BMW's "Brake Energy Regeneration" technology

Autospies says that they've gotten their hands on the first picture of "BMW regenerative brake technology in action on a USA model" (a 550i GT). Well, we're interested in the technology, but something about the Celsius temperature gauge and the kilometer label tells us that maybe this is a Eurospec dash. Whatever the case, one nifty feature of the way BMW's system works is that the alternator disengages until the vehicle slows down. This way, efficiency is increased because the freewheeling alternator doesn't draw power when it's not needed. An Absorption Glass Mat (AGM) battery helps provide power when needed if the car isn't slowing down. You can learn more about the system here. Thanks to Agent001 for the tip!

[Source: AutoSpies]