Original subtitles

Narrator: TODAY ON "HOW IT'S MADE: DREAM CARS"...

THE BMW i8,

A PLUG-IN HYBRID THAT DRIVES LIKE A SUPERCAR.

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

THE BMW HEADQUARTERS, KNOWN AS THE FOUR-CYLINDER,

HAS BEEN A LANDMARK OF THE MUNICH SKYLINE

SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION IN THE 1970s.

THE BOLD ARCHITECTURE OF THE BUILDING

EMBODIES THE COMPANY'S EMPHASIS ON INNOVATION AND EFFICIENCY.

THE BUILDING HOUSES A MULTIFUNCTIONAL EXHIBITION SPACE

CALLED THE BMW WELT.

IT'S WHERE VISITORS CAN GET A FIRSTHAND LOOK

AT BMW's LATEST PRODUCTS, LIKE THE i8.

MOST ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE JUST GAS-POWERED CARS

RETROFITTED WITH BATTERIES AND ELECTRIC MOTORS.

THE SLOGAN FOR BMW's "i" SERIES IS "BORN ELECTRIC"

BECAUSE THESE CARS ARE BUILT FOR ELECTRIFIED DRIVETRAINS.

WITH GULL-WING DOORS

AND THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE FROM ZERO TO 60

IN JUST 4.4 SECONDS,

THE BMW i8 LOOKS AND PERFORMS LIKE A HIGH-END SPORTS CAR.

THE BMW i8 ACHIEVES ITS ASTOUNDING FUEL ECONOMY

THANKS TO A POWER TRAIN

THAT COMBINES A HIGHLY EFFICIENT

THREE-CYLINDER, GAS-POWERED ENGINE

WITH A STARTER GENERATOR AND ELECTRIC MOTOR.

THE STARTER GENERATOR WORKS WITH A TwinPower TURBO ENGINE

TO DRIVE THE REAR WHEELS.

BMW CALLS THIS SYSTEM eDrive.

THE POWER TRAIN CAN CRANK OUT 357 HORSEPOWER.

BMW CHOSE TO DEVELOP THE ENTIRE POWER TRAIN IN-HOUSE FOR THE i8.

AN ELECTRIC MOTOR CONSISTS OF

AN INTERIOR HOUSING, STATOR, AND A ROTOR.

THE STATOR IS FITTED WITH COPPER WINDINGS

PLACED IN A SERIES OF PHASES AROUND THE DIAMETER.

A DEVICE CALLED A COIL WINDING AND INSERTING MACHINE

WINDS 12 COILS OF COPPER AT A TIME FOR A TOTAL OF 24 COILS.

EACH MOTOR GETS OVER A MILE OF WOUND COPPER.

TO MAXIMIZE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE,

THE WIRES MUST BE AS CLOSE TO EACH OTHER AS POSSIBLE.

A ROBOT TRANSFERS THE STATOR TO A STATION

WHERE THE COPPER WINDINGS WILL BE INSTALLED.

BMW IS ABLE TO MAKE THEIR MOTOR UNUSUALLY SMALL

THANKS TO A SPECIALLY-DESIGNED WINDING CONFIGURATION.

THIS SAVES SPACE

WHILE HELPING THE CAR MAINTAIN A LOW CURB WEIGHT.

THE COPPER IN AN ELECTRIC MOTOR

MUST BE WOUND AS COMPACT AS POSSIBLE.

TO ENSURE THIS, MANUFACTURERS USE

A HIGHLY-SPECIALIZED SEWING MACHINE

TO BIND THE WIRES TIGHTLY TOGETHER WITH 45 FEET OF CORD.

BMW's GOAL IS TO MAKE EVERY ASPECT OF THE i8

AS EFFICIENT AS POSSIBLE.

THANKS TO THE PLUG-IN HYBRID SYSTEM,

THE CAR CAN TRAVEL UP TO 23 MILES ON ELECTRIC POWER ALONE.

A FORMING MACHINE USES CLAMPING JAWS

TO MANIPULATE THE TOP OF THE STATOR INTO THE CORRECT SHAPE.

THIS HELPS MAKE THE COPPER COILS,

INSULATING PAPER, AND BINDING CORD AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE.

BEFORE THE STATOR REACHES THIS STATION,

WORKERS HAVE ALREADY INSERTED EACH BUNDLE OF WIRES

INTO A COLOR-CODED SLEEVE.

EACH OF THE THREE COLORS -- RED, BLACK, AND WHITE --

IDENTIFY A DIFFERENT SET OR PHASE OF THE COPPER COILS

IN THE MOTOR.

