A first? BMW concept vehicle preheats transmission fluid to improve efficiency

[MetroMPG]

Via GCC:

This is actually an old article; not sure why I stumbled across it.

Except I noticed in the illustration: "Solar roof for pre-warming of transmission fluid"



I wasn't sure at first if it was photovoltaics or thermal. Of course, it's PV:

The concept car also features a solar roof which acts as an additional energy source for the vehicle power supply which is independent of the engine. High-power solar cells covering a surface area of some 1.0 square meters generate a maximum energy of one kilowatt hour for consumers inside and outside the vehicle. This enables pre-heating of the gear oil, thereby shortening the inefficient warm-up phase.

The roof can contribute power to other systems too.

This is the first I've ever seen the idea of prewarming a transmission from a manufacturer.

[Compaq888]

I like how they are improving on old technology instead or inventing something new.

Seriously the ICE needs to die. It's ancient.

[tjts1]

I know it sounds brilliant on paper but trust me. BMW always finds a complex solution to a simple problem that is guaranteed to fail on spectacular and unexpected ways. Somehow 'keep it simple stupid' never got translated into German. I know. I've owned 3 thus far. The fewer the cylinders, the more fun you have.

Originally Posted by Compaq888

Seriously the ICE needs to die. It's ancient.

The internal combustion engine will outlive you by at least a century.

[taco]

Originally Posted by tjts1

The internal combustion engine will outlive you by at least a century.

true, just like the tired old wheel