Designworks to Focus on Smogless Vehicles

Designworks/USA, BMW’s industrial design and product development center in Newbury Park, has joined with its parent company and the CALSTART advanced transportation consortium to launch an intensified effort to produce low-emission vehicles.

A workshop held late last month at Designworks’ headquarters may result in several working partnerships between the German auto maker and California concerns seeking to develop environmentally friendly cars, event organizers said.

The workshop brought together more than 90 representatives of 50 American, Canadian and German companies.

Hans Herman Braess, research director of Munich-based BMW AG, declared that fuel-efficient, environmentally clean vehicles “are an absolute necessity.” He led a team of 10 BMW engineers who took part in the conference.

Braess said BMW is actively exploring a partnership with CALSTART and its members “to tap the multiple technologies” being developed by members of the Burbank-based consortium.

“We are looking to develop four to five supplier-developer partners in California,” he said. “It’s clear there is tremendous energy, talent and technology being applied here to environmental vehicle products.”

Braess added that BMW hopes to link these efforts with worldwide progress being made in developing advanced new auto power and emission systems.

Michael J. Gage, CALSTART’s president and chief executive, said the workshop was designed to encourage interaction among high-tech consortium members, BMW and the auto maker’s traditional suppliers.

He vowed to help form the partnerships envisioned by Braess.

Executives attending the meeting took part in panels on such topics as energy storage, natural gas, hydrogen, lightweight materials, flywheels, supercapacitors and small gas turbines.