Check the Electric Beemer! BMW Previews CO2-free Concept Car
Tonic, the "
good news" site
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 8:15 PM ET
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So sorry to get your hopes up — this super sweet ride is probably a couple years away from production, so you can tuck your checkbook back into your pocket for now.
BMW, however, has just announced a preview peek at their Concept ActiveE electric vehicle. It's slated for official public unveiling at the 2010 Detroit auto show, and the auto manufacturer known for sleek design and zippy handling wants people to know that this car is all electric, and all performance at the same time.
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ActiveE relies on lithium-ion battery technology and design of the company's own innovation that is described as achieving new gains in efficiency from standpoints of both power and space requirements. The initial incarnation demonstrates a range of approximately 100 miles, with the ability to recharge in full in about four hours on standard American wiring, and about three hours on the higher voltage European power grid. While the top speed is electronically limited to 90 miles per hour (and do you really need to go that fast, let alone any faster? No, I don't think that you do ... ), it'll get up to 60 in about eight seconds.
According to the press release, this is the second major design project by BMW to permit their active investigation of the electric vehicle market following their all-electric MINI E vehicle. While the details and time frame of production remain unclear, BMW believes that this prototype will go from concept to showroom by mid-decade.
In the meantime, let's allow the fine folks from They Might Be Giants to entertain us with a sweet little ditty about these exciting new developments in transportation that promise to keep rolling forward.
I don't know about you, but I can totally see myself pulling up to a charging station to plug in. Though we'll all have to be careful; that's one socket you definitely don't want your finger in.
Photo courtesy of BMW Group used with permission