NEXT, THE STATORS ARE HEATED TO 329 DEGREES.

THEN A ROBOT LOWERS THEM INTO A VAT OF RESIN.

IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT THE COMPONENTS OF THE STATOR

REMAIN AS RIGID AS POSSIBLE.

COATING THE STATOR IN RESIN HELPS HOLD EVERYTHING IN PLACE,

MAXIMIZING THE MOTOR'S EFFICIENCY.

THE MOTOR HAS TO BE AS EFFICIENT AND POWERFUL AS POSSIBLE

TO BOOST THE THREE-CYLINDER ENGINE

AND GIVE THE VEHICLE THE POWER OUTPUT OF A SUPERCAR.

NEXT, A TEAM OF ROBOTS BUILD THE ROTORS.

THEY ARE COMPOSED OF SIX DISCS.

EACH DISC HAS 12 SMALL MAGNETS AND 12 LARGE ONES.

THE COMPLETED ROTOR WILL HAVE A TOTAL OF 144 MAGNETS.

THE ROBOTS OFFSET THE MAGNETS AS THEY INSERT THEM INTO THE DISCS,

CREATING A SEAMLESS TRANSITION BETWEEN MAGNETIC FIELDS.

THIS IS SO THE MOTOR WILL RUN SMOOTHLY.

ONCE THE ROBOTS HAVE ALIGNED THE DISCS AND JOINED THEM TOGETHER,

THEY ARE HEATED TO 150 DEGREES IN AN OVEN.

HEATING THE DISCS EXPANDS THE CENTRAL BORE,

MAKING IT EASIER TO INSERT THE ROTOR SHAFT.

THE ROTOR SHAFT HAS BEEN COOLED WITH LIQUID NITROGEN

TO NEGATIVE 190 DEGREES.

THE STATOR, ROTOR, AND THE INNER AND OUTER HOUSING

COME TOGETHER TO FORM THE MOTOR.

BMW CALLS THIS THE eMachine.

A TECHNICIAN WORKS WITH A ROBOT

TO INSTALL THE POWER ELECTRONICS ON THE FINISHED eMachine.

THIS WORK IS CARRIED OUT AT FOUR DIFFERENT ASSEMBLY STATIONS.

THE STATIONS ARE DESIGNED ACCORDING TO BMW's SLOGAN

"TODAY FOR TOMORROW."

BECAUSE OF GERMANY'S AGING POPULATION

AND DIMINISHING POOL OF SKILLED LABORERS,

BMW HAS BEGUN TO CREATE STATIONS

THAT CAN ACCOMMODATE WORKERS OF OLDER AGES.

THE WORKSTATION IS ERGONOMICALLY CUSTOM-TAILORED

TO EACH AND EVERY WORKER.

A TECHNICIAN CAN ADJUST THE ROBOT

TO HIS OR HER INDIVIDUAL WORKING HEIGHT

OR ALTER ITS POSITION

WHILE WORKING ON THE BOTTOM OR SIDES OF THE eMachine.

Narrator: BMW HAS CREATED A SPECIAL STRUCTURE

FOR THEIR "i" SERIES CALLED LifeDrive.

BMW CLAIMS THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE ARCHITECTURE

DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

ASSEMBLY OF THE i8 TAKES PLACE IN LEIPZIG, GERMANY.

BMW HAS 30 PRODUCTION FACILITIES SPREAD THROUGHOUT 14 COUNTRIES.

THE LEIPZIG PLANT SPECIALIZES IN

BUILDING THE COMPANY'S LIGHTWEIGHT CARS

THAT HAVE ALTERNATIVE DRIVE SYSTEMS.

TRUE TO ITS INNOVATIVE FOCUS, THE PLANT HAS FOUR WIND TURBINES

THAT PRODUCE A TOTAL POWER OUTPUT OF 10 MEGAWATTS.

THAT'S MORE THAN ENOUGH POWER

TO PRODUCE THE COMPANY'S ELECTRIC CARS.

HERE, TECHNICIANS ARE PUTTING TOGETHER

THE REAR DRIVETRAIN UNIT.

THEY START BY LOWERING THE THREE-CYLINDER ENGINE

ONTO A PURPOSE-BUILT ALUMINUM FRAME.

BUILT AT BMW's HAMS HALL PLANT IN THE U.K.,

THE ENGINE FEATURES THE COMPANY'S PROPRIETARY

TwinPower TURBO TECHNOLOGY.

THE ENGINE IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING 231 HORSEPOWER.

NEXT, THE WORKERS INSTALL

THE CAR'S REAR BRAKING AND SUSPENSION SYSTEM.

