The surprising history of BMW's electric cars

bmw electric car lineup
BMW

BMW has been researching and testing electric cars for over 40 years.

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Each electric car BMW tested over that period of time can be looked at as a stepping stone toward the impressive electric cars the company sells today.

Take a look back at where BMW's modern electric cars come from:

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BMW's first major step into the world of electric cars came in 1972 with the 1602e.

bmw 1602
BMW

The car was used at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. It led a pack of long-distance runners.

The electric car was optimal for this job because the lack of an internal combustion motor meant that the runners wouldn't have to inhale a ton of fumes.

 

The 1602e used 12 12 volt batteries. Combined, they weighed in at an alarming 771 lbs.

bmw 1602
BMW

Because the car could only travel 37 miles on one charge, the overall project isn't considered to be a massive success.

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In 1975, BMW started working on another secret project car. The LS Electric.

bmw luxus
BMW

The LS Electric used 10 lead-acid batteries, had the ability to be charged fully in 14 hours, and even had a heated windshield and heated rear window.

But it only had a top speed of 40 MPH and a range of less than 19 miles.

That would cause a lot of range anxiety. 

In 1987, BMW converted eight all-wheel-drive 325iX coupes to have an electric-powered drivetrain and to send all the power to the front wheels.

electric bmw e30
BMW

The cars were capable of driving 93 miles on a single charge.

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Three of the eight cars were touring body styled 325iXs. Those car were used by the Deutsche Post.

bmw 3 series wagone elctric
BMW

The rest of the cars were given to employees of the German government.

BMW 325ix electric
BMW

[Source: Wired]

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With a range of over 150 miles in 1991, the BMW E1 was a truly solid step toward the electric cars we have today.

BMW E1
BMW

Even though it was innovative and ahead of its time, the E1 never made it to production.

25 electric BMW 325 test cars were built between 1992 and 1997.

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These cars had a range of 93 miles and a top speed of 84 MPH.

BMW electric e36
BMW

Some of the fleet were equipped with sodium-nickel chloride batteries, and the other cars used newer nickel-cadmium batteries.

 

In 2008, BMW launched an electric car test through its brand Mini. Over 600 cars were leased out to the general public.

Mini electric
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Consumers were able to get their hands on the electric Minis by agreeing to pay $850 a month. This payment included charge station access and also car insurance.

BMW electric mini
BMW

Drivers of the electric Minis reported range of about 100 miles and a charge time of about three hours. 

Though the cars weren't perfect, these Minis were one of the first real signs that BMW was capable of creating an electric car for the real world.

The BMW 1Series ActiveE was part of a similar electric car pilot program. One thousand cars were leased throughout America and Europe.

bmw active e electric car
BMW
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These cars had a range of about 100 miles per charge and a top speed of 90 MPH.

BMW active e 1 series
BMW

The BMW i3 entered production in 2013 and is still on sale today. Without the car's gasoline range extender, it has a range of 114 miles.

BMW i3
BMW
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The BMW i8 is the German automaker's $140,000 electric sports car that looks like it's from the future.

BMW i8
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BMW claims that it can do zero to 60 in 4.2 seconds and that it has a range of 330 miles when the gas motor is used with the electric motor.

When the car's left on full-electric mode, it has a range of 15 miles. 

It's not one of the most incognito electric cars, but it sure is one of the most special.

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