BMW ActiveE

BMW ActiveE
Overview
Manufacturer	BMW
Also called	BMW 1 Series ActiveE
Assembly	2012 -
Designer	Chris Bangle (BMW 1 Series)
Body and chassis
Class	Coupe
Body style	2-door Coupe
Layout	Electric Vehicle
Platform	BMW 1 Series (E82/E88)
Related	BMW 1 Series (E87)
Powertrain
Electric motor	168 hp (125 kW)
Transmission	1-Speed Electric Drive
Battery	32.0 kWh lithium-ion battery[1]
Electric range	151 km (94 mi) (EPA)[1]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	14'4.2" (172.2")
Width	5'8.8" (68.8")
Height	4'8" (56")
Curb weight	1,800 kg (4,000 lb)
Chronology
Predecessor	Mini E
Successor	BMW i3, BMW i8

The BMW ActiveE is a demonstration electric car based on the BMW 1 Series small family cars. It is the second vehicle after the Mini E to be developed under BMW Group’s Project i. The electric drive system is the latest addition to BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme.^[2] The US Environmental Protection Agency official range is 151 kilometres (94 mi), with an energy consumption of 33 kW·h/100 miles, and the agency rated the ActiveE's combined fuel economy at 2.3L/100 km (102 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent).^[1]

The four-seater, rear-wheel drive ActiveE was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2010.^[2] Deliveries of the ActiveE for field testing in the U.S. began in January 2012, after the Mini E trial ended.^[3] A total of 1,100 vehicles will participate in the program worldwide, 700 will be allocated for the U.S. trial ^[4] and 35 to a trial in China. ^[5] Participants in the Mini E trial had priority to lease the new electric car.^[6] Production began at BMW's Leipzig plant in July 2011.^[7]

After the field trial of the Mini E, BMW took reservations for drivers, who BMW calls "Electronauts", in mid-2012. The field trial of the ActiveE started in early 2012. BMW has stopped accepting reservations for the ActiveE, and has leased out all of their ActiveE cars. The lease details are similar to that of the Mini E lease details, a two-year limited lease with free maintenance. The lessee must complete online surveys and take their ActiveE into their local BMW dealership for analysis and service periodically.

Once the ActiveE program ends, all ActiveE cars will be taken off of the road. Lessees will turn their ActiveE vehicles back into BMW, and will not be able to purchase them back off of lease. The cars will be donated to tech schools or museums for analysis and dissassembly, as well as for display purposes.^{[citation needed]}

Specifications

The electric car has a 32 kWh lithium-ion battery pack developed in cooperation with SB LiMotive and an all-electric range of 160 kilometres (99 mi). The ActiveE takes 8.5 seconds to reach 97 kilometres per hour (60 mph) and its maximum speed is electronically limited to 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph).^[6][8] The ActiveE has an EcoPro mode that retards throttle response, shuts down the defrosters and tweaks the climate control to boost efficiency by up to 10%.^[9]

The ActiveE has a 125 kW (168 hp) electric synchronous motor integrated into the rear axle to power the rear wheels, the same configuration that will be used in the BMW i3. The motor weighs 91 kg (201 lb) and delivers 249 N·m (184 ft·lbf) of torque. The curb weight of the ActiveE is 1,815 kg (4,001 lb), nearly 360 kg (790 lb) heavier than a BMW 135i, but the ActiveE has a 50:50 weight distribution.^[9] The liquid-cooled storage cells are located under the hood, in the transmission tunnel and where the fuel tank would normally reside. The rear-mounted electric motor reduces the trunk space to 200 L (7.1 cu ft) versus 280 L (9.9 cu ft) in the standard BMW 1 Series.^[9]

Based on the lessons learned by BMW regarding cold weather problems during the Mini E field testing, the ActiveE will have liquid cooling and liquid heating, with a thermal management system that is expected to allow to keep ActiveE batteries at an optimal performance temperature.^[6][8] The ActiveE comes with all the standard ConnectedDrive features including navigation, Sirius satellite radio, Google Local Search and Send-to-Car functionality, and a range of connected apps that normally come in higher-spec models. Also included with the ActiveE is a reworked BMW MyRemote application for the smartphones that allows remote locking and unlocking, horn and headlamp activation, and GPS-based CarFinder that allows the user to find the E within 1 km (0.62 mi). The smartphone app also allows the user to find charging stations, get range information and pre-heat or cool the car to help extend the range.^[9]

Like other electric vehicles with use of the motor for regeneration of battery power, the Active E has a different driving experience from a car powered by an internal combustion engine: taking pressure off of the accelerator pedal results in deceleration as the motor brakes and regenerates electricity. Many drivers rarely use the brakes except to hold the car at a stop.^{[citation needed]}

EPA ratings

The US Environmental Protection Agency official range is 151 km (94 mi), with a city/highway combined energy consumption of 33 kW·h/160 kilometers.^[1] Under its five-cycle testing, EPA rated the ActiveE at 2.3L/100 km (102 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent) combined fuel economy, with a rating of 37.88 kpl equivalent in city driving and 33.98 kpl equivalent on highways.^[10]

BMW ActiveE undergoing field testing in New York.

Production

Production of the ActiveE began at BMW's Leipzig plant in July 2011.^[7]

Field testing

ActiveE concept electric car exhibited at the 2010 Washington Auto Show.

United States

The first ActiveE delivery in the United States took place in New Jersey on 13 January 2012. BMW explained that the first delivery went to the customer that logged more miles than anyone else in the U.S. Mini-E program.^[3][11] Participants in the Mini E trial will have priority as test pilots for the new electric car.^[6] This trial is as a follow-up to the Mini E field testing and as a second phase of BMW's Project i. The third and last phase of "Project i" is the development of the BMW i3, an urban electric car that is scheduled to go into mass production in 2013.^[12][13][14]

The ActiveE field testing was expected to include 700 cars^[4] and in addition to Los Angeles and New York, where the Mini E U.S. trials took place, it will also be available in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Boston, and select markets in Connecticut.^[6][15] The 700 ActiveE test pilots have been dubbed BMW Electronauts. BMW set the ActiveE lease pricing at $499 a month for 24 months with a down payment of $2,250.^[16] A total of 673 units were leased in the U.S. through August 2012,^[17] and no additional units were delivered during 2013.^[18]

70 of the cars are currently being used in BMW's DriveNow car sharing pilot in the San Francisco Bay area.

United Kingdom

A total of 160 ActiveEs were deployed during the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games as part of BMW fleet of 4,000 low-emission vehicles allocated to transport dignitaries and officials during the games.^[19]

See also

• BMW 1 Series
• BMW i3 (BMW Mega City Vehicle)
• BMW i8 (Concept Vision EfficientDynamics)
• Mini E
• Plug-in electric car
• Government incentives for plug-in electric vehicles
• List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BMW Concept ActiveE.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to BMW ActiveE.

• BMW Concept ActiveE Official webpage at BMW.com
• BMW Future of Mobility at BMW Activate the Future
• BMW Concept ActiveE: Technology overview at bmwblog.com