BMW Concept ActiveE Bound for World Debut at 2010 Detroit Auto Show

BMW Concept ActiveE Picture

BMW 1 Series spinsoff, the rear-wheel-drive Concept ActiveE, will make a world debut at Detroit's auto show next month.
The BMW Concept ActiveE will make its world debut at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show in January, as the German automaker strives to get an electrically powered vehicle into production under a "sub-brand of BMW in the first half of the next decade," it said in a statement.

The rear-wheel-drive Concept ActiveE, which is based on the BMW 1 Series Coupe, appears to have a lot of promise, judging from the advances spelled out by BMW.

They include remote-control functions that let the driver check the charge status of the vehicle batteries and currently available travel range via mobile phone. "The driver gains additional flexibility in being able to search for public charging stations in the vicinity of any given location," BMW said in a statement.

The electric drive system in the Concept ActiveE has a new, advanced lithium-ion battery pack developed jointly by BMW and partner SB LiMotive. It was designed specifically for the Concept ActiveE. BMW says a new electric motor was also developed for the concept. It has a maximum output of 170 horsepower and maximum torque of 184 pound-feet. The electric vehicle has a range of about 100 miles and accelerates from zero to 60 mph in less than 9 seconds. Maximum speed is pegged at 90 miles per hour.

BMW says the charge time in North America will be about 4.5 hours at a residential wall box.

Practicality appears to be a hallmark of the Concept ActiveE. It has four full-size seats and a luggage compartment volume of 7 cubic feet. BMW said it differentiated the concept from the BMW 1 Series Coupe with "Liquid White" metallic paint and blue graphic touches. The concept has light alloy wheels and blue illuminated touches, including the roof fin. The cabin gets leather seats and interior trim in "Liquid White."

The new concept follows the Mini E and will be the second large-scale electric vehicle test program for the automaker. "The field tests with the Mini E as part of project i in the U.S. and Europe have already provided important insights into the demands required of future production electric vehicles," BMW said. "As a second step, project i has begun development of a second trial fleet of electric vehicles based on the BMW Concept ActiveE. These vehicles are likewise intended for everyday use by private and select fleet customers as part of a large-scale field test.

"The insights gathered in the process will be fed into the development of an electrically powered serial production vehicle, which the BMW Group will put on the market under a sub-brand of BMW in the first half of the next decade."