The biggest influencer of fuel economy is the driver. Low rolling resistance tyres save 3%; auto stop-start can save 5% or more. 

The driver, however, can save 20% – and it is this massive potential, greater even than the sum total of every Bluemotion-style pack of eco changes to date, that BMW is seeking to tap into.

The new BMW 1 Series marks the debut of ECO PRO, an interactive function of iDrive that teaches greener driving and rewards for doing so (it’s also coming to the new 3 Series too). We’ve had such systems before – Fiat’s eco:Drive, Ford and Honda’s ‘petals’ and so forth – but BMW’s is the best yet.

More than just an electronic ‘badge’ that are usually an intriguing gimmick for a few weeks but then forgotten, ECO PRO offers tangible benefits that offer the potential for game-changing developments in the future.

It is opt-in: drivers must select ECO PRO from the BMW drive select switch (‘anti-Sport’ as one engineer dubbed it). Doing so does three things:

• Selects bespoke settings within engine ECU

• Optimises electric load

• Displays ECO PRO screen

The electric load saver function is meritorious in itself. No mainstream maker has fitted a function that dials back the electrical consumption of accessories such as electric seats and heated rear window: a bit like the National Grid cutting power delivery to your house.

The interactive element is the snazzy bit. All the time you are consuming less fuel than the car’s combined average, the famed BMW economy gauge (now electronically represented) dives into the blue zone. Blue means you’re saving fuel – and the deeper you can get it in there, the more fuel you’re saving.

There’s more. To make it tangible, an additional readout, also in blue, shows how many miles more you’re getting from the tank. This is the ingenious part: the more you take it steady, the more miles you eek out.

It is reset each time you refuel, so is stored even if you turn the engine off. Thus, a permanent incentive to save fuel and claw the miles back. A savings account that’s in your hands – so if you want a ‘free’ 50-mile’ trip on the weekended, ease off to claw back the miles.

There’s yet more. Don’t get the idea of eco driving? ECO PRO to the rescue – it flashes up tips and hints on the screen as you go, based on an analysis of driving style. It knows that heavy braking is not efficient, nor is going fast, nor is accelerating hard, nor is holding onto gears.

All of this stuff may be obvious to us, but it’s not to all: a few lines of text saying as much, as the driver commits the eco error, will soon give them the idea.

And as it’s all part of the challenge, if they’re engaged by saving fuel, they’ll be keen to take the messages on board.

Is this gamification of saving fuel, with an active feedback loop to provide tuition, the future of saving fuel? The driver is the single biggest key to big, big gains in fuel efficiency: are we to see more onboard games in the future, feeding a real-time PlayStation Network to turn drivers into eco-inspired gamers?

+ BMW 1 Series power meters

+ VW Golf R dials’ cool blue point

+ Diesel drives Peugeot sub-130g/km CO2 win

Ford in North America will, by next year, have fitted Auto Start Stop to all new cars on sale.

This will save at least 4% in fuel used, for every new Ford sold in the world’s second-largest car market.

Depending on usage, the savings can stretch as high as 10%: after living with stop-start in a VW Golf Bluemotion, this seems pretty believable. Fuel economy used to plummet once I turned off the motorway during my daily commute. Not anymore.

Just one thing, that first struck me back when I drove a stop-start Mercedes A-Class a few years ago. When the engine was off, the water pump stopped (as, of course, it would)… and the heater started blowing cold, not hot.

This was hardly a step forward: it was a bit like driving a 1950s classic, whose dynamo-powered headlights would dim when you stopped. Not a clever thing, that.

Luckily, Ford’s being smart. Fully aware that US buyers wouldn’t take this, the firm’s fitting stop-start 2.0: not only does it have a larger-capacity battery and upgraded starter motor, it also has an electric pump to keep the coolant flowing through the engine.

Thus ensuring the heater still blows hot. Small detail? Seemingly yes – but experience of that A-Class on a January test drive taught me that such things matter.

Far from being a cheap add-on way of massaging fuel-saving legislation, stop-start is actually quite involved technology. Land Rover was the first one to really understand the intricacies involved: an engineer explained to me just what went into developing the Freelander Td4_e at its launch in 2008.

