BMW has just unveiled its latest patent for a new engine, and it’s not what you think it is. With pressing concerns of irreversibility of climate change on the minds of consumers, stakeholders, and innovators alike, the transportation industry has been under pressure to find alternative engine solutions to replace the combustion engine, whose fossil fuel use contributes to harmful carbon emissions. However, despite new alternative engine technology being released by automakers, BMW has surprised with its latest move.
The passenger vehicle world goes electric
In an effort to transform the engines in passenger vehicles, the automobile sector has placed its bets on the electric engine. In the past decade alone, this technology has quickly risen not only in popularity but also has come to represent advanced engineering capabilities. Nearly all major automobile developers now offer some form of electric vehicle model to remain competitive and showcase a commitment to sustainability.
However, while electrical vehicle technology remains superior on the road in the world of alternative engines, other engine solutions are also on the rise. The hydrogen fuel-cell engine, in particular, is on the horizon to become the go-to complement to electric vehicles. In order to achieve total carbon neutrality, it is important to not only rely on one solution but rather to draw upon multiple answers depending on the unique needs of a specific industry in the transportation sector.
BMW announces its latest surprising development with a continued focus on “old” technology
With the rise in concerns for the climate, automobile developers are looking at developing advanced, renewable, and alternative engine solutions in order to transform their business to be fully carbon neutral. It would therefore seem counterintuitive to see automobile companies announcing plans to invest more money into the internal combustion engine instead of prioritizing their alternative engine solutions.
However, this is exactly what German automobile developer BMW has done. Last year, BMW filed a patent for a new generation of internal combustion engines, drawing upon pre-chamber combustion chamber technology. The new engine is expected to first be seen in the 2026 G65 X5 model. BMW’s continued investment in internal combustion engine technology is a response to the fact that internal combustion engines still dominate the roads in terms of consumer demand, despite the increase in popularity of alternative engines.
In addition, BMW has expressed concern over the European Union’s looming deadline of a total ban of internal combustion engines by 2035, describing how getting rid of the internal combustion engine in its entirety would not only ignore the realities of today’s consumer demand, but would also create a trade dependence on China’s electric vehicle battery exports while also negelcting a more balanced and ‘technology-agnoistic’ approach to achieving carbon neutrality.
“To maintain the successful course, a strictly technology-agnostic path within the policy framework is essential,” BMW CEO Oliver Zipse told Reuters at the 2024 Paris Motor Show
BMW is not neglecting sustainable technology entirely
Despite the continued investment in new advanced internal combustion technology and concerns from the German developer over stopping internal combustion engine development in its entirety, the company has continued to showcase a commitment to producing sustainable alternative engine technology.
Not only has the company produced robust electric vehicle solutions, but they recently teamed up with Japanese automobile developer Toyota to produce a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle to be ready for consumers by 2028. Toyota has become known as a leading producer and innovator of hydrogen fuel-cell technology, not only producing advanced hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle models but also advancing a vision for a total hydrogen-powered society. The company’s commitment to sustainability has seen it team up with competitors such as BMW in order to fast-track carbon neutrality.
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