BMW plans to mass produce electric cars by 2010

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(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-20 08:10

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, the world's largest maker of luxury vehicles, plans to start mass producing an electric vehicle as early as 2010, with hundreds test-driving the Mini E starting next spring.

"Individual mobility continues to play a key role, particularly in America, while demand for greener technology becomes greater," Friedrich Eichiner, BMW's board member for corporate development, told journalists at a luncheon at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

BMW plans to sell first electric car between 2010 and 2015, Eichiner said. As a first step, the company will lease its new electric Mini Cooper, externally identical to its fuel-dependent cousin, to 500 customers in New York, New Jersey and California for one year starting in March to gather feedback on its performance.

Automakers such as General Motors Corp, Toyota Motor Corp and Chrysler LLC also are pushing to bring electric cars to market, after record US gasoline prices spurred demand for fuel-efficient models.

"In the long term, oil prices will rise because of a decline in availability," Eichiner said. "It doesn't matter where gas prices are right now." BMW will likely decide by the end of this year or early in 2009 whether it will mass produce the electric Mini or build a different electric car, such as a BMW model, Eichiner said. The model, which can reach a top speed of 95 miles an hour and decelerates quickly once the foot is taken off the accelerator, may also be marketed in Europe, he said.

The $850-a-month lease for the electric Mini trials includes a charge station installed in the drivers' garage. Charging the empty lithium-ion battery takes about two hours and as much as 10 hours if plugged into a wall socket, Eichiner said. AC Propulsion Inc will provide the Mini electric drive system. The San Dimas, California-based company built the early power train systems for Tesla Motors Inc's Roadster, and converts gasoline-powered vehicles to run on electricity.

"While we want to remain independent when it comes to our concepts, we are definitely considering cooperation on building engine components," Eichiner said at the luncheon.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/20/2008 page16)