This included ensuring the radio stayed on, the CD didn’t jump, the sat nav didn’t reset, the phone call that was underway when the car came to a halt didn’t cut out. Tiny, easily-overlooked details, that can drive customers mad when they discover them, should engineers not have.

Land Rover, of course, went one step further. The engineers there are genius: they hated the diesel shudder that most oil-burners exhibit when switched off – and knew that this would become exceedingly annoying when magnified thanks to stop-start.

So, they massaged the fuel injection and valve timing, to ensure there was no resistance when it cut off. Smooth run-down, in other words. Once you’re aware of how some diesels shudder when you turn them off, you’ll really appreciate this.

The rush to stop-start is obvious: due to the way official fuel consumption tests are arranged, standardisation can give official mpg gains, that town-bound users will find are magnified.

Trouble is, some makers did this without giving thought to the implications of such a system.

Mercedes has to rank as guilty here, for its chilling blast of switch-off sufferance. It’s not alone, I’m sure. But it’s a transgression that’s going to be rectified soon – because others aren’t falling for it.

Stop-start: Smart, but also dumb, if not integrated by the smart.

+ VW Golf Bluemotion: GTI for eco greens

+ New Ford Focus raises great expectations

+ Vauxhall does the electric car market a favour

BSM has used an escape clause to cancel its high-profile deal with Fiat for thousands of 500 instructor cars.

Apparently, it was the wrath of driving instructors that led to this. Many of them rightly see the BSM cars as company cars – and the 3dr Fiat city car was just too small and impractical for family use.

A lesson there for marketing guys snaring clever deals that they hope will bring plentiful exposure. Yes, the BSM Fiat 500 deal was funky, and there’s certainly no missing the cars. But it’s all for nought if they’re not fit for purpose.

So, it’s back to the Corsa, and the reinvigoration of an 18-year association with Vauxhall. Bigger, more bespoke and offered in much-requested 5dr guise, BSM once again has a happy driving instructor workforce.

And its pass rate may now rocket. Why? Because of something I discovered recently.

Vauxhall starts Start/Stop

The Corsa ecoFLEX 1.3 CDTi is Vauxhall’s first stop-start model. Works well (even has an auxiliary water pump that keeps the heater blowing warm when the engine’s off; a glaring rarity for stop-start cars) – but made me think it was broken at first.

All was normal when I started it for the first time. Then, dip clutch, engage gear and begin to feed in clutch: what’s this, though? The revs have risen?

Indeed. And while I thought it was a quirky fault at first, it later became apparent this was engineered-in. As soon as you begin to feed in the clutch on a Corsa, the revs auto-rise, to around 1100rpm.

In practice, this means the Corsa:

• Is extremely hard to stall
• Demands no low-speed throttle control
• Can be clutch-held on hills easily
• Sounds like you’ve left the choke out the moment you lift the clutch

BSM learners are going to love it. Now, there’s a whole extra degree of assistance from the car, which will actively try to ensure you don’t stall. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a mighty extra aid for the daunted.

Enthusiasts will say it’s a travesty, that drivers should learn such tricks without the car doing it for them (and give the evils to anyone who even dares think about its usefulness for clutch hill-holds).

But as they won’t be buying the Corsa, it doesn’t matter. Like or loathe it, this is a benefit to the Corsa’s target users – and means learner drivers can get on with the process of learning.

Surely clutch control is part of learning, though? Not with the EVs these guys will be driving in the future, nor with the predicted shift to dual-clutch gearboxes that can maximise IC economy with smart shifting patterns, it’s not…

Sub-100g/km is the Holy Grail of Emissions right now. If your green car fails to meet this, you’re done for.

Poor Honda, then, with its 104g/km green Jazz Hybrid.

Tell me, then, Japanese engineer Kohei Hitmoi (Jazz Hybrid project leader), why this is so, I asked at the Paris Motor Show. And I wasn’t expecting to be convinced.

(Particularly when I chatted away to the interpreter, thinking he was the head guy. Groan. Then, wittered away to the head guy, not realising he didn’t speak English. Groan again.)

One great start later, and we’re onto the tricky subject. Why buy a 104g/km Honda Jazz Hybrid when you can buy a 92g/km CO2 Polo Bluemotion and save on fuel, road tax and carbon emissions? Well…

‘Hybrids are better in urban conditions,’ started Hitmoi, determinedly. ‘The Jazz is a supermini, cars which spend most of their time in the city. We believe hybrid, offering zero-emissions capability, is well suited to this car.’

