What Would It Take To Make the BMW 4219ELi?

[Endersmens]

The BMW 4219ELi is a BMW concept car that was designed purely per request of a four year old named Eli. A picture is linked below. It has 19 Porsche engines, each producing 459BHP. It has 7 Axles, each with six wheels. It has all wheel drive, and all of the engines are hooked up to one transmission. My question is, would it be physically possible to build it today? Or in the near future? The most obvious problem is routing over 8000BHP from 19 different sources into one transmission. The next biggest problem is transferring power from that transmission to all 7 axles somewhat evenly. Steering would be a bit of a problem, although I suspect the car would never be thought of as a nimble one. I would assume the front three axles would all steer. Fuel use would be absolutely nuts. Oh and I forgot the last part of Eli's request, that there be three steering wheels and three people can drive it at once. (methinks Eli watched The Cat in the Hat before dreaming up this car)

Well, what do you guys think? Possible? Near future? Far future? I think it would be an awesome project and engineering feat. Pointless? Maybe. But it would make Eli very happy, and would be a very fun and tough project for BMW engineers.  

 

[LN400]

As for steering, the specs requirements from the customer included 3 steering wheels. That would make for some interesting driving. I love whacked out ideas like that, and the fact that BMW's designers took up the challenge to design it, is pretty darn cool.

As for building it, I have VERY limited knowledge of cars but actual production? I just don't see how that is technologically plausible, if only for the 3 drivers thing alone. As a model? Oh hell yes!

[Endersmens]

Just now, LN400 said:

As for steering, the specs requirements from the customer included 3 steering wheels. That would make for some interesting driving. I love whacked out ideas like that, and the fact that BMW's designers took up the challenge to design it, is pretty darn cool.

As for building it, I have VERY limited knowledge of cars but actual production? I just don't see how that is technologically plausible, if only for the 3 drivers thing alone. As a model? Oh hell yes!

I would assume a computer would be involved, and that none of the steering wheels would be directly hooked up to the steering. Some sort of program to average the inputs of whichever steering wheels are active. Of course it won't be produced, I was asking about building one and only one. Just as a engineering challenge.  

[Tex_NL]

A car that 'looks' like this should definitely be technologically possible. And it would drive and steer reasonable well.
But 19 engines, three steering wheels and three wheels per axle? WTF, three per axle? I don't think that's actually feasible.

[YNM]

1. Rip off truck axle

2. Add more wheels (via PTO probably)

3. Fit in a good few huge (I really mean huge, a truck can have 16 litre engine) V8 engines in

4. Give a proper bodywork

5. Find someone willing to buy it

Also, get Jeremy Clarkson in it. And the Stig.

Probably used for military, not so much for racing XD

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by YNM
some more crazy points

[Endersmens]

36 minutes ago, Tex_NL said:

A car that 'looks' like this should definitely be technologically possible. And it would drive and steer reasonable well.
But 19 engines, three steering wheels and three wheels per axle? WTF, three per axle? I don't think that's actually feasible.

Not three per axle, 6 per axle, 3 on each side. Semi trucks and trailers already do this with four per axle. It's not much different than one wheel, they're pretty much just one big wheel. They're bolted together. They're just like that so if you lose one tire there's always another on that side to hold it up. For the BMW it would just be about having more tire to grip the road with. The three wheels on each side would be locked together and would function as one very wide tire pretty much.

 

As for 19 engines, I've actually been brainstorming a way this could work. As well as the transmission. As long as all engines are kept at the same RPM as each other engine, it could totally work. I'll think on it some more and post my brainstorm later.  

Edited March 12, 2016 by Endersmens

[YNM]

3 minutes ago, Endersmens said:

As for 19 engines, I've actually been brainstorming a way this could work. As well as the transmission. As long as all engines are kept at the same RPM as each other engine, it could totally work. I'll think on it some more and post my brainstorm later.  

Some sport electric cars have been putting in independent motors for each wheels. Now to take it to the extreme... Probably only 4 engines, but equal displacement (and hopefully equal power) to 5 porsche engines each ?

[Endersmens]

Just now, YNM said:

Some sport electric cars have been putting in independent motors for each wheels. Now to take it to the extreme... Probably only 4 engines, but equal displacement (and hopefully equal power) to 5 porsche engines each ?

That would break the "All engines routed through one transmission" requirement wouldn't it? Or am I misunderstanding? 

[Tex_NL]

8 minutes ago, Endersmens said:

Not three per axle, 6 per axle, 3 on each side.
...

The images talks about 3 per axle so I wondered how they'd manage that. Being a truck driver myself I am very familiar with double tires. Three on each side makes indeed a lot more sense.
Still, without making the car insanely wide three wheels on each side leaves very little room in between for the drive train. Let alone the steering.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Tex_NL

[YNM]

1 minute ago, Endersmens said:

That would break the "All engines routed through one transmission" requirement wouldn't it? Or am I misunderstanding? 

That would be the world's best traction control. Probably not living the dream, but hey, it works waay better...

Edited March 12, 2016 by YNM

[Endersmens]

Just now, Tex_NL said:

The images talks about 3 per axle so my wondered how they'd manage that. Being a truck driver myself I am very familiar with double tires. Three on each side makes indeed a lot more sense.
Still, without making the car insanely wide three wheels on each side leaves very little room in between for the drive train. Let alone the steering.

Yeah, the image caption is a bit misleading. But my dad has driven a truck since 1999, when I was 11 months old, and I've been riding with him since 1999, when I was 11 months old.  The car is very much wide, if you notice how much the back section sticks out from the door, the front sticks out just as much.

3 minutes ago, YNM said:

That would be the world's best traction control.

Who needs traction control when you have 42-wheel drive?  

Also, remember, this is a concept that was imagined by a four year old. BMW just took it a step further and designed a concept for him. I'm sure they didn't consider possibility of actually making it when they rendered the concept.  

[StrandedonEarth]

I imagine the axles would end up looking something like this, with shorter, skinnier tires to fit 6:

This guy carried the axles around in a shoebox!

[YNM]

23 minutes ago, Endersmens said:

Who needs traction control when you have 42-wheel drive?

Erm, for going through Paris-Dakkar ? Or people's houses ?

 

But yeah, that ELi series is certainly the dream of crazy petrolheads it seems. Wonder the fuel economy... And don't drive these into a cul-de-sac.

Edited March 12, 2016 by YNM

[Endersmens]

My favorite part is the ELi designation. Extra Long series, gas engines. (BMW vehicle designations end with i if they run on gas, like 330i and such) It's really cool that they fit his name into it like that Also 4219 is 42 wheels 19 engines. So the designation speaks for itself.  

[LN400]

Just occured to me this. If you want multiple engines, perhaps talk to a tractor pull guy. Some of them have made some pretty insane tractors like

 

[Scotius]

I wonder how much gasoline this monstrosity would burn? I'd imagine this car would have to tow its own external fuel tank.