Previewed ahead of the Detroit show, the BMW Concept ActiveE is the second vehicle after the MINI E to be developed as part of BMW’s project i electric vehicles which aim to combine CO2 free mobility with the driving pleasure BMW is famous for. Project i cars are tested by private and select fleet customers and the data and info gathered in the process will be used in the development of EVs under a new sub-brand that will appear in the first half of the next decade.
The 1-Series Coupe based Concept ActiveE is powered by a new synchronous electric motor with 170 bhp and 250 Nm available from standstill (0 rpm). The lithium-ion battery pack jointly developed by BMW and SB LiMotive (a Bosch-Samsung joint venture) has a liquid cooled temperature regulation function that optimises battery performance. The batteries are spread all over the floorpan of the car to lower centre of gravity.
A BMW must be good to drive, and Munich is proud of the Concept ActiveE’s weight-reduced construction and its component arrangement. The electric motor is fully integrated in the rear axle, with the electionics positioned above it. Space used for energy storage would have been taken up by the conventional drivetrain and fuel tank in the standard rear-driven 1-Series so there’s no sacrificing the weight distribution and handling, it is claimed. Kerb weight is quite high at 1800 kg, though.
Acceleration from 0-100 km/h is under 9.0 seconds, with an electronically-limited top speed of 145 km/h. BMW claims a real-world range of about 160 km on a single charge. Batteries can be fully charged at conventional power outlets in as little as three hours in Europe and 4.5 hours in North America.
BMW ConnectedDrive services tailored exclusively EV use is included. It features remote functions which enable the use of a mobile phone to check battery charge status and public charging station locations, among others.
More pics after the jump.
Danny Tan loves driving as much as he loves a certain herbal meat soup, and sweet engine music as much as drum beats. He has been in the auto industry since 2006, previously filling the pages of two motoring magazines before joining this website. Enjoys detailing the experience more than the technical details.
BMW… wow… a cure for sore eyes.
Heavier than Exora?
160+km range…. hopefully battery tech keeps improving.
Bravo BMW. It was a wise decision to ditch F1
and pull all resources in producing ED vehicles!!
The problem with battery is that we cant "abuse" it. Like our hand phones, if we use and charge it too often, the battery performance will drop. Say some driver drive to some where and left only 30% of power, not enough for him to go back. So he charge it there. If he keeps doing that very often, the battery will die in no time. Right? correct me please.
Ya, battery also expansive to replace.
the rim in 6th pic looks like reventon's…
KS said,
December 18, 2009 @ 2:17 am
The problem with battery is that we cant “abuse” it. Like our hand phones, if we use and charge it too often, the battery performance will drop. Say some driver drive to some where and left only 30% of power, not enough for him to go back. So he charge it there. If he keeps doing that very often, the battery will die in no time. Right? correct me please.
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Hey, I agree with you. I thought of the same thing too. If the battery dies, it's going to cost a lot for replacement.
Yeah.. good job BMW..
.. F1 is just a waste of time (no offence), waste fuel no fun all corporate haha..
Now the problem is with the battery.. KS is right.. if they are using the similar energy source of the electonic industry (phone, camera or PCs) then the case of die-ing batteries are true.. so now.. we need to wait for more improvement from our technology.
BMW !!!
meter cluster is nice. blue and red.
but for now and near future, EV cars can only function as city cars.
not enough infrastructure and battery tech to provide long drive.
stopping at jams is enough to drain a whole lot or the battery charge..
I want to get it.
nice car
Omg, 1600kg at 9.0s and 160km away.
So what is in the front hood? Space for range extender or extra batteries?
normal electronics already problem ….what so more electric. car…
Asking for double dose…..
ermm nice tech hope poton will manufacture the proton EV.. actually this ev is more to urban driving range… ermmm if wanna buy it treat is as a toy car ekekek… proton plzz keluarkan kete hybrid tuh secepat mungkin huhuh cant wait lor
thin tyres!!