[Jerry81l]

Hi Guys, as the title, is BER a standard feature with the F22 since it has the Eco mode?

http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicle...ation.html#t=l

As I'm thinking of upgrading the brakes.. and don't want to jump into this blindly

[wjjkoevoets]

As far as I know it's standard on every F22 and it's always "active", even in Sport(+).

But I could be wrong.

[Zooks527]

The term "Brake Energy Regeneration" in the 2-series refers to using a locked transmission to spin the engine with the fuel injectors off and the alternator loaded on. It is not what one would typically consider "brake regeneration", where you use generators at the wheels (functionally, electric motors in reverse) to convert kinetic energy to voltage.

Changes to the brakes will have zero effect on the process.

[Nahlem]

As far as i am concerned the only thing that does is give me a cool effect on my instrument cluster

[Pyewacket69]

Originally Posted by Zooks527

The term "Brake Energy Regeneration" in the 2-series refers to using a locked transmission to spin the engine with the fuel injectors off and the alternator loaded on. It is not what one would typically consider "brake regeneration", where you use generators at the wheels (functionally, electric motors in reverse) to convert kinetic energy to voltage.

Changes to the brakes will have zero effect on the process.

As I understand it, the alternator is engaged when coasting in order to use the otherwise wasted kinetic energy to charge the battery when the engine isn't under a load. This technology also "generally" uses a modified charging program that allows for the battery to discharge at an increased level in order to take advantage of this feature.

Done correctly, it can be beneficial, but done incorrectly (IIRC, the N63, for example, which in some vehicles require a new battery at each oil change), and it can suck.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-cult...ns-bmw-n63-v8/

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Pyewacket69

Done correctly, it can be beneficial, but done incorrectly (IIRC, the N63, for example, which in some vehicles require a new battery at each oil change), and it can suck.

Oh, I think the concept as currently used sucks in comparison to, say, the E90 series, which locked the transmission and ran charge to the battery every time you decelerated, not just when the ECU thought it could give up the gas mileage.

The hoops the manufacturers are being made to jump through regarding fleet mileage may or may not be doing anything worthwhile on gas consumption, but they're sure as hell not increasing vehicle reliability.

[Killramos]

Minimizing the time the alternator is engaged has more benefits than just fuel mileage. It also increases available engine power as the alternator isn't dragging on the system.

[Zooks527]

Originally Posted by Killramos

Minimizing the time the alternator is engaged has more benefits than just fuel mileage. It also increases available engine power as the alternator isn't dragging on the system.

Sure, I just hate the way it's implemented. If they had a "Keep the battery charged and then unload the alternator" setup, I'd be all for it. The current "Let the battery run down, and charge it once the car starts to slow down" scheme doesn't do anything good for battery life, regardless of small mileage gains.

[Pyewacket69]

Car makers are all searching for new and innovative ways to meet the ever-increasing mpg requirements, which in a global viewpoint isn't such a bad thing in general.

Some ideas will work out, some won't. IMO, the jury is still out on this method of enhancing mpg.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Pyewacket69

Car makers are all searching for new and innovative ways to meet the ever-increasing mpg requirements, which in a global viewpoint isn't such a bad thing in general.

Some ideas will work out, some won't. IMO, the jury is still out on this method of enhancing mpg.

There is a long list of ways to increase MPG and all methods play a part, good or bad. Some methods decrease performance. Others make the car so small that I would never consider owning one, simply for the collision safety factor. I think BMW has pulled off a good design with the 2-series in terms of performance vs MPG. I consistently see 32 to 34 MPG on the freeway with my M235i.

When I read road test results on high performance cars, one of the first numbers I look at is average MPG. The majority of these 4 to 6 hundred + horsepower cars that can just barely beat our cars get poor MPG. So, bravo BMW for hitting a good balance.