BMW plans to lease up to 700 electric 1-series cars (ActiveE Concept) to selected customers in major global cities.
The BMW Concept ActiveE follows the all-electric MINI E as the second large-scale electric vehicle test program to be conducted in the hands of interested customers.
BMW’s board member for sales and marketing, Ian Robertson told Automotive News that the leases will be divvied up with 200 destined for the U.S. and between 300 and 400 driving around in Europe.
The motor, specially developed for the model and located in the rear axle, delivers 125 kW/170 hp and provides maximum torque of 250 Nm / 184 lb-ft. It accelerates the vehicle in less than 9 seconds from zero to 100 km/h (0-60 mph in approx. 8.5 seconds).
The electric drive system draws its energy from new, advanced lithium-ion battery pack developed jointly by BMW and the co-operation partner SB LiMotive especially for theBMW Concept ActiveE. They enable a range of approx. 160 kilometers (100 miles) in everyday use.
On the European power grid, the battery pack can be fully charged in just 3 hours at a wall box with a current of 50 ampere at 230/240 volts. In North America, using a high-current (32 ampere continuous) residential wall box, the charge time is about 4.5 hours.
[source: Automotive News / subscription required]
