| Make
|
BMW |
| Model |
Concept
ActiveE |
| Concept
year |
2009 |
| Production
year |
- |
| Engine |
electric |
BMW's Efficient Dynamics program has turned out a variety
of different vehicles and technologies all designed to
help reduce environmental impact while retaining all the
sporting dynamics for which the company is famous.
The Concept ActiveE is obviously based on a BMW 1 Series
Coupe platform, and while from the outside the most obvious
change are the new graphics, under the bodywork lies a
full-electric drivetrain.
The BMW Concept ActiveE was developed as part of 'project
i', an offshoot of the Efficient Dynamics program designed
to research and develop electric drivetrains. The concept
is the second prototype vehicle to emerge from project
i, the first was the MINI E. The aim is to test the use
of electric drive for everyday purposes in a vehicle which
offers the driving pleasure which is characteristic of
BMW automobiles.
The BMW Concept ActiveE features the characteristic rear-wheel-drive
of BMW, and a powerful electric drive system for more
than adequate acceleration. It's no rocketship - with
a 0-60 mph time under 9 seconds and a top speed limited
to 90 mph. However for day-to-day use it will easily keep
pace with other vehicles on the road. As with the MINI
E, the real-world range is expected to be about 100 miles
on a single charge, depending on conditions.
Flexible charging technology enables the lithium-ion battery
pack to be recharged by a conventional power outlet at
public charging stations or at a special wall box. On
the European grid, the battery pack can be fully charged
at a high-current power outlet (50 ampere) in as little
as three hours. In North America, using a high-current
(32 ampere continuous) residential wall box, the charge
time is about 4.5 hours.
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