New BMW Concept Electric Car with iPhone App?

BMW already have an electric car in their stable, the Mini-E, which has begun trials with selected members of the public. Now BMW are adding to the fleet of electric vehicles with the BMW Concept ActiveE; an electric vehicle under the BMW brand. More specifically it is a 1 Series Coupé. The interesting thing and the reason why I am writing about this is that in the press release there is mention of BMW’s ConnectedDrive services which allow a phone to connect to the vehicle to operate certain vehicle features and statuses:

“This includes specific remote functions which enable the use of a mobile phone to check the charge status of the battery, search for public charging stations and activate the vehicle’s auxiliary heating and air conditioning functions.”

While there is no mention of any brand of phone in particular, the press images do include some images which may be mock-ups of an iPhone application.

Some of the features which seem to be shown in the iPhone app images include: locate a charging station; schedule climate control; charge status and mileage remaining.

The vehicle itself is is said to give a maximum output of 170bhp and a maximum torque of 250Nm. 0-62mph is expected to be less than 9 seconds with top speed of 90mph (electronically limited) and range of up to 100 miles. If you have access to a 50amp connection, the car can be fully charged in as little as three hours.

Hopefully we will see some of these ConnectedDrive features from other manufacturers also without having to resort to third party add-ons in the near future.

BMW and Thermaltake Create Prototype Computer Chassis

Yes, that’s the BMW of car manufacturing fame. BMW, like Porsche, has a design subsidiary that designs products for various product sectors. Their latest piece of work is a concept high-end gaming tower for Thermaltake called Level 10, which was “…inspired by gaming”.

Instead of being just a well designed box, the case is made up of a main wall on the right side of the case, to which a number of smaller boxes are attached. Each of these boxes contains components for the computer that would normally be hidden in their entirety within a standard computer case. On each box is a bit of silver text, such as the PSU Area and the MB Area, identifying the item inside. Along the front, a number of drive bays can be identified, each in their own casings. There are no wires visible on the system either, leading to a cleaner yet ‘modern-industrial’ appearance. The computer is to be bootable by using a USB flash drive as an “extractable power button” and for securing personal data. If you look at the image, you may also notice there is a handle built into the case, one at the bottom on the floor-stand and one mostly hidden from view along the top to allow for quick and easy handling. Without lighting most of the design, and dust, would be hidden. The case has red lighting integrated into it along the main wall and emanating from the motherboard casing, rendering your cold cathodes redundant for now 🙂

In seeing this, maybe Porsche Design Group will begin working on something with another case manufacturer. Keep those eyes peeled!