THE REAR CHASSIS TECHNOLOGY INCLUDES A FIVE-LENGTH REAR AXLE

WITH ALUMINUM COMPONENTS

ENGINEERED FOR OPTIMAL WEIGHT AND STRENGTH.

THIS, ALONG WITH THE DOUBLE WISHBONE AXLE IN THE FRONT,

ALLOWS THE i8's SUSPENSION

TO PROVIDE AN EXTREMELY SMOOTH RIDE.

TO COMPLETE THE REAR DRIVE UNIT,

TECHNICIANS INSTALL A SOUND ABSORBER.

BMW's ASSEMBLY OF THE i8

FEATURES PARALLEL STEPS ALONG A SINGLE ASSEMBLY LINE.

ONE TEAM BUILDS THE REAR DRIVE UNIT

WHILE THE OTHER TEAM FOCUSES ON THE FRONT AND PASSENGER MODULES.

A PORTION OF THE CAR'S DRIVE MODULES ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM.

THIS HELPS REDUCE THE i8's OVERALL WEIGHT.

THE ELECTRIC MOTOR IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED

TO THE POWER ELECTRONICS,

CUTTING DOWN ON WIRING AND WEIGHT EVEN FURTHER.

AT THIS STATION, WORKERS FINISH ASSEMBLING THE FRONT AXLE

WITH THE CAR'S ELECTRIC MOTOR.

THE ELECTRIC MOTOR DEVELOPS POWER AS THE CAR ACCELERATES.

THIS MOTOR IS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR THE "i" SERIES.

IT FEATURES OPTIMIZED ARRANGEMENT

AND DIMENSIONS OF THE TORQUE-PRODUCING COMPONENTS.

THIS POWERHOUSE GENERATES

SOMETHING CALLED RELUCTANCE TORQUE,

WHICH ALLOWS IT TO CONTINUE CHURNING OUT TORQUE

AT HIGH REVS.

NO ELECTRIC VEHICLE IS COMPLETE

WITHOUT THE ALL-IMPORTANT BATTERY.

THE i8's HIGH-VOLTAGE LITHIUM-ION PACK

RUNS DOWN THE CENTER OF THE CAR.

IT HAS A GROSS CAPACITY OF 5.2 KILOWATT HOURS

AND DIRECT REFRIGERANT COOLING.

THE HIGHLY-SPECIALIZED PACKAGING AND ASSEMBLY OF THE BATTERY

REQUIRES MORE THAN 20 ROBOTS AND 400 ASSEMBLY STEPS

AT THE BMW PLANT IN DINGOLFING, GERMANY.

THE REAR DRIVE UNIT ARRIVES WITH ITS THREE-CYLINDER ENGINE.

THE DRIVE UNIT FEATURES PRECISION DIRECT INJECTION,

TURBOCHARGING, AND VARIABLE VALVE LIFT CONTROL.

IT HAS THE HIGHEST OUTPUT OF ANY ENGINE

PRODUCED BY THE BMW GROUP.

WORKERS ASSEMBLE THE FAN ROTOR, WATERCOOLER,

AND CLIMATE CONDENSER OF THE COOLER UNIT.

THEY CONNECT ALL OF THE REMAINING CABLES AND FEEDS.

THIS FINISHES THE ASSEMBLY OF THE DRIVETRAIN MODULE.

HERE WE SEE THE COMPLETED DRIVE ELEMENT

OF THE LifeDrive ARCHITECTURE.

WITH AN INTELLIGENT ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM,

THE i8's DRIVETRAIN CAN PRODUCE

A REMARKABLE BLEND OF POWER AND EFFICIENCY.

ALL OF THE DRIVE COMPONENTS ARE SECURELY HOUSED

IN THE LOWER SECTION OF THE i8,

SO THERE'S NO TRANSMISSION TUNNEL

RUNNING THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE CAR.

THIS LEAVES MORE ROOM FOR THE PASSENGERS UP ABOVE

IN AN AREA THAT BMW LIKES TO CALL THE LIFE MODULE.

Narrator: BMW CALLS THE PASSENGER AREA OF THE CAR THE LIFE MODULE.

IT'S MADE OF CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC, OR CFRP.

THIS MATERIAL IS 50% LIGHTER THAN STEEL

AND 30% LIGHTER THAN ALUMINUM.

TECHNICIANS MOVE THE CFRP LIFE MODULES FORWARD

ON THE PRODUCTION LINE

TO PREPARE THEM FOR INSTALLING

THE WIRING HARNESS AND DASHBOARD.

