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BMW's incoming chapter in its EfficientDynamics program calls for a newborn all-electric vehicle to complement its underway fleet of leased Mini E electric subcompacts. To fulfill its self-prescribed mission, it enlisted the help of the 1 Series coupe and a revised synchronous electric locomote to create a newborn show car called the Concept ActiveE. It's the epitome of electromobility in the true BMW sense, the automaker claims, and with the Mini E, continues to pave the way towards the eventual content of a mass-produced 'Megacity Vehicle'.

The heart of the concept is, of course, its electric powertrain. Engineers designed the unit to replace the 1 Series' combustion engine, fuel tank, drivetrain, and rear axle. The actual motor is enclosed in the would-be differential casing, while the lithium-ion battery modules take the place of the propshaft and also fit snugly under the front hood. ActiveE keeps the 1 Series's rear-wheel drive layout, as well as its 50/50 weight distribution, and combined with the instantaneous high torque of the new motor, promises to live up to the brand's distinct driving spirit.

Making a grand total of 170 horsepower and 184 foot-pounds of torque, the motor was built to provide generous amounts of grunt at high road and engine speeds. That's in addition to the Concept ActiveE's immediacy of power, as in other EVs. The electric powertrain has been tuned to behave similar to that of a combustion engine, by reducing torque gradually under high load, rather than abruptly. BMW points out that the 3900-lb. car can hit 60 mph in around 8.5 seconds and achieve a top speed of 90 mph.

Samsung's SB LiMotive partnered with engineers in city to develop the innovative power supply. Their lithium ion battery cells are grouped into compact modules that apply individualist liquefied cooling systems to boost the vehicle's 100-mile single-charge range. Thanks to the battery's intuitive management control unit, users hit the plasticity to calculate their container at any number of outlets, disregarding of voltage or amperage. The control unit calculates power conversions and allows the batteries to calculate at a alacritous pace. Engineers hit quoted 3 hours to fully calculate the units while obstructed into a 230/240 volt European-spec outlet. On a more North American-like 32 amp plug, it'll verify 4.5 hours.