury and prestige while also being fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

The newly developed NEV marks a new milestone for the company, once again underlining the leading role of the BMW 5 Series Li in terms of technological innovation, offering Chinese customers the unique and premium experience brought by BMW eDrive technologies.

Owners of the BMW 530Le tend to be ambitious, modern and trend-setting business elites with vision. This customer group is capable of exerting immense influence on market trends and consumption, and also takes a great responsibility for the future.

The powertrain of the BMW 530Le originates from the revolutionary BMW eDrive technology.

The latest eDrive technology from the BMW Group is especially developed for new- energy and electric cars, and integrates a synchronous electric motor, high voltage lithium-ion battery, and an intelligent energy management system.

It is specialized to effectively utilize the advantages of combustion and electric engines, which makes it possible to produce zero emissions during nearly 60 kilometers of pure electric driving, while still enabling long distance driving without worrying about electric mileage.

The eDrive system on the 530Le combines a 2.0L BMW TwinPower Turbo engine and an electric motor, plus a unique 8-speed automatic transmission with e-motor control unit integrated.

The combustion engine has a maximum power output of 160kw and maximum torque of 310Nm, while the synchronous motor has an independent power output of 70kW, with maximum torque of 250Nm.

Under the eDrive system, the combined power output can reach 210kW with a maximum torque of 500Nm. As a result, this premium business sedan can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h within 7.1 seconds, with a top speed of 233 km/h.

In pure electric drive mode, the car can accelerate to a top speed of 120 km/h with maximum mileage of 58 km. This can fully meet the demands of daily commuting within a city.

The battery can be recharged either with a high voltage wallbox or a regular 220-volt socket.

It only takes 3.1 hours to recharge to 80 percent by using a 16A wall-box. The 530Le is also the most environmentally friendly vehicle in its class. Its fuel consumption can be as low as 2L per 100km, and CO2 emission is only 49g/km. In pure electric drive mode, the car is totally emission-free.

The BMW eDrive consists of three main technologies - the synchronous motor, high voltage lithium battery and the Intelligent Energy Management.

The IEM system represents the centerpiece of the eDrive concept. This system coordinates the interaction of all BMW drive-train components with the synchronous electric motor.

The core task of the system is to guarantee efficiency and performance. Energy regeneration and ECO PRO mode are also managed by the IEM.

The eDrive system on the 530Le has two operation modes - AUTO eDrive and MAX eDrive - and the car can automatically switch between hybrid drive and pure electric drive in accordance with traffic conditions.

Unparalleled driving pleasure and comfort

The current generation BMW 5 Series Li has been renowned as the best premium business sedan in China since it was launched in 2010. It offers rear compartment comfort, persistent upgrading of its top-notch technologies and "best in class" configurations, all of which have elevated customer value and continue to consolidate the leading position of the 5 Series Li in its market segment.

BMW Brilliance's engineers have used a new design approach for the new 5 Series Plug-in Hybrid, focusing on fine-tuning the car's chassis. In addition, the vehicle is equipped with the advanced Dynamic Damping Control system that had only been previously used on the flagship 7 Series.

The system monitors tire movements at the frequency of 400 times per second, and adjusts the vehicle's suspension accordingly. This makes it easy for different driving styles and road conditions.

BMW Remote Services can assist the driver to control the vehicle from a distance, for example to turn the air conditioning on or transfer a GPS destination from a smartphone to the car's navigation system. Offline GPS can sync the location and GPS destination on both car and phone, providing fast and easy access to the destination even if the driver has been out of the car.

Worry-free service for customers

At its market launch, the 530Le was available through 11 authorized BMW dealerships in seven cities across the country. All these dealers at the initial stage are BMW 5S and BMW i dealers. To date, its sales network has been expanded to 24 cities nationwide. BMW Brilliance provides a 360-degree electric solution that incorporates top-quality service and facility installation for a worry-free customer experience.

The package includes a list of services surrounding three major aspects.

The first provides a free home charging package, free high voltage wall-box and basic installation, and customers can also recharge their 530Le at BMW authorized dealerships.

For public charging, BMW Brilliance is involved in building public charging stations with communities and businesses, and has formed strategic cooperation with the State Grid, the Expo Shanghai Group and the Vanke Group to promote the development of a public charging network.

Last month, BMW launched its innovative ChargeNow service in China, becoming the first in the automotive industry to introduce a mobility service to China.

Worldwide, BMW ChargeNow is the biggest charging network with more than 33,000 charging points in 24 markets.

In China, the company plans to initially install 500 ChargeNow charging pillars in four cities in 2015. By 2016, that number will be increased to more than 1,000 to cover more cities.

ChargeNow is the first step to extend BMW Group's Mobility Service in China and BMW is expected to introduce other mobility services when conditions suit.

For worry-free service, a battery protection function in the BMW Remote Services can closely monitor the energy of high performance batteries and send a text message or e-mail to drivers to remind them of the need to recharge, and ensure a longer battery life.

The battery units of the 530Lehave a lifetime maintenance service warranty.

As a locally produced new-energy vehicle, the 530Le enjoys great advantages in government subsidies.

The vehicle is eligible for a purchase tax deduction of around 59,700 yuan.

Furthermore, the central government provides a green car subsidy of 31,500 yuan for each NEV, including the 530Le.

In addition, local governments in many cities also provide subsidies for NEVs. In Shanghai, for example, a 30,000-yuan local subsidy can be obtained along with a free license plate, saving buyers up to 74,000 yuan in license fees.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 10/19/2015 page19)