The Detroit Auto Show will debut the next step in BMW's electro-mobility research - the electric-powered 1-Series Coupe called BMW Concept ActiveE.
It's important because BMW has now shown it can integrate the differing drive components into an existing vehicle package (the 1-Series Coupe), providing customers four full-size seats and the standard 200 litres of luggage space. Also, the use of the existing 1-Series platform, combined with rear-wheel-drive, allows this electric vehicle to deliver the sort of driving dynamics synonymous with BMW vehicles.
The synchronous electric motor specifically developed for this vehicle sits in the rear axle and delivers 125kW/250Nm. The lithium-ion battery pack - for the first time with its own liquid cooling system - sits where the conventional fuel tank would be.
All-up the Concept ActiveE weighs 1800kgs - less than 400kgs more than the conventional 1-Series Coupe - and accelerates form zero to 100km/h in less than nine seconds, with a top speed of 145km/h.
Furthering the every-day convenience of electric motoring, the Concept ActiveE can be recharged in as little as three hours using a conventional power outlet.
BMW is at the forefront of environmentally-sustainable motoring - the BMW Hydrogen 7 is already on sale and the Concept ActiveE shows the next step in electro-mobility. The company's MINI subsidiary currently has some 600 MINI E vehicles undergoing real-world field testing with consumers in California, New York, New Jersey and several European countries.
