2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 3 - First Drive Review - Car and Driver
Like all the German carmakers, BMW has a preference for diesel power over hybrids in the search for improved fuel efficiency. The ActiveHybrid 3—or “3-series hybrid” to those who prefer nomenclature that’s not fairly dripping with marketing goo—uses BMW’s 300-hp, 3. 0-liter turbocharged six, coupled to a ZF eight-speed automatic in which the torque converter has been... It’s the same gasoline-electric system in the ActiveHybrid 5 , and it is also being adopted for the repositioned 2013 ActiveHybrid 7. Batteries Included. Power for the electric motor comes from a 1. 3-kWh lithium-ion battery pack made from 96 cylindrical cells from supplier A123 Systems. The 317-volt battery, which weighs 101 pounds with its internal cooling apparatus, can also power the electric air-conditioning compressor. One is devoted to energizing the engine starter, the other to various other electrical systems that include the electric power steering and the brakes. The gasoline engine and the electric motor produce a combined output of 335 ponies, as well as 332 lb-ft of torque—35 and 32 more than developed by the conventionally powered 335i. However, the hybrid’s hardware puts it 298 pounds above the weight... Source: www.caranddriver.com
