BMW's first all-electric regular series production vehicle, the Megacity EV, has now been set in stone and inserted into the company's roadmap for a commercial launch in 2012 or 2013. The Bavarian automaker has gone official with word that it plans to use its Leipzig assembly plant to produce the car and further notes that it'll feature a similar setup to the ActiveE concept (pictured above), which is set for field testing in 2011. Essentially a 1 series that feeds off the
electric grid rather than the nearest diesel pump, the ActiveE runs off an array of lithium-ion batteries á la the well liked but recently troubled
Tesla Roadster, and will serve as a test mule for refining the underlying technology. Generating up to 170bhp might not sound all that impressive, but it should be more than sufficient for the urban commuters these vehicles will be aimed at. Now we just need Mercedes and Audi to match that release schedule and the electric car should finally have its day in the mainstream sun.
posted February 23rd 2010 9:56AM
uglier than bmw would normally put out
@hahano
Looks like a standard 1 Series Coupé on the outside to me.
@hahano
I think your eyes deceive you.
With a name like Megacity, it should look more like this:
http://www.bulletproofcomics.co.uk/media/gallery_plugin/753882545583553/large/567_Dredd_on_Lawmaster.jpg
Will it feel the same to drive like the BMWs on the road right now??
I will always luv you Mercedes-Benz!
@One Love
Ah ha! Your "one love" reveals itself! You're too soft for this game!
Judge Dredd does not approve unless you've got some mounted weaponry on there.
BMW is mainstream and Chevrolet is not?
Sometimes you guys say the most ridiculous things.
What planet you on?
@obobo
chevrolet is only mainstream in america.
@Wiggy Fuzz So where is BMW mainstream? BMW is a luxury brand and not in the price range of the great unwashed masses.
Chevy may only be mainstream in the US, but at least they are mainstream.
@wjousts come to munich, it's pretty mainstream here
@obobo BMW is pretty mainstream in Southern California, too.
@wjousts BMW is also mainstream in Sweden. The 5 series is priced just below the limit for higher tax if your company pays the car. And in Sweden that is what we call a mainstream car.
@wjousts
It's mainstream in the UK too. The 3 series actually outsells the ford mondeo ( or it did, not sure on latest figures, can'tbe bothered to check ) which is about the most mainstream car in the country.
blue trim wheels are nice.
blue everywhere else isn't.
@Wiggy Fuzz
Relax people...this just a prototype!
@Wiggy Fuzz
Pretty sure that's just the prototype graphics.
@Smart People Play Tuba
Call me crazy, but I kind of like the blue graphics. I would like to replace my 2006 325i with one of these, but I don't think I can justify selling it for another couple of years.
@FHGrif
It will match the pattern on Software Engineer Barbie's shirt:
http://www.engadget.com/2010/02/14/barbies-slides-into-the-cubical-becomes-a-computer-software-en/
Its going to come at right time, to get + one car for future wife or I ll drive this and she will drive my 528xi
I'm starting to hope BMW's claims are real in terms of their hybrid getting 63MPG and crazy horse power and something like 0-60 in 5 seconds. Hopefully it is true and will spill to other auto makers.
There is no doubt if BMW plans on keeping its brand in tact it will produce decent performing ActiveE models.
I thought it should be something more like this:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/international-automotive-scene/64493-radical-bmw-efficient-dynamics-sports-coupe-concept-revealed.html
The 1 series isn't really a diesel car, is it?
116D, 118D, 120D...
Then 116i, 118i, 120i, 125i, 130i, 135i - that makes it a gasoline car, by how many different models they offer for each fuel type, at any rate.
I'd never buy an electric BMW, half the fun is the sound of that straight 6 in the 135i (which is the only model in the range that makes sense). Though I must admit, that I love the torque and the way you just sort of waft away in an electric car, no sound, no vibrations, it's pretty amazing, when you've been used to internal combustion all your life. But still, a BMW sans noise? :(
electric, would probably buy a Renault or something, if I was getting one.
Apart from the Tron paintjob, that is just a normal looking BMW. I believe that's a first for all electric cars from a major manufacturer.