BMW To Launch Electric Car In Connecticut
The company will launch the vehicle initially in just a handful of markets
BMW has chosen Connecticut as one of four states where it will roll out its new electric vehicle. As WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports, the state’s support for electric infrastructure was key to the car giant’s decision.
BMW already has one electric vehicle on extensive tests, the MiniE, but it’s following up with a mid-sized offering, the ActiveE. The plug-in car will be able to travel about 100 miles on a fully charged battery. BMW will launch the vehicle initially in just a handful of markets, Connecticut, along with New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento and Boston. Rich Steinberg, BMW’s manager of electric vehicle operations, says he’s been working with the electric vehicle task force set up by the state of Connecticut, as well as the two major electric utilities in preparation for the trial.
“They have a whole initiative set up where the key stakeholders are very much involved in supporting the customer experience. So when someone is interested in taking delivery of an electric car, the actual ability to get a charging station in your residence is much improved. It goes much quicker and some of the inspection issues are resolved in a much more efficient manner.”
BMW’s commitment to Connecticut follows that of Chevrolet, which will test-market the all-electric Volt here next year. BMW’s Active E field trial will begin in summer 2011, and the company hopes to have the car fully on the market by 2013.
For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.
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Response to Lon from MINI E driver in Southern California
Hi Lon,
Having put 26,000 miles on a MINI E as part of the field trial in Southern California, I can honestly say that if there were charging stations every mile between my office and home (40 miles) I wouldn't use them on a regular basis or at all. Sure, having that option would be great for those occasional times I needed a few extra miles but I'd prefer to just fill up in my garage at night or at work. The 100 mile range meets my needs. On the other hand if this was your only vehicle and you frequently made longer trips, you'd have an issue but for most folks a full blown infrastructure isn't needed right away. Most initial buyers will be folks who have access to another vehicle for longer trips. I was worried at first but quickly realized that I'm fine just using my charger at home and plugging into the wall at work as needed.
Todd
http://electricminicooper.blogspot.com/
http://bmwActiveE.blogspot.com/
http://bmwmegacity.blogspot.com/
Another electric misstep
I am a big proponent of electric vehicles - so much so that I placed an order for a Volt. But I see BMW making the same mistake that Nissan, Tesla, and others have made by not providing a quick path to refueling.
Bottom line: Who wants to buy a car that takes three hours to refuel? Who wants to own a car that might leave the driver stranded on the side of the road if they decide to take a detour for groceries on the way home? These are the very same issues of practicality that killed the EV1 in the 90's. GM addresses that problem in the Volt by installing an on-board gas powered generator (albeit reducing overall electric range).
Advancements in energy storage will help. But there's also potential in solutions that take into consideration the limitations of chemical-based batteries. Check out the Israeli company Better Place. Their concept is to make batteries in electric vehicles easily interchangeable. Simply pull into a service station and have a drained battery swapped out with a freshly charged one in under 5 minutes. But the industry needs to buy in.
Until the refueling issue is solved, electric vehicles will not be an attractive option. Let's hope the auto industry stops playing around and gets serious - and soon. I for one am sick of sending my energy dollars overseas while at the same time poisoning the atmosphere.
-Lon
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