BMW has officially submitted plans for an electric turbo to the the German patent office, suggesting the technology could become a reality in the not-too-distant future. In fact, the next-generation M3 could arrive with the technology sometime in 2014.
Working in tandem with a larger, conventional turbo, the electric unit use a small electric motor to power its turbine during the transition from idle to load, which
BMW says greatly reduces the phenomenon known as turbo lag
