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Automotive Technology
AUTOS: BMW And Toyota Teaming Up
The two leading automakers accelerate plans for shared development of a sports car, fuel cells and battery technology.
Akio Toyoda, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Corp., and Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW AG, announced their joint-development agreement today. (Photo: BMW)
BMW and Toyota have finalized a deal to collaborate on a number of projects ranging from the development of a new sports-car platform to research into next-generation battery technology and even hydrogen fuel cell powertrains.
The agreement signed today stems from plans first announced in 2011.
The automakers also revealed further details about the long-term collaboration, which in addition to the development of a hydrogen fuel cell system, new sports car platform, advanced battery technology, and engine sharing, will also include research and development of lightweight technologies.
Of most interest to performance car fans is news of a new sports-car platform being developed by both BMW and Toyota. The new platform will be for a mid-size sports car that leverages the best technology and knowledge of each automaker.
The first stage of the project will be a feasibility study that’s scheduled to last until the end of 2013. It’s likely that two sports cars are envisaged, one for each brand, similar to the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S siblings. Possibilities include new generations of the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4.
For the fuel-cell project, BMW and Toyota are to share their technologies and jointly develop a practical fuel-cell system for production cars, including not only a fuel-cell stack but also a hydrogen tank, electric motor and battery.
The two automakers reiterated their belief that fuel cells are a viable solution for achieving zero emissions, and they are aiming to have their system ready by 2020. This will also include investigating hydrogen-fueling infrastructure development as well as creating codes and industry standards for the technology itself.
Another important area of research will be advanced battery technology, predominantly lithium-air batteries. The two automakers will focus on the development of lithium-air batteries with energy density greatly exceeding by as much as fivefold that of current lithium-ion batteries. If successful, we could see electric cars with ranges of 500 miles or more on a single charge.
Finally, the two will collaborate on developing lightweight technology. Here the focus will be on reinforced composites, such as carbon fiber, for use mainly in constructing vehicle bodies. Both automakers are already experts in the production of carbon fiber, with BMW using it for its new i brand of environmental vehicles and Toyota for its Lexus LFA supercar.
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
The agreement signed today stems from plans first announced in 2011.
The automakers also revealed further details about the long-term collaboration, which in addition to the development of a hydrogen fuel cell system, new sports car platform, advanced battery technology, and engine sharing, will also include research and development of lightweight technologies.
Of most interest to performance car fans is news of a new sports-car platform being developed by both BMW and Toyota. The new platform will be for a mid-size sports car that leverages the best technology and knowledge of each automaker.
The first stage of the project will be a feasibility study that’s scheduled to last until the end of 2013. It’s likely that two sports cars are envisaged, one for each brand, similar to the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S siblings. Possibilities include new generations of the Toyota Supra and BMW Z4.
For the fuel-cell project, BMW and Toyota are to share their technologies and jointly develop a practical fuel-cell system for production cars, including not only a fuel-cell stack but also a hydrogen tank, electric motor and battery.
The two automakers reiterated their belief that fuel cells are a viable solution for achieving zero emissions, and they are aiming to have their system ready by 2020. This will also include investigating hydrogen-fueling infrastructure development as well as creating codes and industry standards for the technology itself.
Another important area of research will be advanced battery technology, predominantly lithium-air batteries. The two automakers will focus on the development of lithium-air batteries with energy density greatly exceeding by as much as fivefold that of current lithium-ion batteries. If successful, we could see electric cars with ranges of 500 miles or more on a single charge.
Finally, the two will collaborate on developing lightweight technology. Here the focus will be on reinforced composites, such as carbon fiber, for use mainly in constructing vehicle bodies. Both automakers are already experts in the production of carbon fiber, with BMW using it for its new i brand of environmental vehicles and Toyota for its Lexus LFA supercar.
This story originally appeared at Motor Authority.
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