Manufacturing Minute: BMW’s Concept Scooter Is A Lavish Take On The Future Of Automotive

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In this episode, emissions from idling vehicles and BMW gets into the scooter market. This is your Manufacturing Minute.

BMW’s Electric Scooter Concept

To celebrate its 100th anniversary, BMW decided to unveil a series of futuristic concept vehicles designed to explore what the next one hundred years of driving might look like.

The newest vehicle in their Vision Next 100 lineup is an all-electric scooter. Not only does this high-tech EV feature two different touchscreens that show everything from battery information and navigation, but the concept is also able to pull up the rider’s calendar to make sure they make it to their next destination in the most timely manner.

However, the most futuristic element of BMW’s concept is the secret luggage storage compartment only accessible if the rider is wearing a connected jacket. When the wearer waves their arm in front of the hidden cargo hold, a connected stitch on the jacket will prompt the sliding door of the compartment to open.

Although just a concept, this scooter exemplifies BMW’s long-term goals of creating energy efficient, connected and quite possibly autonomous vehicles to an ever-demanding customer base.

Does BMW’s electric concept scooter match what you think vehicles in the coming century might resemble?

Tweet me your thoughts @MnetNews or leave your comments in the section below.



Cutting Emissions From Idling Vehicles

Delivery trucks and other large vehicles account for a disproportionate share of emissions from vehicles.

And that's compounded by their tendency to sit idle more than passenger vehicles.

Engineers from the University of Waterloo in Canada said that an idling vehicle operates at about 5 percent efficiency -- which essentially means that the other 95 percent is wasted.

Some governments have pursued anti-idling laws to combat that waste, but Waterloo researchers recently used vehicle data and computer modeling to study incorporating a secondary battery system instead.

Tests in Waterloo laboratories found that a secondary battery could be powered using the energy generated by vehicles as they slow down -- allowing critical systems such as air conditioning or refrigeration to continue operating even if the engine is turned off.

The system could be a relatively cheap way to make large vehicles more efficient without purchasing entirely new fleets.

The study estimated that that the system would effectively pay for itself in one to two years -- and that companies and governments stand to save millions in fuel costs.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Would companies be willing to alter their current vehicles to realize fuel savings down the road?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

That’s all the time we have today, but tune in every Tuesday and Thursday for your next Manufacturing Minute.