[Waise]

I did not know X7 40i and may be other BMWs have Brake Energy Regeneration system. I thought this was only for EV or hybrid cars. I was looking at the different driving features and graphs on the iDrive, I noticed on one of the screens everytime I braked the car, the "Battery is Charging" message displayed and a picture animating power going to a box, I guess portraying battery.

I did a quick search and this is what I got "During acceleration and whenever possible during other driving the BME alternator is decoupled from the drivetrain, leading to better fuel economy and improved performance."

Is this really the case or this is just an animation on iDrive for a hybrid.

[jcarlilesiu]

I'm not sure. But I can tell you that when I'm driving with eco status on, it showed during coasting like is sending something to the battery.

I have a 50i though.

[thenew3]

From what I understand, it's not a true brake energy recoup system like on EV and Hybrids. There is no electric motor that's recharging the battery with the force from braking. Instead, it's basically detaching the alternator from the engine during normal use, and when you apply the brakes, it then attaches the alternator and uses excess energy (maybe a little bit of engine braking) to charge the battery.

It's basically marketing. Not really going to noticeably affect MPG in real world scenario.

BTW it's not new to the X7, it's been around for years. Back in 2015 when we test drove an X3 before we ordered one for the wife, it had the same brake energy regeneration.

[like2short]

Originally Posted by Waise

I did not know X7 40i and may be other BMWs have Brake Energy Regeneration system. I thought this was only for EV or hybrid cars. I was looking at the different driving features and graphs on the iDrive, I noticed on one of the screens everytime I braked the car, the "Battery is Charging" message displayed and a picture animating power going to a box, I guess portraying battery.

I did a quick search and this is what I got "During acceleration and whenever possible during other driving the BME alternator is decoupled from the drivetrain, leading to better fuel economy and improved performance."

Is this really the case or this is just an animation on iDrive for a hybrid.

It kinda does:.: the alternator mostly only charges when decelerating to save fuel.