Something in what BMW and Mercedes – Benz are also in agreement
BMW and Mercedes – Benz are working on the prototype of an electric powered city minicar together: the aim of the development running on the Technical University Munich is to create such a city minicar which is the more lightweighted, but also safe at the same time.
Sometimes it's also for the biggest opponents worth to join their forces so that they all can benefit from the result of the common work. In this sense the BMW AG and Daimler AG are working together on the project running on the Technical University Munich. The purpose of Visio.M is to create an electric powered city minicar which is the less net weigthed but is still the safe, and of which certain solutions may be founnd in the mass – produced cars of the not so far future as well. Beside the car manufacturers such well – known companies participated in the consortium like Continental, E.ON, Siemens, Texas Instruments and TÜV SÜD, and the project was also supported with 10,8 million Euros by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research of the German government.
The research can find a solution for one of the significant problems of the electric cars available also at the present: namely how can be a lightweigthed but at the same time safe structure created? The engineers see the solution in the carbonfiber compound, therefore the frame of the prototype of the Visio.M is composed of this material as well, in addition the entire body structure is made up of only one piece which is well - known from the racing sport.
Beside the use of carbonfiber materials the developers will reduce also the weight of the drive chain significantly. The goal is that the car should not weight on the scale without the battery more than 400 kgs, therefore even a 15 kW (20 HP) powered electro engine should be enough to move it properly dynamically.
The first prototype has been already finished, and as it was created by the cooperation of several car manufacturers and suppliers, therefore it was introduced with a brand – independent design and a common name: it wears the logo of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) on it's nose. The project has started last year in May, and till january of this year the first prototype was already finished, which is now in the dynamic testing phase. On the test track near Munich the ABS and the torque vectoring control system is put to the test by the developing engineers, so that the prototype of the electric city minicar of the fututre is going to be possibly the safest indeed.
