2012 - BMW 1, BMW Concept ActiveE

The BMW 1 Series is a line of small family cars manufactured by the German automaker BMW since 2004. Successor to the BMW Compact, it has been produced in four different body styles. The BMW Concept ActiveE is a fully electric drive concept 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.[1]

The four-seater, rear-wheel drive ActiveE was unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in January 2010.[1] Field testing of the Active E in the United States is scheduled to begin by mid July 2011 and participants in the Mini E trial will have priority as test pilots for the new electric car.[2] Production began at BMW's Leipzig plant in July 2011.

The electric car has a 32 Kwh lithium-ion battery pack developed in cooperation with SB LiMotive and an all-electric range of 100 miles (160 km). The ActiveE takes 8.5 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and its maximum speed is electronically limited to 90 miles per hour (140 km/h).[2][4]

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.[2][4] Also drivers can use their smartphones to preheat or cool their cars’ cabins.

BMW has scheduled field testing of the Active E in the United States starting in July 2011 and participants in the Mini E trial will have priority as test pilots for the new electric car.[2] 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 Mega City Vehicle (MCV), an urban electric car that will be sold separately from BMW or Mini as a new brand, and is expected to go into mass production between 2013 and 2015.

The Active E field testing will include fewer than 1,000 cars[5][6] 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.[2][8] BMW set the Active E lease pricing at $499 a month for 24 months with a down payment of $2,250.

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