It’s no secret that car manufactures road test their vehicles in the public domain.  To keep their worst kept secrets, well, slightly more secret they’ll generally finish the car in a vinyl covering or some sort of atrocious paint job.  Fortunately, that has never fooled anyone and good thing, because if it did we wouldn’t have this video of the BMW i8 prototype electric/gas hybrid vehicle being tested in inclement weather (i.e. snow).  Donuts aside, which is what you’ll see in the above clip, the i8 can supposedly achieve 87mpg, though that mileage will no doubt very with acceleration, traction and tomfoolery.

From the design team who bought you the elegant and functional Level 10 modular PC case, comes their latest release: the Level 10 M mouse concept that will be launched later this spring. DesignworksUSA and Thermaltake have their eyes set on gamers with the release of the new mouse and will be the first of many gaming products. Its standout feature is its hollowed-out design, which allows for height and angle adjustment of the mouse body. Users can adjust the size and shape of the mouse to their liking by simply turning a screw on the top side of the mouse. It also features a perforated palm surface so that sweaty hands during serious gaming sessions doesn’t become a problem.

While exact details and specs on the Level 10 M mouse concept haven’t been released it, a press release did state that the design team wanted the design language of the “expressive geometrical Level 10 chassis” fit into something that was still “pleasant and comfortable” for heavy use. While it may look good, many are hoping that it functions even better than its good looks.

Another year, another LA Auto show.  While we didn’t see anything that we hadn’t already seen online, we were able to score some photos of the latest and greatest cars in the flesh.  Probably the most memorable of the show was BMW’s concept vehicles, the i3 and i8.  There are also a few other notables, so take a gander at the below gallery and get up to speed on what you missed this past weekend.

Of note, don’t forget about the life sized Mario Karts.

Thank to V-Studios for hooking up the images.

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BMW has officially entered the electric car sphere with their new i Series concept vehicles. Created entirely from scratch and opting not to use any of their current models as a base, the German auto manufacturer has recently released details on its new i3 hatchback and i8 hybrid plug-in coupe. Both feature some very futuristic design cues that would fit perfectly in any Sci-Fi flick and follow BMW’s EfficientDynamics approach, which emphasizes “less emissions, more driving pleasure.”

Because they didn’t just want to switch out a gas engine for an electric one, BMW created both cars with its innovative LiveDrive architecture, which puts the electric motor and the battery at the heart of the design. Both also use the LifeDrive design to achieve lightweight vehicles.

The i3 features a 125 KW electric motor and was previously known as “the MegaCity Vehicle.” The electric motor is placed over the rear axle and pushes out 170 horses with 184 lb.-ft. of torque. With a driving range of about 80 miles, the i3 is said to produce a 0-60 mph time in less than eight seconds, which is pretty much the same as other electric vehicles that are currently on the market. Created as a pure EV, BMW has also released information on their new range extender option, the REx, which is a smaller engine that will charge the car’s electric battery to help it get more than 80 miles per charge. Although it looks small, don’t let it fool you; this EV comfortably sits four and has a top speed of 93 mph so it has some kick in it!

While the i3 is more of an urban dweller compact car, the i8 combines the performances of a sports car with that of a green vehicle. As a plug-in hybrid performance vehicle established on BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics model, it can go up to 20 miles on electricity  (thanks to its electric motor that runs the front wheels) alone before its high performance 3-liter, 220-hp engine (that powers the rear wheels for all-wheel drive possibilities) has to kick in. It can sprint from 0-62 mph in under five seconds and features a 50/50 weight distribution, resulting in a well-balanced package!

Still only concept, BMW didn’t provide any additional information regarding production of either vehicles, but you just never know…we might see something similar popping up in the next couple of years!

Pardon us if we don’t hold our breath while we debate if this BMW powered hover bike is real.  But that’s the word on the street.  It sports a 1,170cc 4-stroke BMW boxer engine that powers a pair of rotors.  Its inventor, Chris Malloy, says that it can achieve a top speed of 173 MPH and hover at over 10,000 feet.  Say what?  That just doesn’t seem viable, but we’re not scientists, so who are we to say.  Nonetheless we’re tossing in our skepticism card.

The bike is reinforced with a Kevlar carbon fiber and foam core frame, and complemented by exotic Tasmanian oak propellers.  Much like a motorbike, the controls are mounted on the handle bars, allowing its rider to control pitch, eleveation, speed and direction.

