If you asked me how long BMW had been in the electric vehicle game, I have to admit that I wouldn’t tell you 40 years. Here’s the intro to a Gas2 post with more info:
BMW And Its 40 Year History Of Electric Vehicles
While the BMW brand is better known for its luxury performance sedans than for its emissions-saving technologies, 2012 marks the 40th anniversary of the first all-electric BMW. To celebrate, BMW has put out a brief primer on its EV efforts, starting way back in 1972 at the Munich Olympics.
The BMW 1602 EV debuted at the 1972 Munich Olympics with just 19 miles of range.
The Munich Olympics was BMW’s chance to show to the world their response to the ongoing oil crisis in the Middle East. To wit, BMW’s engineers developed the 1602 Electric using a 43 horsepower Bosch electric motor and 12 lead-acid batteries. Alas, with just 19 miles of range, even their limited use during the Olympics pushed the boundaries of the very limited range. Yet the battery pack was designed to be swapped out for a fresh one, an idea that is still on the table thanks to Project Better Place.
–> Read the full Gas2 post here.
I don't like paywalls. You don't like paywalls. Who likes paywalls? Here at CleanTechnica, we implemented a limited paywall for a while, but it always felt wrong — and it was always tough to decide what we should put behind there. In theory, your most exclusive and best content goes behind a paywall. But then fewer people read it! We just don't like paywalls, and so we've decided to ditch ours. Unfortunately, the media business is still a tough, cut-throat business with tiny margins. It's a never-ending Olympic challenge to stay above water or even perhaps — gasp — grow. So ...
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