BMW to Lease 1000 ActiveE Electric Test Vehicles [w/ video]
Source:
BMW | Published:
Fri Feb 11, 2011
The 2011
Geneva Motor Show will see the world premier of the BMW ActiveE. Based on the
current BMW 1 Series Coupé, the BMW ActiveE is the second electric test vehicle
to be created by the BMW Group.
With four seats and a luggage
compartment of 200 liters, the BMW ActiveE is the first electric vehicle from
the BMW Group to combine the space and comfort of a traditionally powered BMW
with a fully electric drivetrain. Intelligent packaging ensures that the driver
and all three passengers have the same head, leg and shoulder room as they would
in a standard BMW 1 Series Coupé.
At the heart of the BMW ActiveE is a
powerful electric synchronous motor which propels the car from zero to 60 mph in
just nine seconds, delivering 168 hp and maximum torque of 184 lb-ft (250 Nm), from a standing
start while its top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph. The BMW ActiveE
maintains the dynamic driving style that is typical of a BMW, with a low centre
of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution to enhance traction and power transfer
of the high torque.
Replacing the engine block, transmission and fuel
tank are three large energy storage units containing lithium-ion cells,
developed in conjunction with SB LiMotive. These modules are protected by a
steel-plate battery housing with integrated liquid cooling system, to keep the
batteries at optimum operating temperature helping to increase the range. These
housings also help to ensure that the BMW ActiveE meets the same stringent
safety standards as the BMW 1 Series Coupé, meeting and exceeding the levels
legislated.
The BMW ActiveE is engineered so that when the driver takes
his foot off the accelerator pedal the motor becomes a generator and feeds the
electricity created from kinetic energy back into the vehicle battery, while at
the same time braking torque is created, slowing the vehicle down. This
recuperation of energy can increase the range by up to 20 per cent.
For
the first time in a BMW Group electric vehicle the BMW ActiveE features an
'intermediate position' for the accelerator pedal that results in the car's own
kinetic energy being used to move forward, without consuming energy from the
batteries. In essence it is a 'gliding' mode. With previous electric vehicles
when the accelerator lifts the car automatically starts to brake. To further
increase the range of the BMW ActiveE ECO PRO Mode can be selected whereby the
drive configuration and comfort functions are modified to use less energy and
facilitate a more efficient driving style. In ECO PRO mode the heating and air
conditioning system are programmed to use less energy and the accelerator
demands less power with the same travel.
The BMW ActiveE retains the
dynamic looks of the traditionally powered BMW 1 Series Coupé but with circuit
inspired graphics, a scoop in the bonnet and a closed rear apron, with no
exhaust pipes, to distinguish it. Inside Pearl Grey Dakota leather seats with
Blue contrasting seams, along with a revised instrument cluster are the main
indicators of the electric drivetrain. Instead of the traditional fuel gauge and
rev counters the dials show the level of charge left in the battery and the
amount of energy being used and recuperated.
The BMW ActiveE is not
dependent on a specific energy source and so can be charged using 32-ampere
wallbox in five hours, or overnight from a conventional domestic socket. This
allows greater flexibility allowing the car to be charged wherever there is an
electricity supply.
Starting in 2011, a test fleet of over 1,000 BMW
ActiveE vehicles will be trialed in the USA, Europe and China and will provide
valuable insights into the everyday use of the electric vehicle.
The knowledge
and insights gained from the field trials of the BMW ActiveE will be fed back
for the future development of the Megacity Vehicle, due to go into production in
2013.