Official Release: The recruitment process for the highly anticipated all-electric BMW ActiveE is now open in the metropolitan markets of Boston, Hartford, New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. The BMW ActiveE is available by lease only at a cost of $499 per month for 24 months with a down payment of $2,250. Electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts interested in leasing the BMW ActiveE can begin the recruitment process at www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE. Vehicles are available on a first come, first served basis.
Official Release: No fewer than six BMW Group models have received the prestigious 2011 GOOD DESIGNTM Award: the BMW 6 Series Convertible, the BMW 6 Series Coupe, the BMW 1 Series M Coupe, the BMW ActiveE, and the two motorcycle models BMW K 1600 GT/GTL along with the BMW G650 GS. The annual GOOD DESIGNTM Award ranks as the most celebrated international accolade in the field of product design – and this year once again it honours the outstanding quality of BMW Group Design.
Official Release: BMW of North America, LLC today announced jointly with Coulomb Technologies, Inc. that drivers of the forthcoming BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicle will be able to take advantage of the expansion of the ChargePoint® Network into the Boston Metro. More than 100 ChargePoint stations for EVs will be made available to the State through Coulomb’s $37 million ChargePoint America DOE program. The stations will be located in the Boston metropolitan area, within the Route 495 Beltway. Drivers of the BMW ActiveE will be able to conveniently and safely recharge their electric vehicle at any ChargePoint-enabled electric vehicle charging station in the US.
We’ve known for a few months now that BMW will be using basically the same powertrain in the i3 as is scheduled for the soon to be release BMW ActiveE. In the 1 Series based ActiveE that equates to roughly 100 miles on a charge with 170 horsepower and maximum torque of 184 lb-ft. But the theory goes that BMW may tune the i3 with slightly less power given that it will weight less (approximately 300 kg or 660 lbs less than a standard steel unibody car). Car & Driver suggests that may mean around 150 hp with a 160 mile range.
Rich Steinberg, Manager, Electric Vehicle Operations & Strategy from BMW of North America was on hand yesterday in NYC to give the press a quick look at the ActiveE. One notable point mentioned here for the first time is that the electric engine go box under the hood here is the same one that will power the i3 in two years time.
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
This week’s show sees us going from energy effecient to insanely fast. We start talking about the ActiveE and the new US spec four cylinder Z4. More specifically we talk about the new Z4 28i and how it stacks up in terms of performance and effeciency to the old Z4 30i model. And then there’s the 50:50 weight distribution 1 Series based ActiveE. 168hp and 250 nM of torque. Not bad for an electric car.
The BMW ActiveE makes its North American debut this week at the New York International Auto Show and to celebrate, BMW USA is presenting ‘BMW Conversations: The BMW ActiveE’.
Experts from BMW, as well as a current MINI E Pioneers, will be answering questions live from the NYIAS and the entire conversation will be streamed in live video on the BMW USA Facebook page tomorrow at 5:30pm EST.
If you have questions about the BMW ActiveE or EVs in general, this is the perfect opportunity to present them. Just leave them in our comment section below and BMW will grab the best before the event tomorrow evening.
The huge news here is the surprisingly low price of only $499 a month with $2,250 down on a two year lease. The introduction marks the launch of the second phase of the BMW Group’s electromobility development strategy. The BMW ActiveE will be available for lease in the following markets beginning in Fall 2011; Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, New York and Boston as well as the state of Connecticut.
Project i – research and development of tomorrow’s mobility.
Official Release: The BMW ActiveE is the BMW Group’s next step towards an emission-free, massproduced electric vehicle. Within the framework of project i, the BMW Group is carrying out research and development work on the development of electrically powered vehicles. The ultimate goal is the concept of a Megacity Vehicle (MCV) that meets the demands of a sustainable mobility solution for congested urban areas. For this reason, the drive components and battery technology that will be used in the MCV are being tested in the BMW ActiveE. (More video and a full gallery after the break)
BimmerFile is dedicated to bringing you the most interesting news, links and reviews related to the BMW brand and it's vehicles.
We believe in the old school BMW ownership experience. We believe in garage nights with a six pack and some friends. We believe in 2002s, in E30 M3s and E34 540s with the 6 speed. We believe in progress in both design and engineering but we haven't lost sight of what made the brand and its products great all those years ago. And yes, we believe in the manual transmission.
We long for the days of the wave and for the days of roll-up windows. Yet we love the gadgets on the inside and the xenons on the outside.
In short, we can't get enough of BMWs. This is BimmerFile.
Sections: ActveE, Official News Jan 23rd, 2012 3 Comments 