Can’t argue with that. Nor with EU Cycle economy stats he showed me:

VW Polo Bluemotion

Urban – 68.9mpg

Extra Urban – 94.2mpg

Combined – 83.1mpg

Honda Jazz Hybrid (est)

Urban – 61.4mpg

Extra Urban – 67.2mpg

Combined – 64.2mpg

In other words, the Polo is 20 percent less economical in town than its overall figure says. The Honda Jazz is but 5 percent less economical than the overall figure.

That’s on the official tests, too. In practice, the opportunity of EV-only running may boost the Jazz economy further, compared to the Polo.

And there’s more.

‘Diesel performs well at higher speed, and at cruising. In town, it is less effective due to lethargic low-speed response and turbo lag. City cars are all about agility; we believe the Jazz Hybrid is ahead here.

‘The Jazz Hybrid’s electric motor gives a significant torque boost from tickover, filling in the torque gap that other cars have. Electric assist is immediately available, enhancing agility and giving a very immediate response.’ He showed me a torque curve. He’s not wrong.

Lure of the Holy Grail?

But, I asked, weren’t you just a little bit tempted to make a few more tweaks, get it below 100g/km, and avoid having to defend yourself to people like me?

‘The Jazz, from the first concept, is a utility vehicle. If you start sacrificing this to get below 100g/km, it would mean you betray the original concept of Jazz – its uniqueness.

‘Here we have the same boot space as the conventional car, the same rear passenger space. Nothing is compromised.

‘It was also important for costs to keep body changes minimal. There is a high degree of parts commonality, which helps us launch a hybrid into the supermini sector for a competitive price.’

Honda Hybrid Conviction

Would you believe, I left the interview convinced? Honda has stuck to its pure engineering principals and produced a car that works for customers, not the legislators.

It is economical where it matters – in town, where superminis are mainly used – and also better suited to these conditions thanks to the hybrid oomph. It’s quieter and smoother than a diesel, and thus ‘nicer’.

Space is uncompromised, passenger comfort is unchanged, and prices should come in at a level that means people can actually afford it.

Engineers, aye: always speak sense. Now it’s over to Honda UK dealers to get this message over to customers. And ensure they answer the same 100g/km-related questions as convincingly…

Range Rover grabbed a sure-fire headline when it revealed the Evoque last week.

Victoria Beckham Designs New Baby Range Rover.

Yup, Mrs Beckham was the surprise celeb who stepped up alongside Land Rover design God Gerry McGovern; in a few seconds, she was turned from mere celeb into Range Rover Creative Design Executive.

Step aside Murat Gunak and Luc Donckerwolke, Victoria’s here to show you how it’s done! Needless to say, commentary over said decision soon came via the net.

What does she know about car design was the general consensus, filtering out the obscenities. Madness, they said: Land Rover, what are you doing?

Sure enough, Ms Becks ensured the 2011 Range Rover Evoque became news the following day. ‘Victoria becomes car designer’ was splashed everywhere went, in handy economy with the truth. ‘Victoria designs new Range Rover’, they continued. ‘Victoria reinvents the 4-wheel-drives’ they could have carried on.

So, what does she know about car design? To be honest, probably nothing. She doesn’t need to, though. Land Rover has car designers for that.

Instead, what she’s bringing is (ahem) posh market insight.

Posh advises on posh for the posh

Range Rover held the 40th bash in association with Vogue magazine, at posh Kensington Palace (it of Princess Diana fame). Celebs duly attended not because of the car, but because other celebs and famed types were.

As all they were, so too were the photographers. And the TV channels. And the celeb reporters. And… well, you get the idea. VB was right at home, and the Evoque was granted instant premium gravitas as a result.

Now, on the night, Gerry McGovern’s explanatory words may have sounded reluctant lip service, but they in fact reveal why she’s there. Edited down, they’re a great insight:

Design and trends… understands luxury products… owned Range Rovers in the past… her products bought by women… new dimension… wider audience.

This is a Range Rover for women. Posh, beautiful women, who like Jimmy Choo shoes and other posh things a male journo can’t ever hope to understand.

