R & d – BMW experiments and validates the electric – Used BMW

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BMW experiments and validates the electric

R & amp; D - BMW experiments and validates the electric - Used BMW

For the moment, these are just cars, but the results of the Mini E experiment conducted by BMW in Paris and other major cities around the world point to an optimistic if not bright future for electric scooters…. of the brand !

No need to hide the face: electric scooters still make a lot of bikers laugh. And yet, the days when only the Chinese dared to fit a truck battery into an old model of scooter are well and truly over! The concepts unveiled by manufacturers are more and more credible and successful.

Some brands have even taken the step of marketing, such as Peugeot and its e-Vivacity (read our), Yamaha and its or Zero Motorcycles and .

For its part, BMW stood out from its little comrades by unveiling in July a scooter – a big, a "real" -: the E-Scooter, derived from the Concept-C (read). According to the Germans, this vehicle would be able to compete with current maxi scooters in terms of pure performance, with a range of 100 km "in daily traffic"without going to the pump taken !

Behème recently did it again at "his" Frankfurt Motor Show, with the "Concept e", "stylistic outline"of what could be – will be? – the electric scooter from BMW, or rather from" BMW i ", the 100% electric brand of the Munich group.

Some, once again, will not fail to sketch a mocking smile upon hearing such promises … And yet, the propeller brand has just published rather encouraging results of its experimentation on the Mini E.

"612 examples of a Mini Cooper have been transformed into 100% electric two-seater, lithium-ion batteries occupying the rear seats and part of the trunk", explains BMW."Since 2009, tests have taken place in major European and American cities, but also in Beijing and Shanghai. In total, the Mini E have traveled more than 15 million kilometers with electric power and have thus already circled the earth 374 times.".

The Mini E acclaimed by its "pioneer" testers

In France, 50 Mini E have been deployed in the Paris region: 25 rented by individuals for six months, then a second wave over five months. The other cars were used by EDF, Veolia, the CEA / Institut national de l’energie solar, the Mayor of Paris and Accenture, BMW partners in this experiment..

"The "pioneers" of the MINI E were men (72%) aged 45 on average, with a higher level of education (80%) and using the MINI E on their journeys daily.", indicate the officials of BMW France.

"The average daily mileage of users was 47 km", specifies BMW,"and the average maximum distance traveled with a battery charge was 150 km"… CQFD: the Mini E therefore met the needs of their users !

For 62% of them unfortunately, "the current charging time (between 9 and 10 hours) seemed unsuitable for everyday life", admits the Munich manufacturer, specifying that"6 hours seemed acceptable to them and 3 hours ideal".

Gold "a charging time of 4 hours is currently achievable with 32 amps, which is already possible in France to meet the expectations of everyday electric vehicle users", rejoice BMW officials in France !

An overwhelming majority (83%) would, however, "very easily"adapted to the absence of noise. 82% of users were able to correctly estimate their speed in the absence of engine noise, 96% appreciated the quiet and 95% felt that their vehicle’s low noise was fine. contribute to improving living conditions in city centers.

This discretion, however, asked 46% of users to change their driving behavior towards others – pedestrians and cyclists especially -, and 50% of them even saw this silence as a potential source of insecurity! Like what, no system is perfect…

Clean electricity ?

By "use of renewable energies in the charging of the batteries", BMW understands the electricity resulting from the wind (wind), water (hydraulic) and the sun (solar), thus neither of fossil energies nor of nuclear. . But in practice, can we select the origin of our electricity? ?

"In Germany yes, due to the multiplicity of energy suppliers: EON RWE, Vattenfall, etc. You can have 100% renewable energy at the outlet. In France, in addition to a few small suppliers who do not cover the entire territory, EDF offers certain companies an "Balance" contract by which it undertakes to introduce a certain share of renewable energies into its distribution network", answers Jean-Michel Cavret questioned by Site ("for each "Balance" kWh purchased, EDF undertakes to put on the network one kWh from renewable energy sources", specifies the official website of the French electrician).

Likewise, in order to avoid the wrath of anti-nuclear weapons, BMW has made a point of using renewable energies in charging the batteries (see box opposite). According to the German manufacturer, if 95% of "pioneers" were sensitive to it, only 57% of them considered "green power" as an absolute necessity, 38% of users considering their car already ecological when it rolled.

Not obvious a priori, the adoption of the single pedal – to accelerate and brake! – was total according to the survey and 96% of testers would even like to see such a system used in classic cars. Will we eventually see scooters – even motorcycles – without any lever ?

"No information available", warns us Jean-Michel Cavret, director of the electro-mobility strategy of BMW Group France (and ex-CEO of BMW Motorrad France). And the answer is identical with regard to a possible experimentation of the Concept E scooter….

No brake pedal !

"The Mini E experiment was a great success in France but also in other countries where the tests were carried out", assures on the other hand the French big boss.

"Our German neighbors, for example, were almost unanimous in their intention to drive an electric car in the future after only three months of testing. The British were even more enthusiastic: after three months of testing, 100% of private drivers were seriously considering buying an electric car! Perhaps more surprisingly, this Mini E craze has been found identically among American drivers.".

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To back up its balance sheet, BMW relays the opinion of two Parisian "pioneers"…

"Since I started riding a Mini E, I no longer use my other Mini, a Diesel", remarks Elisabeth E.:"if I had to choose between the two, I would of course take electric power, provided I could benefit from another vehicle for longer journeys".

"I was surprised because in my mind the electric car was more like a golf cart", readily grants this pioneer."But the Mini E is a sports car. I also love the engine brake, which allows you to slow down without touching the brakes. It takes five minutes to get used to it, but then you can’t get enough of it. After each use, I plug it into the mains. Exactly as I would for my smartphone".

Same story with Xavier B., who nevertheless had "powerful and comfortable vehicles":"I have to say I was surprised by the acceleration and the performance. (…) The Mini E changed my perception of electric cars. People around me asked me all the time if the car was really 100% electric. Those who tried it were really blown away. Not one had a mixed opinion. They were all enthusiastic".

On the strength of this first experience, BMW decided to initiate the second stage of its full-scale testing by transforming 1000 units of the 1 Series Coupe into 1000 "BMW Active E" 100% electric. These convey who "offer 4 seats with a trunk and batteries housed under the floor"will be tested from spring 2012.

i3: the electric BMW marketed in 2013

The third and final stage of the BMW project will be launched in 2013: "unlike Mini E and BMW Active E, which are electric conversions of internal combustion engine models, the BMW i3 "Megacity Vehicle" was originally designed to be 100% electric", explains the manufacturer.

Compact (3.84 m) and lighter (1250 kg) thanks to its aluminum frame and a passenger compartment made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic – a first in a large series according to BMW! -, the i3 will be equipped with 4 opposing doors, will offer 4 seats and a 200-liter trunk: a perfect city car ?

The "E" engine will develop a power of 170 hp (125 kW) and a torque of 250 Nm "fully mobilized upon shutdown", insists BMW. Allow less than 4 seconds to go from 0 to 60 km / h and 4 additional seconds to reach 100 km / h.

The battery life – 80% rechargeable in one hour on 32 Amps – will reach 150 kilometers but may be "significantly increased"by a mysterious"range extender", add the Germans.

Seen from this angle, the electric vehicle triggers much less sarcasm: "who laughs well who laughs last", one would even be tempted to conclude. To follow on the Site: stay connected !

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