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dpeilow

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May 23, 2008
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BMW Megacity EV

BMW confirms Megacity electric car for 2013 *UPDATE - Autoblog

BMW has used the Beijing Motor Show to announce that it will have its much-talked-about Megacity electric car on the market by 2013. Previously, the German automaker had only hinted that it would produce the urban runabout in the first half of the decade.

Autocar is reporting that the Megacity will have a range of roughly 160 miles per charge, and about 20 percent of that range will be due to an aggressive regenerative braking system. Further, BMW does not plan to lease its battery packs separately, as some automakers have hinted is a possibility. Instead, BMW believes that its packs will still have 85 percent of their stated capacity after the car's lifespan is complete, making the power sources valuable on the used market to power companies. Interesting, no?


Also of note:

BMW has also said that it will show off an electric 5 Series sedan in Beijing. Called the Echo, the EV was assembled at BMW's Shanyang plant in China with cooperation from the government-backed Tongji University. There are currently no plans to put the vehicle into production, but the automaker hopes to gauge how advanced China's homegrown electric vehicle technology is at present.

Or whether they can use a Chinese plant to undercut the Model S...?
 
Autoexpress had a rendering of the Megacity earlier but pulled it. Luckily someone else saved the pics :smile:

BMW i10 - Artist impressions give indication of BMW's future electric hatch.

Heading for a city near you soon, these artist impressions from Germany, show what the new BMW Megacity could look like when it debuts in 2013. Currently referred to as the i10, the vehicle in the drawing gets its inspiration from the 1-Series, but it could be mistaken for a miniature X6.

The five-seater will be similar in size to the VW Golf, but the rear-wheel-driven car will be fully electric. Part of a new BMW sub-brand, the 'Megacity' range will be a specialist division comprising solely of electric vehicles. Joining the city-focused car, BMW is als developing a two-wheeler and three-wheeler. Featuring all the latest technologies, the i1 will be very light and also highly aerodynamic too.

Nothing has been confirmed about the drivetrain yet, but it is expected to be closely linked to the Concept ActiveE which debuted at the 2010 Detroit Motor Show.

BMW has also announced it plans on building a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, which will employ 80 people and this is where a lot of the development will take place.

The official transportation provider for the 2012 London Olympics, it is likely prototype versions of the new i-range including the i1 will transport athletes and officials around the Olympic village.


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In depth: BMW Megacity Vehicle and Project I

That BMW has been working on something called the Megacity Vehicle is no secret, the company officially announced the car over a year ago and, earlier this year, confirmed that it would release the car in 2013. Still, there was a lot we didn't know about the car and the project. This week, near Munich, with vehicles like the E1 (an early BMW electric vehicle), a carbon-fiber X5 and the Isetta on hand, BMW revealed an overwhelming amount of information about just what we can expect from the MCV and Project I.