We are not in the least bit qualified to offer commentary on what the market likes and hates here. McGovern probably isn’t, either. For that, you need someone who does mix in those circles. Such as VB.

She won’t be drawing the cars. Gerry McGovern probably doesn’t draw the cars, either; he directs others, provides the framework, the inspiration, the leadership. With her own luxocelebfeminine agenda, this is what Beckham will be doing, too.

I reckon it’s a bit of a forward-thinking coup. Knock Brand Beckham if you like, but there’s no doubting it’s effective.

Besides, Range Rover did something identical years back, and we didn’t slate it so then. Indeed, today, the Vogue Range Rovers remain on sale and are the ones motoring journos hope for in press fleets (it’s always amusing to step from a Kia Picanto into something with Wilton carpet mats).

Anyway, all these posh people paying premium prices for Range Rovers means they can be created at such vast expense and given the pricey technical features that so wow we car nuts. We all thus benefit!

Thanks, Posh.

+ Do you think Victoria Beckham and Range Rover is a smart move?
+ Is this a good or bad way for Land Rover to broaden its market?
+ Are there any other examples of celebs getting involved in car design?

BMW’s latest 5 Series marks the introduction of 4-cylinder engines into the F10 platform. Until now, it’s been all 6-cylinders or V8s.

Powertrain manager Jan Kretschmer revealed what’s been keeping them busy at the launch of the 520d variant, on the debut of this September’s F11 Touring.

My, they’ve been well-occupied, it seems. ‘4 cylinder engines are always a bigger challenge for our engineers,’ he explained; even ones like this, with counter-rotating balancer shafts.

They have, as you know, a different (‘and higher’) level of NVH – noise, vibration, harshness. ‘You have to consider this before you even start with the development and installation.

‘Luckily, our Body-In-White department is able to conduct a lot of simulation work (big investment in computer technology over the past half-decade facilitates this). This means we can predefine possible weaknesses where extra stiffening may help – or, actually, stiff areas where some weakness may be beneficial!

‘They start this 5 years before the vehicle hits the road.’

Concurrently, his powertrain team will be working to provide the smoothest possible engine for eventual implementation. With the 184hp (135kW) 2.0-litre diesel, Kretschmer explained the process was one of evolution. ‘We were tasked with further refining an already high-level engine, rather than reinventing it.’

Two key development areas were prioritised here:

•    Engine Mountings: ‘These must be isolated. We fit electronically driven semi-hydraulic engine mounts, with 2 characteristics. At idle and low rpm, they are ‘weaker’, to absorb low-level vibration. When driving, there are fewer engine vibrations, so we stiffen them to improve handling.’

•    Fluctuating Torque: ‘This is harder to isolate on 4-cylinder engines than 6-cylinders. On manual models, we fit a pendulum-type flywheel which minimises these oscillations and reduces the booming rear axle effect. The 8-speed auto has a new torque converter with a twin-damper system that provides isolation.’

Minimisation of fluctuating torque is the aspect he is most proud of, as it is extremely significant. ‘We have reduced it going into the transmission by 60 percent.

‘This helps us drive the car more at lower rpm, with longer gear ratios on the manual and new gearshift profiles on the auto. With the new 8-speed, this alone has led to a 9 percent improvement in fuel efficiency!’

in doing so, Kretschmer has created a ‘5-litre’ engine for the 5 Series (that’s 5 litres per 100km – 56.5mpg). Don’t think his efforts have gone unnoticed by the Board, either.

‘This is the volume model for the 5 Series, so the pressure has been on us to further improve.’ Good job, really, that he’s done just that.

+ Do you think BMW makes the best 4-cylinder engines on the market?
+ Would you consider a 520d?
+ If not, what are the main reasons stopping you chosing diesel?

ELECTRIC cars are a new technology with different standards that require familiarisation.

To help, I’m getting my head around it all – and plan to blog my findings as I do so.

Creating a sort of motoring journo-level EV 101: all you (and we) need to know about electric cars.

Where do we begin? With the basics. An EV spec sheet contains lots of jargon that makes no sense at first. Here’s my take on demystifying the standard stuff.

•    What is an electric car?
A combustion engine is replaced by an electric motor. Instead of a fuel tank, modern electric cars use lithium ion batteries.

An invertor is needed to convert battery DC power into EV’s favoured AC power. A power control module is required to control the power. Most electric cars also feature an onboard battery charger module (no hunting for the charger, mobile phone style!).

