History of BMW electric cars

[Rainer271]

First BMW electric car was built 43 years ago

The BMW i3 is BMW’s first, real, mass produced all-electric car. But it is definitely not their first attempt. BMW has been making electric cars for 40 years. They weren’t always any good, but they proved to be learning experience.

In 1972, BMW decided make an electric, Frankenstein version of the 1600. Powered by a 32 kilowatt electric motor (the equivalent of 42 hp), the Electric 1602 could hit 30 mph in 8 seconds. Yes, that’s 8 seconds to 30. It took 772 lbs of lead-acid batteries to power the feeble motor, which is like putting one and a half BMW 1000rr motorcycles in the trunk. It also had no means of charging so the batteries needed to be switched out to keep going.

Next came the BMW LS Electric, in 1975 which actually had a plug, to charge it. The only problem is that it took 14 hours to charge and could only go 19 miles on a single charge. Powered by a Bosche electric motor and 700 lbs of batteries, the LS Electric was a disaster. But maybe it was a good learning exercise.

In 1987 BMW got serious about the electric car, so they tool an awd, 325xi and removed the rear axles, making it FWD.

They then fitted an electric motor and gave it new batteries from Asea Brown Boveri. These new batteries were both lighter and smaller while providing three times the power of the previous lead-acid types. The electric 325xi was able to go 93 miles on one charge and was used by the German Postal Service as well as other government officials.

The very first, developed from the ground up, electric BMW was the E1.

Created in 1991, the E1 used an aluminum shell and plastic body panels, making it the true predecessor to the i3. Using a new sodium-nickel chloride battery, the E1 was able to go 100 miles on a charge. Unfortunately, due to cost issues, the E1 project was scrapped altogether.

BMW also tested many different electric technologies on the E36 3 Series throughout it’s life span.

During this experimental phase, BMW was able to create an electric 325i that had 60 hp and could charge up to 75 percent in 40 minutes. Ultimately, these were just test beds for future technologies, but they were still important to the eventual development of the i3.

Then came the electric MINI and the 1 Series Active E, which helped push BMWs electric program into modern times.

So while the i3 and i8 may be new and exciting cars, they were a long time in the making. So if you enjoy an i3 as your own personal car, you can thank over 40 years of practice on BMW’s part.

First BMW electric car was built 43 years ago

 

[Rolf]

Its amazing that a 1975 BMW LS could still get 19miles (about 30kms) on a single charge of its batteries when the latest plug in hybrids still only get the same mileage of 20-30km, so not much progress then!!

But don't you think that car looks remarkably like an older VW model the 1500 Notchback from the early 1960's?

 

[Rolf]

A quick look at the 1972 BMW 1602 Electric

BMW is at a turning point in its existence. Not only has it launched its first-ever front-wheel drive model, it also introduced a sub-brand that will exclusively sell electric vehicles.

The German automaker has been dabbling in EVs since 1969 when it started designing an all-electric variant of the 1602. Over the next couple of months, engineers built two functional prototypes that were presented to the general public at the beginning of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

Visually, the two electric 1602s were almost identical to gasoline-burning models. Stickers aside, the most noticeable exterior difference was that the EVs did not have an exhaust system so the rear apron did not feature an opening for the tail pipe.

The similarities stopped there and a look inside the car revealed that it was not your average Neue Klasse sedan. The gear lever was replaced by a small joystick mounted between the front seats that controlled whether the car was moving forwards or backwards and the instrument cluster featured a charge gauge and several warning lights.

BMW engineers removed the gasoline-burning drivetrain and fitted a drum-shaped 32-kilowatt electric motor developed with input from Bosch in the car’s transmission tunnel. Linked to the rear axle via a driveshaft, it doubled as a generator and recovered kinetic energy to charge the battery pack.

Speaking of batteries, the motor’s juice came from a dozen twelve-volt batteries mounted on a small pallet in the engine bay. Although bulky, the pallet setup meant that the battery pack could easily be removed and replaced with the help of a fork lift, reducing the down time between charges.

The battery pack weighed a whopping 771 pounds (350 kilos) and the motor tipped the scale at 187 pounds (85 kilos). The extra weight had a terrible effect on the Bimmer’s performance figures: When propelled by electricity, the 1602 accelerated from zero to 31 mph (50 km/h) in around eight seconds and reached a top speed of just 62 mph (100km/h). If driven in dense city traffic it had a maximum driving range of 19 miles (30 kilometers).

BMW regularly dispatched the two electric prototypes during the 1972 Munich Olympics and the cars were often showcased during marathons and other similar events. However, the drivetrain’s primitive technology had many drawbacks – most attributed to the immense gain in weight and the very limited driving range – and the electric 1602 was never seriously considered as a candidate for mass production.