New BMW Concept ActiveE

BMW Concept | Cars Styling 

    

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'.

BMW Concept | Cars Styling 

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.

BMW Concept | Cars Styling 

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.

2010 GMC Terrain vs 2010 Honda CR-V vs 2010 Hyundai Tucson vs 2010 Subaru Forester

In May 2008, the last time we compared the crop of naturally aspirated four-cylinder compact crossovers, the all-new third-generation Subaru Forester handily conquered the likes of Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue, Saturn VUE, and Toyota RAV4. Fluke? Hardly. The small-but-stout Subaru exclusive went on to snatch our desirable 2009 Sport/Utility of the Year award.

Since those victories, however, the Forester has happily basked in its laurels and evolved, um, not at all. Under the sheetmetal shack the same 2.5-liter, 170-horse flat-four, the same four-speed automatic, and the same AWD system. Conversely, the elector field has since been remake with newborn and updated players. The RAV4, for instance, received a power bump from 166 horses to 179, and the CR-V's pony count rose from 166 to 180. Then there are the newborn kids on the block: GM's fraternal twins, Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, and Hyundai's second-gen Tucson. The General's offspring intend 182 direct-injected horses and up to 32 mpg highway, patch the smart South Korean answers with 176 ponies and as much as 31 mpg.

To see which crossover today sits atop this feverish fray, we brought back our residing champ and pitted it against the more muscular CR-V, the all-new Terrain, and the auspicious Tucson. The Rogue unsuccessful to prevail in the last go-'round and conventional no significant changes, so we did not modify an invitation. And, of course, 2009 was the last year for the Saturn VUE. As for the Equinox and RAV4, we desired both, but neither was acquirable in four-cylinder/all-wheel-drive guise. Perhaps next time.

Until then, let's focus on this contest. After all, the winner haw rattling well surprise you.