THE COCKPIT OF THE i8 HAS A MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY

THAT CAN BE TAILORED TO THE CUSTOMER'S SPECIFICATIONS.

THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAY CHANGES

DEPENDING ON THE DRIVING MODE,

FEATURING THREE-DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICS

AND DYNAMIC RANGE DISPLAY.

IT EVEN HAS GRAPHICS THAT HELP THE DRIVER

WITH CHARGING THE CAR'S BATTERY.

A WORKER INSTALLS THE BRAINS OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT --

THE BODY-DOMAIN-CONTROL UNIT.

THERE'S A LOT TO KEEP TRACK OF IN THE i8,

FROM THE HEATED SEATS AND MIRRORS TO THE REAR-VIEW CAMERA.

THE AIRBAG-CONTROL UNIT

IS HIDDEN INSIDE THE CENTER CONSOLE.

THE BMW i8 COMES WITH FRONT, SIDE, AND HEAD CURTAIN AIRBAGS,

AS WELL AS INERTIA-REEL SEATBELTS

WITH BELT FORCE LIMITERS

AND ISOFIX CHILD SEAT ATTACHMENT POINTS.

WORKERS INSTALL THE WINDSHIELD.

ROBOTS HAVE ALREADY PREPARED IT WITH A DEFINED BOND SEAM.

THE i8 IS THE FIRST PRODUCTION CAR

TO FEATURE CHEMICALLY-HARDENED GLASS.

IT'S A PRODUCT MOSTLY SEEN ON SMARTPHONES.

ACOUSTIC SHEETING SANDWICHED BETWEEN

TWO LAYERS OF ULTRATHIN HARDENED GLASS

RESULTS IN A MATERIAL THAT'S 50% LIGHTER

THAN CONVENTIONAL LAMINATED GLASS.

TECHNICIANS ATTACH THE FRONT SECTION OF THE LIFE MODULE

WITH JUST EIGHT SCREWS AND ADHESIVE BONDING.

THE LIFE MODULE INCLUDES

A CRASH-ACTIVATED ALUMINUM STRUCTURE

THAT DISTRIBUTES THE FORCE OF IMPACT.

THIS CONTRIBUTES TO THE i8's EXCELLENT SAFETY RATING.

THE CARBON FIBER REINFORCED PLASTIC

OF THE PASSENGER CELL

PLAYS AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE CAR'S OVERALL SAFETY RATING,

AS WELL.

THE OUTER SKIN OF THE GULL-WING DOORS IS MADE OF ALUMINUM,

AND THE INNER STRUCTURE CONSISTS OF CFRP.

BMW WAS ABLE TO DESIGN VERY LARGE DOOR OPENINGS

BECAUSE OF THE REMARKABLE STRENGTH OF THE CFRP.

CFRP HAS A LATTICE PATTERN.

TECHNICIANS CAN WORK IT ALMOST LIKE A TEXTILE

BEFORE IT'S INJECTED WITH RESIN.

WITH CAREFUL POSITIONING OF THE FIBER,

THEY CAN CREATE AN INCREDIBLY LIGHTWEIGHT MATERIAL

THAT'S AS DURABLE AS STEEL.

TECHNICIANS NOW RAISE THE LIFE CELL

IN ORDER TO INSTALL SOUND AND THERMAL INSULATION MATERIALS.

SOUND IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE i8.

BMW CHOSE SPECIFIC BUILDING MATERIALS

FOR THEIR LIGHTWEIGHT AND SOUND-ABSORBING PROPERTIES.

THE CAR IS ALREADY QUIET THANKS TO ITS ELECTRIC MOTOR.

IT CAN POWER THE CAR IN A NEARLY SOUNDLESS, ALL-ELECTRIC MODE.

THE PASSENGER CELL IS READY TO MEET ITS DRIVETRAIN.

TECHNICIANS BRING THE TWO MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE CAR TOGETHER

TO UNITE THEM INTO A SINGLE CAR.

THEY BOLT THE TWO MODULES TOGETHER WITH JUST 22 SCREWS.

THE BATTERY IS PLACED BENEATH THE PASSENGER CELL,

GIVING THE i8 AN EXTREMELY LOW CENTER OF GRAVITY.

THIS, TOGETHER WITH THE CAR'S

CAREFULLY CALCULATED 50/50 WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION,

CONTRIBUTES TO A PRECISION DRIVING EXPERIENCE.

THE FACT THAT YOU CAN PLUG THE i8

INTO A CONVENTIONAL WALL SOCKET TO CHARGE UP ITS BATTERY

MAKES IT A TRULY UNIQUE CAR,

ONE THAT BALANCES ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

WITH THE NEED FOR SPEED.

