NASA to Help BMW With Efficiency

When it comes to improving a car’s mileage and power consumption, the answer for BMW lies in space, sort of. The luxury automaker is looking to NASA for efficiency solutions, adding thermoelectric generators similar to those used on satellites. Though BMW’s version obviously lacks nuclear power, the generators pull heat exhaust from the engine to generate up to 200W of power. In addition to powering secondary electrical systems, this increases fuel efficiency by 5 percent. For NASA, I imagine this private consulting gig will result in much-needed cash during a time when taxpayer spending is under the microscope. Look for the space-inspired Bimmer in 2014. [CAR via CrunchGear]