Malloy estimates that the Hover Bike will cost about $40,000 once and if it heads into production.  Personally, we’d love to see this thing go head-to-head with the Martin Jetpack, which has already achieved numerous test flights and more importantly viability.

Via: Gearpatrol

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The cars from ‘I Robot’ are in town, and  I don’t know if Will Smith is driving them or not,  but in this reality they’re called ‘Vision EfficientDynamics’. That’s BMW’s concept that will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show is a diesel-electric hybrid system with two electric engines and a small diesel motor.

The engine configuration is complex, with different engines allocating different amount of power to the front and rear wheels, with a total of 356 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque. Weighing just 3,075 lbs, it does 0 to 62 mph in 4.8 seconds, but its top speed is limited to 155 mph.

While the speed may be limited, BMW pulled all the stops when it came to fuel consumption – this concept gets 63 mpg and has a CO2 number below 100 g/km. These are not exactly common numbers for a BMW, but the company says it will become just that in the very near future.

As a pure electric car, it gets 31 miles before you have to switch on diesel, where a full 6.6 gallon tank gives you 400 miles. That’s if you don’t take into account the regenerative breaking, where the 181 inch long, 74 inch wide and 48 inch tall car uses the effect of its decelerating body mass to generate some juice for the batteries. Lithium-ion batteries which can store 10.8kW/h of electricity and output 364 Volts, all at a weight of 187 pounds.

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This is just straight up, bad ass cool.  Alex Rosiu scored an instrument cluster from a 1992 BMW and hacked it to work with a PC racing simulator.  So now when he revs in the game the tachometer reacts appropriately with the correct RPM read out.  The same applies for the speed.  What did he use?  An Arduino Mega, what else. His next hack is to outfit a full dashboard – think full racing simulator.

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Samsung and BMW broke new ground this week by integrating a wireless cell phone charger into a 7-series BMW.  Unfortunately, and yes don’t get too excited, it’s currently only compatible with the Samsung T*Omnia.  Is it me, or does this setup look as good as a ‘dock’, which leads me to question where the wireless part is.  It isn’t clear if Samsung has licensed the tech from Powermat or some other company, but if Apple ever comes out with a similar solution (hint) we know it will show up in BMW vehicles given their past history, right?

[Samsungcentral via Engadget]

BMW is stepping into the future, the future of almost two years ago. The car company plans on implementing Microsoft’s Surface in show rooms, which will allow car buyers the ability to customize their vehicle through the interactive display. I know, I was expecting it to available as on ‘add-on’ product for the car.

As you’ll see in the video, they’ve got a palette of color bricks that the shopper can choose from and by tossing one of them onto the Surface it will add it accordingly to the car’s exterior or interior. It’s hard to tell how dynamic the system is, but apprently the changes and selections will be further reflected on an additional ‘vertical’ screen, which may or may not reflect the user’s choices in videos.

Looks laggy to me.

[BMWBlog]

Apparently, BMW dreams of a world where cold hard cash is no longer, and their keys are the currency of choice.  Afterall, BMWs have long been the choice of those trying to obtain social currency.  What the hell am I talking about?  BMW is set to introduce a car key which includes a contactless payment system.  The whole idea sounds a bit luni and will require a major paradigm shift in how we purchase products.  But when you look at Korea’s use of NFC in cell phones, it’s not that far off.  I suppose it could be ideal  when passing through a toll, although BMW’s drive and ride (a train) is a bit of stretch.

BMW plans to show of the tech at this year’s CARTES & IDentification show in Paris from 4th to 6th November 2008.

Full press release here

[EEtimes]

The days of electric vehicles are finally upon us.  Come next year BMW plans to put 500 electric Minis on US roads.  The limited production number is a bit annoying, but in such a nascent market it’s probably financially warranted.  The all electric Mini, called the Mini E, will achieve a 150 mile range, an 8.5s 0-60 MPH, and a top speed of 95MPH.  To make room for the Mini E’s batteries the widely known 4 seater will be converted to a two seater.  Charging the vehicle will be as simple as plugging it to a regular outlet, although BMW will provide a rapid recharge box.

The Mini E is slated to arrive sometime in 2009 in California, New York and New Jersey for a 1 year test.

More pics after the ‘leap’

[Gizmag]