New BMW innovation boosts sense of speed in vehicles
Imagine driving your brand new BMW 535i with over 300hp under the hood and having to be restricted to a pedestrian 110kph on an open highway knowing full well that your vehicle is capable of comfortably sustaining twice that speed.
Granted that speeding is inherently dangerous, driving supremely refined and powerful vehicles (which most BMWs are) at excessively low speeds is mundane, boring, and critically results in a loss of focus from the driver if sustained over long distances.
Research has shown that most drivers who drive fast are not really concerned about reaching their destination faster but do so simply for the sensation of doing so. As such, it follows that an ideal solution to suit all parties will be the make the car go slower but at the same time feel that it is going faster.
If the above sounds like a pair of conflicting goals they are, but would you believe it that the boffins at BMW have cracked it? Introducing, BMW’s Force Injection Booster technology, which is said to simulate the effects of spirited driving whilst commuting at lower speeds, thus creating a thrilling ride.
When activated at speeds below 32kph, the system extracts excess kinetic energy from the engine that would otherwise be wasted and converts it into positive G-forces applied to the occupants channeled through the air-con vents. A mild electric current is delivered through the front seats, to simulate the same exhilaration of high speed driving.
Professor Mika Notbetrü, Head of BMW Innovation, describes FIB technology as “Mind-blowingly unbelievable”.
The Force Injection Booster will be available across the BMW range in the UK effective today, though there’s no word if it would be introduced in Malaysia.
Pictures: Official BMW release.
Editor’s Note (2/4/2014): This is a spoof article published in conjunction with April Fool 2014. Information in this article is based on materials from BMW’s annual April Fool campaigns.
