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      11-23-2012, 04:21 PM   #1
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Red face BMW F80 M3 to Run on E85 Ethanol, or So Thinks Its Test Driver. Doh!

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BMW F80 M3 to Run on E85 Ethanol, or So Thinks Its Test Driver. Doh!
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Seeing the 2014 M3 Sedan (F80) in the harsh winter of northern Sweden this time of the year for cold weather testing is no surprise. Nor is seeing the prototype at a gas station being refueled.

But, the type of fuel that this F80 M3 test car was being filled with by its driver was certainly surprising. An astute witness captured these images at a gas station in Kode, Sweden, while witnessing the test driver of the M3 refueling the car with E85 ethanol fuel (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline).

So, is BMW testing an M3 which is powered by ethanol fuel? Seems unlikely. Human error seems to be the cause as the witness described the seemingly confused test driver first grab the wrong fuel pump handle (blue is for ethanol, green is for regular gasoline in Sweden) and then initially look for the fuel door on the wrong side of the car. The driver may also have mistaken the blue pump handle for regular gasoline because 98 octane gas in Germany (where we assume he's from) is marked by a blue handle.

Another (unlikely) possibility may be that the wrong type of fuel is being filled on purpose in order to test the ill effects of it on the F80 M3 engine - a turbo inline 6.

There was no report on the results of this scene, but if this was truly a mistake, we picture a still confused test driver wondering why the M3 prototype's engine is behaving oddly, running rough, and/or being down on power.

Follow our F80 M3 / F82 M4 coverage and news @ http://www.bimmerpost.com/m3/f30m3/


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Via Teknikens Varld

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      11-24-2012, 10:03 AM   #2
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BMW test driver screwing up

Here's hoping that the M3 will cope
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      11-24-2012, 12:49 PM   #3
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Maybe it will have one of these USDM badges on it:



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      11-26-2012, 11:23 AM   #4
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Ouch...
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      11-26-2012, 11:32 AM   #5
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E85 + tri-turbo I-6 = big power

At least, I hope they are testing an E85 map.... or this guy is getting fired.
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      11-26-2012, 11:38 AM   #6
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that stuff will eat seals. can you say hpfp failure.
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      11-26-2012, 11:38 AM   #7
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Why is everyone assuming that this is wrong? Come on now... This is a test mule. BMW sells cars in Brazil and by law the ethanol content there is 25%. How do you know if BMW is not testing special ECU programming to take advantage of pure ethanol?

Hell, the N54 engine in the E90 335i is perfectly happy with E50 fuel blends and proper software!
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      11-26-2012, 11:49 AM   #8
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ohhh my lord... if this thing can run on e85 blends from the factory then I will have a heart attack!!! I think it may be wishful thinking however.
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      11-26-2012, 12:17 PM   #9
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Wouldn't potentially running on E85 (at least as a map flex/fuel), be completely in-line with BMW's focus on improving emissions? Seems that at least exploring the use of E85 is within the realm of plausability.
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      11-26-2012, 12:37 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DASHOCKER
that stuff will eat seals. can you say hpfp failure.
Oh really tell me more about stuff eating seals.
Mabby u should learn about corrosion inhibitors
and the laws passed in 1996 in the US regarding ethanol content in gasoline and the required changes to ALL fuel systems to account for ethanol corrosion.
Just mabby
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      11-26-2012, 12:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vasillalov View Post
Why is everyone assuming that this is wrong? Come on now... This is a test mule. BMW sells cars in Brazil and by law the ethanol content there is 25%. How do you know if BMW is not testing special ECU programming to take advantage of pure ethanol?

Hell, the N54 engine in the E90 335i is perfectly happy with E50 fuel blends and proper software!
Thanks. Who are we to speculate what the hell they're up to, it's test mule!
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      11-26-2012, 12:49 PM   #12
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smooth and fast.
e85. why not.
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      11-26-2012, 12:52 PM   #13
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E85=105 octane...

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      11-26-2012, 01:02 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vasillalov View Post
Why is everyone assuming that this is wrong?
I think primarily because of this account from the scene:

"Human error seems to be the cause as the witness described the seemingly confused test driver first grab the wrong fuel pump handle (blue is for ethanol, green is for regular gasoline in Sweden) and then initially look for the fuel door on the wrong side of the car. The driver may also have mistaken the blue pump handle for regular gasoline because 98 octane gas in Germany (where we assume he's from) is marked by a blue handle."

So, whether or not he meant to select E85 fuel, he was at any rate not altogether sure of himself at the time he made this fuel stop. It could easily have been a mistake.

Quote:
Originally Posted by mhabs View Post
Wouldn't potentially running on E85 (at least as a map flex/fuel), be completely in-line with BMW's focus on improving emissions? Seems that at least exploring the use of E85 is within the realm of plausability.
Emissions may be better (I don't know, honestly), but efficiency is generally worse.

http://ask.cars.com/2008/07/e85-gas-mileage.html

So any decrease in emmisions on a per unit of fuel basis may be negated by the fact that you will probably need more fuel to cover the equivalent distance.

I am sure BMW has explored E85, and probably has ongoing tests involving the alternative fuel. But I have my doubts that the F80 M3 is part of this research.
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      11-26-2012, 01:02 PM   #15
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E85 gets big numbers with turbocharged vehicles with very little modification to be done.......if it's mapped for it!
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      11-26-2012, 01:06 PM   #16
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Hang on a sec. The pump housing shows E85 in green on sticker on the side.
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      11-26-2012, 01:07 PM   #17
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Would be so awesome if it runs on straight E85 !
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      11-26-2012, 01:08 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by img View Post
Would be so awesome if it runs on straight E85 !
I have to agree! Hats off to the BMW engineers.

B,

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      11-26-2012, 01:12 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PUREPHAZED View Post
I have to agree! Hats off to the BMW engineers.

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Would be sick,i hope the fuel delivery system and pumps are built for it
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      11-26-2012, 01:19 PM   #20
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Can we confirm he actually grabbed the handle for e85 and not regular?

There are two handles, and the one he grabbed is blue. The other is a green one and it matches the green E85 sticker on the pump.
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      11-26-2012, 01:35 PM   #21
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You never know, maybe its some kind of a new test to see if the 85 will do any damage to the new engine.
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      11-26-2012, 01:39 PM   #22
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Blue = E75 in winter and E85 in summer.
Green = 95 octane with 5-15%(?) ethanol blend in it.

It would be awesome if it would run on E85! It does have lower energycontent compared to regular fuel but ignition can be optimized alot more. You normally reach MBT-timing without knock!
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