First Drive: 2011 BMW ActiveHybrid 7 - MotorTrend Magazine
There's just no delay: The torque-boost of the electric motor arrives in an instant, and the eight-speed transmission kicks down with quick-witted finesse. The bones of the hybrid system are shared with the Mercedes S400 BlueHybrid, since BMW and Benz cooperated. Under the hood, a set of 150-volt power electronics and an electric air-conditioning compressor. Behind the V-8, a disc-shaped electric motor replaces the flywheel. Behind that, a torque converter and BMW's new eight-speed auto transmission. Because with the torque of the e-motor at low revs, BMW engineers said it would otherwise feel flaccid higher up the dial (the Benz does) and then it wouldn't feel like a BMW. I like several concepts about this car. I like that it outperforms the more expensive version (the 760), and gets better mileage than the cheaper, less powerful version (the 750). I like that they added weigth with the motor, but replaced the flywheel, reducing the overall penalty. I like that they used a small battery, and avoided a large, heavy battery that would allow the car to drive in electric mode up to 5 MPH for 300 feet. I will be much more interested in this concept when they actually use it on a decent car. Source: www.motortrend.com
