An aluminum / magnesium engine block (again, exclusive to BMW), hollow camshafts, plastic camshaft cover, improved combustion chambers, a further evolved Double VANOS, higher fuel
injection pressure, sophisticated engine electronics, an electric coolant pump, a variable -
volume oil pump and an oil / coolant heat exchanger are the other weight - saving features and improvements of this engine
over previous generations.
High -
volume hydraulic fracturing has been combined with horizontal drilling
over the past decade to force oil and natural gas out of shale and other tight geological formations by fracturing the rock with high - pressure
injection of water, sand, and chemicals.