BMW Considering Launching EV by 2012?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03.19.08
Image courtesy of advencap via flickr
During a recent interview, BMW chief executive Norbert Reithofer revealed that the German automaker was considering bringing a battery-powered vehicle to the U.S. market by 2012 in an effort to meet more stringent CAFE standards. A final decision will come later in the year, though company officials have disclosed that initial tests have already shown such a move to be technically feasible. In addition to its 7 Series hydrogen vehicles, BMW is planning on expanding its roster of eco-friendly cars by partnering with GM and Mercedes to build hybrid models.
It recently set up a group to examine what types of vehicles and services would best accommodate the needs of people living in large cities, called Project i, and is mulling over a decision to create a fourth brand (or perhaps bring back the Isetta brand, as Autoblog's Jonathon Ramsey mentioned here). Reithofer has been very critical of the European Commission's plan to lower carbon dioxide emissions and claimed the auto industry would suffer the brunt of such regulations.
Via ::Autoblog: BMW considering all-electric car for the U.S.? (blog)
See also: ::BMW H2R Concept Car, ::More on Hydrogen 7 by BMW
If you cant take a Amtrak or carpool, look into an electric car, they produce 98% less pollutants than gas cars! Zap has some great options www.zapworld.com
Hybrids are hardly eco-friendly. Many have worse fuel economy than small non-hybrids especially at highway speeds. Please stop spreading the auto-industry's PR and misinformation. They spend billions of dollars on advertising and can afford to do this themselves. Norway has banned such false claims in auto ads.
The BMW hydrogen 7 is NOT eco-friendly!!!
All the hype about cars & SUV's being the problem, when all you have to do is not eat meat for a few days out of the week, and you'll save more energy than a large SUV uses in one yr. I never hear about anyone turning off their AC at home either. Why is that?
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if BMW introduced an EV in the form of a high performance PHEV.
2012 would correspond with midlife face-lifts to the next gen 5 and 7 series as well as the introduction of the next gen 3 series.
IMO, I'd imagine that BMW would build a 7 series using wheel hub motors good for 500+hp and 1,000+lb/ft of torque with a 10kW/hr battery pack and some sort of turbo I4 genset. Maybe an I6 operating at an ultra low RPM just to satisfy their heritage.
The idea is to create lust over an EV. Make an EV the dream car, the image of sex and power. That's how they'll push EVs into the mainstream.
I would certainly be curious to see BMW take this leap. However, based on what I witnessed at the Auto Show today, it seems as though BMW is still focused on going bigger and faster. I was especially disappointed that they didn't highlight the Hydrogen 7. I know there is debate over this vehicle, but I still think it would have been worth the effort on their part.