First Drive: BMW ActiveE

Ask any middle child and they'll be happy to tell you about how little attention they received from their parents. The oldest and the youngest always hogged the spotlight, they say. If the BMW ActiveE could talk, it might say the same thing. We've been waiting on the ActiveE for more than a year-and-a-half now as it missed its original July 2011 launch date. By the time the first customers lay their hands on one, it'll have been nearly two years since its debut. In the meantime, the older MiniE has made a few headlines as the test fleet collectively passes 9.3 million miles traveled thanks to an extended leasing program. And before the ActiveE could have its day, BMW rolled out the i3, set to go on-sale in just two years. Being both a new direction for BMW and the company's first mass-market EV has garnered the youngest child (and its sporty i8 fraternal twin) quite a bit of attention.

So what about the ActiveE, then? We originally thought it would be a test bed for the i3's technology, and while it still is, i3 development is so far along that the ActiveE will do more validation testing than developmental testing. After all, by the time BMW starts getting any meaningful feedback from the ActiveE fleet, the i3 will be less than two years away. That doesn't mean the ActiveE isn't important, though. Anything BMW learns from the ActiveE fleet will no doubt be incorporated into the i3, particularly lessons learned in software calibration.

Rather than give up the rear seats as the MiniE did, the ActiveE keeps its batteries in three packs under the rear seats, in the former transmission tunnel and under the hood where that pack is mounted behind the front axle centerline, maintaining a 50/50 weight balance. Achieving this required a bulge in the hood to clear the battery pack, the only outward evidence of the car's EV drivetrain, aside from the silly decals. Altogether, the battery packs store 32 kilowatt-hours worth of electricity and will charge from empty in 20 hours with a 110-volt connection, 4-6 hours with a 220-volt one. Because of the long charge time on the standard voltage, access to the latter is stipulated in the lease agreement.

The battery powers a BMW-designed-and-manufactured 125-kilowatt electric motor mounted on the rear axle, which outputs 168 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, 62 horsepower and 16 pound-feet less than a six-cylinder 128i. BMW says the car will hit 60 mph in a leisurely 9.0 seconds, a half-a-second slower than the MiniE and 3.3 seconds slower than the last 128i we tested. Much of that owes to the ActiveE's weight, a portly 4000 pounds, nearly 800 pounds heavier than the MiniE. BMW attributes the weight gain mostly to the batteries and the conversion work necessary to turn an internal combustion engine-powered car into an EV that still meets crash and safety regulations. Much work was required to protect the retrofitted batteries in a collision, work that the i3 won't need because it's been designed as an EV from day one. BMW says that car will be nearly 1250 pounds lighter. On the other hand, the ActiveE is seven-tenths of a second quicker to 60 mph than the somewhat comparable Nissan Leaf or Toyota Prius.

At this point, we'd like to tell you how the ActiveE handles its extra heft, but we really can't say. The test drive BMW arranged took us on a pleasant trip through north Munich, but it consisted entirely of city streets that almost never turned. What few turns we did make consisted of the 90-degree, stoplight-controlled variety and didn't lend themselves to performance testing in afternoon traffic. We have to imagine that its ultimate road holding ability would at least be challenged by BMW's selection of efficiency minded Bridgestone Ecopia tires in place of the performance Goodyear Eagles standard on the 128i. Though the ActiveE's handling abilities were never tested, credit is due to BMW for devising a route representative of the ownership experience.

Again, though, little of that is actually relevant to the average EV early adopter. As an EV, the ActiveE performs perfectly well shuttling you about town in quiet and without producing its own emissions. It's less practical than a Leaf, what with its two doors and compromised trunk, but it's a damn sight better looking. It's also quite forgiving of the lead of foot, as our 30-mile test drive only depleted some 20 percent of the battery despite our best efforts. It charges faster to boot despite its larger battery, a benefit of the liquid thermal management system. It's even a bit faster on the road should you meet a Leaf or Prius at a stoplight and wish to prove eco-superiority.

If all this sounds like your cup of green tea, get your carbon-neutral hand in the air. Only 1100 ActiveEs will be built and only 700 of them will be shipped to the U.S., where they'll be available for a two-year lease only. MiniE customers, the less than 200 who still have their cars, will have first dibs and the rest will be hand-picked by BMW. The ActiveE will only be available in California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Boston and like the MiniE will be taken back at the end of the lease. The leasing process hasn't begun yet, but given that BMW received 10,000 hand raisers for the MiniE in the first week and that ActiveE deliveries begin in December, we don't expect it to take long. You'll have to lay down $2250 at signing and $495 per month for the privilege, should you be chosen. If you're the type of person the ActiveE appeals to, you probably won't be disappointed.

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