•    What makes an electric car move?
Power from the battery is transmitted to the electric motor via the transformer, under the watch of the power control module. In the motor, it is turned from electromagnetic force into a torque.

This turning effect drives a shaft that turns the wheels.

Motor type
2 main types: DC brushless and AC.

DC

Brushless DC motors dominate for hybrids and plug-in hybrids. Peak point power efficiency is higher: for their size, they pack a punch. However, the magnets for them are costly – and, as they get bigger, magnetic losses grow. They are thus not ideal for higher-output EVs.

The little smart ev uses a 55kW brushless DC motor, though (it’s light and will only ever seat 2, so can get away with it).

AC

These motors rule for EVs (hence the power invertor they all have). Just as there are various engine layouts (inline 4, V6, etc), there are also different motor types.

EV AC motors use the principal of a rotating magnetic field, as discovered by Nikola Tesla (for it is he). Basically comprise an outside stationary stator. The coils within it are fed with AC current, creating a rotating magnetic field.

Inside, there is a rotor, attached to the output drive shaft. This is turned by a form of interaction with the rotating magnetic field. Currently, two key types are on the market.

•    AC Synchronous
Current is supplied direct into the rotor, creating a magnetic field around it. The rotating magnetic field in the stator induces a torque on this stationary rotor field, causing it to rotate in time with it. Hence, the synchronous classification.
Used in: Nissan LEAF (80kW), Renault Fluence (70kW), Mitsubishi i-MiEV (47kW)

•    AC Induction
NO direct current supply to rotor. Instead, it’s induced by the rotating magnetic field – the conductors on the rotor are ‘excited’ and try to follow this round: rotating as they do so! They don’t catch it up though: there’s always a difference in rotation speeds. This is the slip ratio.
Used in: Tesla Roadster (185kW), MINI E (150kW).

Electric car units
•    kW
Power output of an electric motor. Directly proportional to bhp: 1kW = 1.341hp  (150kW = 201bhp).

•    kWh
Energy capacity of a battery: the maximum kW that can continuously be produced for an hour. Familiar to home owners: it’s how electricity companies calculate domestic usage.

•    Energy density, Wh/kg
How much a battery can hold. Higher is better – means a longer running time!

•    Power density, kW/kg
How much it can deliver on demand. Focus here is on power bursts rather than a long running time.

Battery type
Lithium ion batteries dominate for electric cars. They store more energy, are lighter and have a longer lifespan than older batteries such as NiMh.

There are various different chemistries. The chemistry of the battery determines its electrochemical performance. The characteristics of each will be covered in due course!

So…

What next? Well, for me to become an EV rockstar, that’s what. The (even) harder work thus begins, for a journo who, for 3 decades, has been firmly combustion-based…

Do come back to find out how I get on.

+ How well do you understand electric cars?
+ Do you find the different measurements easy to understand?
+ How daunting do you reckon explaining EVs to readers will be?

EV shock from Nissan LEAF news

How torque curves will change in the future

What the iPhone can teach us about electric cars

1 in 4 people in the UK buy the same colour car each year. In 1998, revealed the SMMT, this would be a red car. In 2008, though, it was silver.

Think this has led to a big change in the UK motoring scene? Well, yes, in a sense, it has. 12 years ago, car showrooms were heavy on the red.

Today, every new car on the road seems to be silver, such is the dominance of the designer’s favourite hue.

However, the changes may not be as big as you think. Second-favourite in 1998? Blue. Second-favourite in 2008? Er, blue… Different shades of, granted, but still consistent dominance.

3rd in 1998 was white. 3rd in 2008 was black. This initially had me questioning the stats: surely, given white’s current popularity, it should be the other way around? Ah but no. Speak to anyone in the industry and they’ll say the current white flurry is led by fashion. White wasn’t quite in fashion during 2008. It’s a more recent thing: thus, how long will it last?

Back to silver, though. It sat in 5th place back in 1998, with just 9 percent of people choosing it. By its very nature, though, silver is metallic, so means a cost-extra on most cars. Is the switch thus just a change of a wealthier economy? Or is it car brands’ modern-day, cynically-dull non-metallic paint colour options..?

Do please, ahem, feel free to spell out your thoughts in black and white (groan).

