Boom!
That’s the sound of another round being fired in the electric vehicle war, and it’s a big one: BMW is getting in on the action in a big way. The Germans are rolling into the Detroit auto show next month with the slick Concept ActiveE and hinting it might see production. It looks mighty close to being showroom-ready as it is.
The Concept ActiveE is the latest car out of Project i, BMW’s campaign to to develop low-emission city cars and a sustainable means of producing them. It follows the Mini E electric car out the door, and looks like a far more practical automobile even with the garish graphics.
ActiveE is based on the BMW 1-Series small cars. BMW says it is a continuation of the company’s green R&D activities and says it promises “CO2-free mobility.” Yes, yes, we know — at the tailpipe.
When BMW pulled out of Formula 1, many people scoffed when said the reason for quitting was to dedicate those resources to developing cleaner, greener cars using what it learned on the track. But BMW might have been right. We’ve seen a slew of cool hardware from BMW, including the Vision Efficientdynamics Concept and an ultra-efficient diesel, and continued field tests of the Mini E in Europe and America. And now, with the BMW Concept ActiveE, it looks like BMW is on the cusp of taking on rides like the Nissan Leaf electric car and Toyota’s new plug-in Prius.
The rear wheel drive ActiveE promises to be a fun driver that packs a slew of interesting technology. It’s propelled by a new synchronous motor cranking out 125 kilowatts (170 horsepower) and 184 pound-feet of torque. Juice is stored in a lithium-ion battery pack (of undisclosed size) BMW developed with SB LiMotive. Said battery is said to feature a new stable temperature regulation function to optimize performance.
ActiveE tips the scales at 1,800 kilos (3,900 pounds), which is a bit tubby for a car of its size but not terribly so for an EV. BMW says it kept the center of gravity low and evened out the weight distribution. Combined with the rear wheel drive platform, BMW says, ActiveE “has everything it requires to provide the dynamic driving properties and agile handling in the style of the BMW 1 Series.”
BMW says the little EV should accelerate from zero to 60 km/h (37 mph) in less than 4.5 seconds and do zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in less than 9. Top speed is limited to 145 km/h (90 mph). BMW says real-world range is about 160 km / 100 miles, depending on conditions. Flog it like a proper BMW and you’ll probably see less.
Charging of the lithium-ion battery pack is handled via conventional power outlets or a special wall box. In Europe, the battery pack can be fully charged at a 50 ampere high-current power outlet in as little as 3 hours. And in North America, using a 32 ampere continuous high-current residential wall box, the charge time is around 4.5 hours.
And just everybody will know how cool you are, BMW has added some styling elements. That color is called “Liquid White metallic,” and while it looks sharp the “Electric Blue” circuit graphics are garish. We do like the alloy wheels.
On the inside there’s the usual design tweaks like leather seats with embossed graphics and blue accentuated seams as well as body-color interior accents. The instrument panel does away with the usual gauges and displays found in cars with gas engines and now features display items specific to electric drive.
Look for a production version at the Paris auto show in September. Autoweek says BMW plans to lease the ActiveE to selected customers by the end of the year, which is the same model it followed for the Mini-E. It’s basically a big R&D project to further refine the technology before offering it to the masses. No word on what the ActiveE will cost, but the monthly lease on the Mini-E runs $850 a month. Figure you’ll pay about the same for the ActiveE.
Photos: BMW
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