Narrator: IN ADDITION TO ALL ITS CUTTING-EDGE INNOVATIONS,

THE i8 IS STILL A BMW.

ITS INTERIOR UPHOLSTERY, EXTERIOR PANELING, AND WHEELS

EVOKE THE COMPANY'S SIGNATURE LOOK.

THE MOTTO OF THE i8 SERIES IS INTELLIGENT, LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN.

THE BULK OF THE i8's EXTERIOR PANELING

IS MADE OF MOLDED THERMOPLASTIC,

AN EXTREMELY LIGHTWEIGHT, RUST-FREE MATERIAL.

ONLY THE HOOD AND OUTER SKIN OF THE DOORS ARE MADE OF ALUMINUM.

THE i8 ACHIEVES AN IMPRESSIVE DRAG COEFFICIENT OF 0.26

THANKS TO FEATURES LIKE AN AIR FLAP CONTROL SYSTEM,

A SEALED UNDERBODY, CONTOURED SIDE SKIRTS,

AND AIR DUCTS BETWEEN THE REAR LIGHTS AND ROOF FRAME.

THE i8 COMES STANDARD WITH 20-INCH FORGED ALUMINUM WHEELS.

BUT CUSTOMERS CAN CHOOSE FROM A VARIETY OF OPTIONS,

INCLUDING MIXED SIZES FOR THE FRONT AND REAR.

THE TIRES HAVE BEEN OPTIMIZED FOR AERODYNAMIC EFFICIENCY.

THEIR LOW ROLLING RESISTANCE

MEANS THE CAR NEEDS LESS ENERGY TO MOVE.

ONCE THE WHEEL INSTALLER HAS FINISHED,

A SECOND TECHNICIAN SCANS A BARCODE ON THE WHEEL

TO RECORD THAT THIS TASK HAS BEEN COMPLETED.

AND WITH THAT,

THE CAR SLOWLY TOUCHES THE GROUND FOR THE FIRST TIME.

WITH THE HELP OF A HOIST, WORKERS LOWER THE HOOD IN PLACE.

THE HOOD FEATURES THE V-SHAPED BEGINNING

OF THE i8's SIGNATURE BLACK BELT.

THIS BELT EXTENDS BACK OVER THE ROOF

TO THE REAR SECTION OF THE CAR.

THIS BMW i8 IS FINALLY READY TO ROLL.

A WORKER TRIES OUT THE STEERING

AND DRIVES THE CAR TO THE FINAL TESTING STATIONS,

WHERE TECHNICIANS CHECK THAT THE CAR

MEETS ALL THE REQUIRED PARAMETERS.

IN TRUE SPORTS-CAR STYLE,

THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIT LOW IN THE i8's SEATS.

EXPOSED CARBON FIBER AROUND THE OPEN DOOR FRAME

IS A REMINDER OF THE CAR'S LIGHTWEIGHT CONSTRUCTION.

THE CENTER CONSOLE HOUSES THE GEAR SELECTOR,

iDrive OPERATING SYSTEM CONTROLLER,

START-STOP BUTTON,

AND THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE CONTROL SWITCH.

IN ADDITION TO THE i8's

HIGH-VOLTAGE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY,

IT ALSO HAS A 12-VOLT BATTERY FOUND IN CONVENTIONAL CARS.

IT'S TIME TO CHARGE IT UP.

THE DRIVER USES A BMW-DESIGNED OPTION CALLED A WALLBOX.

THIS DEVICE CAN CHARGE AN EMPTY BATTERY TO 80% OF ITS CAPACITY

IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS.

BMW OFFERS A PACKAGE CALLED 360° ELECTRIC

THAT INCLUDES WALLBOX INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE.

THE PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDES BESPOKE MOBILITY SERVICES

THAT LINKS THE OWNER'S DIGITAL DEVICES TO THEIR CAR.

THIS ALLOWS FOR DATA TRANSFER BETWEEN CAR AND DRIVER,

MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO PERFORM FUNCTIONS

LIKE REMOTE BATTERY CHARGING.

FOR THE UPHOLSTERY,

THEY USE OLIVE LEAF EXTRACT TO TAN THE LEATHER.

THIS METHOD CREATES NONE OF THE ENVIRONMENTALLY-DAMAGING WASTE

THAT CONVENTIONAL TANNING METHODS DO.

THIS IS JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF BMW's OBJECTIVE

OF CREATING A TRULY ECO-CONSCIOUS VEHICLE,

THE SUSTAINABLE SUPERCAR.