Top colours 2008
1 Silver: 25%
2 Blue: 24%
3 Black: 14%
4 Red: 13%
5 Green: 9%

Top colours 1998
1 Red: 26%
2 Blue: 25%
3 White: 13%
4 Green: 10%
5 Silver: 9%

Peugeot car ads give the game away

BMW PR shows professionalism of industry

Audi gets Ashes To Ashes at Geneva

RENAULT and I won our class in last year’s MPG Marathon – a right ol’ result, it was, after 400 miles’ somewhat steady driving.

But how? All down to the Grand Scenic I drove – fitted with the 1.4-litre TCe ‘downsized’ engine.

In Renault parlance, this is a 2.0-litre power-puncher with 1.6-litre fuel-sipping ability. Tiny turbo, no direct injection, Nissan all-alloy block and plain efficiency. It’s a canny wee thing, alright.

Particularly if you want to drive economically. See, its key characteristic is delivering loads of torque at really low revs – diesel-like revs, in fact. Throughout the entire Marathon, I honestly didn’t exceed 2000rpm. And still managed to summit the 1-in-2 climbs dotted through the route.

That tiny turbo allows this; it spools up fast, which is just what you need for eco driving. Here’s traits I exploited:

•    Responsive to light throttles
•    Ability to select 6th at ridiculously low speeds
•    Linearity when modulating the throttle
•    Turbo doesn’t ‘run away’ from you
•    If you’re genteel, then so will it be

Being eco is about fluid motion. You need to swim along, with not a misplaced stroke, slipping along like an eel. Only with infintesimal control over the fuel being pumped into the engine can you do this.

Tiny turbo engines often produce great figures on the test rig, but plunge in real life, due to the turbo sucking in air like an iron fist, and forcing fuel injection to throw petrol in accordingly. Many people who drive at low revs and in a seemingly eco manner actually get mediocre economy – because of the lack of control the engine seems to have over itself.

None of that with the TCe. If you want to accurately throttle back as far as necessary to maintain pace, you can do. No torque-free gullies to fall into, no risk of being left floundering. It’s almost electric-like in its reponsiveness when you’re taking it steady.

The result of this is 50.3mpg in a 7-seat Grand Scenic. Official.

Wake up with the sun

Oil be: It’s back

RenaultSport past to inspire turbo future

Is this the single most important feature a car can have to encourage economical green driving?

It is, no less, an ETA for sat nav journeys. No more than that, either. Eh? The big deal is..?

This: In real time, it tells you what time you’ll arrive where you’ve said you want to be. In this instance, it’s seen on a BMW M3 Edition Coupe, but y’£100 TomToms have the very same function. With a bit of thought, it’s potentially massive.

It’s why I set sat nav to take me home. Now, Lord, even I’m not forgetful enough to forget the route. No, I instead like to know how long it will take.

Surely you know, you may ask? And yes, I do, roughly. But I like exacts, not guestimates. Particularly as, and here’s the key, my eco head sees my speed vary from day to day. Seriously. And it’s sat nav that allows me to do this in confidence.

Say I have 5mins ‘spare’. I’ll slow down a bit. Tweak the ETA. By driving more slowly, I’ll have returned more miles to the gallon. See it as a bit of real-time money-saving. In practice, it means I can be as green as possible and STILL not miss the start to Corrie.

It’s pilot mode. Whenever they’re late, what does a scheduled aircraft’s pilot say? That they’ll put their foot down and make the time up. That’s because planes are usually operating at way less than vmax – they’re flying at the EXACT speed required to reach their destination on time. No faster. No slower. This is, err, plain efficiency – both of time and of resources.

We could be doing this in our cars in the future: plugging in what time we need to be home, and letting the car cap, say, our motorway speed to only that required to achieve this. Perhaps, with layered financial penalties for those who want to go faster, within the realms of legality? Companies in particular would love this, and with vehicle tracking now all the rage, it would be particularly easy to implement.

Folk don’t like being told to do stuff slowly. But, they could be convinced to do it a bit slower, if they knew by how much they’d be penalised if they didn’t. What’s a few minutes here and there, for the prize of 5mpg and a fiver?

The Maestro of the instruments

Audi Q5 economy enough to tyre you out

Fuel economy economical with the truth?