The luxury German automaker based in Bavaria, BMW, has just officially unveiled what will be the company’s MotoGP safety car for the competition season of 2015. The car used here is an upgraded version of the company’s M4 Coupe. Of course, in order to carry out its job as a safety car for the MotoGP competition, the car has to be equipped with advanced technologies and this is just what BMW has done.
The German company has unveiled that the M4 in question is well equipped with a water injection system, which is a newly developed technology for automobiles. This system, as pointed out by the engineers of the company’s M division, will significantly increase the performance of the car while at the same time saving fuel as well.
This can be possibly be achieved by reducing the combustion air temperature. To do that, the luxury German automaker decides to inject a fine water spray into the available collector. This will then lower the knocking tendency of the engine. As a result, the point of ignition will get closer to what is considered to be an optimum value.
Consequently, the entire combustion process becomes more efficient. After all, cool air tends to increase the oxygen that is contained within the combustion chamber, resulting in higher air pressure in the combustion process. This, in turn, improves the overall torque and performance of the vehicle. Additionally, the components will have a lower thermal strain, increasing their total lifetime.
This water injection system stores water in a 5L frost resistant tank at the trunk of the vehicle. In addition to the tank, the trunk of the BMW M4 MotoGP safety car also has a water pump in addition to electronically controlled valves and sensors. The pump functions to deliver water to the injectors but the water volume provided will depend on a number of factors, including the engine load, temperature and speed. However, BMW warns that it is crucial to refill the water tank before any rigorous action starts taking place at the racetrack. However, if the water injection system is used on public roads under normal driving conditions, the tank will only need to be refilled about every 5 times the car comes to a stop for a refuel. No extra maintenance is required in this case.
Interestingly enough, BMW announces that it will soon apply this particular water injection system onto its mass production vehicle models.
