BMW has shown today at its Museum a concept vehicle that was premiered in 2005. The name of the BMW Simple is an acronym for A sustainable and innovative mobility product for low energy consumption. The BMW Simple is inspired by a motorcycle that has received passenger cell that protects against wind and weather and works as a shield against exterior noise. The BMW Simple is 110 centimeters wide and is designed for two passengers.
The BMW Simple weighs 450 kg and is powered by a kW combustion engine. It can get from 0 to 100 km/h in around 10 seconds and has a drag coefficient of 0.18.
The BMW Simple is also fitted with a hydraulic system that rights the vehicle in slow corners if the tilt is to much.
BMW Press Release:
SIMPLE – light in weight, low on energy
BMW Simple combines features and advantages from both automobiles and motorcycles. The concept owes its passenger cell to the car, providing protection from wind and weather as well as shielding the driver from exterior noise and offering occupants a high degree of safety in the event of an
accident. The motorcycle inspired the slim design of the BMW Simple (at just 110 centimeters wide) and its configuration for two people sitting one behind the other. Plus it boasts the dynamic driving style typical of a two-wheeler, allowing you to lean right into corners as desired. The designation “simple” is an acronym of the project name “A sustainable and innovative mobility product for low energy consumption”.
The BMW designers initially planned a small vehicle with low weight and minimal aerodynamic drag properties. Following a concept phase of several months, the pooled requirements and ideas
gave rise in 2005 to a vehicle based on tilting technology. In contrast to other vehicle concepts in which only the passenger cell tilts during cornering, here all the driver has to do is determine a change in direction for the appropriate tilt to follow automatically. The stand-out feature of the BMW Simple concept is that it activates the hydraulics only in exceptional situations, for example if the vehicle threatens to become unstable during extremely slow driving, when righting the vehicle during standstill or in extreme situations such as drifting. Otherwise, BMW Simple rides like a motorcycle and, beyond natural gravity and gyroscopic forces, requires no energy
whatsoever to lean into a corner. The passenger also benefits from this tilting technology as he feels no transverse forces and, particularly during rapid changes of direction, need not compensate for any lateral movements.
All that is needed to power this lightweight vehicle with a kerb weight of approx. 450 kg is a 36 kW combustion engine. Acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h is estimated at under ten seconds and the vehicle has an excellent drag coefficient of 0.18. Using the electric motor and the combustion engine, the BMW Simple would need just 6 kWh (equivalent to 0.7 litters of petrol) or two litres over 100 km.
