Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2013: designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec present a courtyard installation of rotating cork platforms for car brand BMW i (+ slideshow).

Called Quiet Motion, the project for BMW’s electric car division comprises four carousel-like structures with strips of fabric hanging from the edges, linked by wide circular cork platforms that are also revolving.

Visitors can climb inside the curtains of textiles and relax as the world slowly passes round them: “You are invited to take part in it and be part of the movement,” explains Erwan Bouroullec.

The Bouroullec brothers believe that as electric engines make cars quieter, the driving experience and the interior design of vehicles should become simplified and more relaxing.

“We tried to interpret what it means to have an electric cars,” he continues. “What we propose with this installation is to say that motion, movement, energy in general should probably be quieter, softer and something which is less about speed and aggression.”

They combined materials common to car design – bodywork paint and leather – with materials more usually associated with furniture and interiors, like cork and fabrics.

“We are more and more surrounded by materials that look fake,” says Bouroullec. “In the furniture industry you use less materials and fewer components. I think car interiors have to come back to materials that are more clear, more simple, and more understood by the people and customers.”

The installation will be on show at Facoltà Teologica dell’Italia Settentrionale, Via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro 3, 20121 Milan from tomorrow.

The Bouroullecs will also present an aluminium sideboard for Italian brand Magis and an update to their Steelwood chair at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in the city this week. See all our stories about design by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

BMW i is the sustainable sub-brand of BMW – check out their folding electric scooter and two electric concept cars or see all our stories about BMW car design.

See all our stories about Milan 2013 »
See our Milan 2013 map »

The post Quiet Motion by Ronan and Erwan
Bouroullec for BMW i appeared first on Dezeen.

Car brand BMW has designed a folding electric bicycle.

The BMW i Pedelec Concept is designed specifically to match the i3 Concept car launched in September last year, and two of them will fit side by side in its boot. It collapses enough to be wheeled onto public transport and is still slow enough (25 kilometres per hour) not to require a license or insurance.

It can be charged in four hours inside the boot of the car or from a domestic plug socket and the battery has a range of 25 to 40 kilometres.

BMW launched the bike to coincide with the opening of their BMW i Store on London’s Park Lane earlier this summer.

Read more about the i3 Concept car »
See more bicycles on Dezeen »

Here’s some more information from BMW:

BMW i Pedelec Concept: the perfect complement to urban mobility.

BMW i has come up with an innovative two-wheeler, which acts as the perfect complement to the BMW i3 Concept and adds a new and convenient layer to personal mobility, particularly in urban areas. The new BMW i Pedelec (Pedal Electric Cycle) Concept is a compact bicycle fitted with an electric motor that tops up the rider’s muscle power with an extra dose of torque. And that means the rider can get to other parts of town even more quickly and effortlessly – and without breaking into a sweat. The BMW i Pedelec Concept can be folded up almost in the blink of an eye and, handily, there is room for two of them in the boot of the BMW i3 Concept. Plus, their batteries can be recharged while they’re in there.

Like the BMW i3, the BMW i Pedelec Concept is a thoroughly high-tech form of personal transport. Advanced componentry – such as disc brakes at the front and rear, a three-speed gear hub integrated into the motor, a lightweight frame made (like the BMW i3 Concept) from aluminium and carbon fibre, a torquey electric motor complete with electronic management system and high-performance battery, and a clever folding mechanism – make this motor-assisted bicycle an extremely practical transportation solution. As well as its impressive riding and packing characteristics, the BMW i Pedelec Concept can also be converted in a matter of seconds to offer a handy pushing mode, which allows it to be rolled and steered and therefore taken on public transport at no extra cost, saving the rider the effort of having to carry it around.

Because the electric hub motor only assists the rider’s pedalling up to 25 km/h (16 mph), the BMW i Pedelec Concept does not need to be insured or registered, no licence is required to use it, and the rider does not have to wear a helmet. Depending on the nature of the route, rider’s weight and degree of motor assistance utilised, a full battery charge will give a range of 25 – 40 kilometres (16 – 25 miles). Under braking and when riding downhill, the hub motor acts as a generator and supplies the battery with energy. It takes just four hours – or 1.5 hours on a quick charge – for the empty battery to be fully recharged, either from a domestic plug socket or inside the boot of the BMW i3 Concept.

The post BMW i Pedelec
Concept appeared first on Dezeen.

The BMW Venture concept transforms from from a urban-commuting subcompact to  racy sportster with just the press of a button. Retracted, it’s the perfect size for zipping around the city, but extending the swing arm and front wheels gives a wider stance and added stability as well as a hot-rod style front end that adds to it’s striking aesthetic. Its futuristic style has a very subtle touch of retro-style but still maintains a familiar clean, BMW feel.

Designer: Chris Hammersley

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(Transforming Beemer was originally posted on Yanko Design)

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Après les premières images, BMW nous dévoile son nouveau concept car. Un véhicule aux lignes splendides représentant la voiture de sport du futur. Avec des hautes performances mais surtout un design incroyable, ce modèle à couper le souffle est à découvrir dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• Audi E-Tron Spyder
• Ecco Vehicle
• Renault Twizy Campaign

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Car brand BMW will present two sustainable concept cars under their new BMW i sub-brand at the Frankfurt Motor Show later this month.

The BMW Concept i3 is the first premium electric plug-in city car, while the i8 Concept is a hybrid plug-in and combustion engine sports car.

i3 and i8 production models will be available from 2013.

Past BMW concept cars include the textile covered, shape-shifting GINA and Vision EfficientDynamics.

We filmed an interview with BMW designer Nader Faghihzadeh earlier this year – watch it on Dezeen Screen.

The Frankfurt Motor Show takes place 15-25 September.

Here’s some text from BMW:

BMW at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA)

The mobility of the future requires a new balance between global requirements and the needs of the individual. Solutions are needed to provide individual but above all, sustainable mobility. The BMW Group recognised this need and now presents vehicles under the sub-brand BMW i which open new avenues, specifically responding to changing customer needs and combining inspiring design and a new perception of the term premium, strongly characterised by sustainability. BMW i takes a holistic, all-encompassing approach: with its customised vehicle concepts, sustainability defining the entire the value chain and supplementary mobility services, BMW i is rewriting the concept of individual mobility.

Two remarkable vehicle concepts.

The BMW i sub-brand presents two special concept vehicles at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA): the BMW i3 Concept and the BMW i8 Concept. They demonstrate how the future of sustainable and yet dynamic mobility might look. While the BMW i3 Concept is purely electrically powered and thus optimally equipped for the city, the plug-in hybrid model BMW i8 Concept combines the strengths of both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, delivering a high level of dynamic performance.

The BMW i3 Concept, which was dubbed the Megacity Vehicle during the development stage, precisely defines as the first purely electrically powered BMW Group production car the future challenges of mobility in urban environments. And as the first premium electric vehicle it interprets the pioneering attributes typical of the BMW brand. With four seats, doors which open wide from the middle of the vehicle, a luggage capacity of around

200 litres and an additional compartment, the BMW i3 Concept has proven to be ideal for everyday use.

Configured as a 2+2 seater, the BMW i8 Concept presents itself as a sports car of the latest generation: progressive, intelligent and innovative. Its unique plug-in hybrid design combines an internal combustion engine and an electric drive, resulting in an exceptional driving experience – with extremely low fuel consumption and emissions.

See also:

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Vision EfficientDynamics by BMW	GINA Light Visionary Model by BMW	BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons