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12-Dec-2012

PHOTO CAPTION: BMW electric car prototypes starting with the 1602 model at the back of the lineup.

BMW Celebrates 40 Years of Electric Car Experimentation

BMW introduced its first pair of electric car prototypes at the 1972 Olympics.

BMW is celebrating their 40th anniversary of building electric vehicles.

Things kicked off at the 1972 Olympic Games when BMW introduced two 1602 Electric prototypes. Essentially a proof of concept, the vehicles were equipped with a 43 HP (32 kW) electric motor and twelve 12V lead-acid batteries. This enabled the models to accelerate from 0-50 km/h (31 mph) in 8 seconds, hit a top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) and travel approximately 30 km (19 miles) on a single charge.

A few years later the company introduced the BMW LS Electric in 1975. Equipped with regenerative brakes and an onboard charger, the model featured a 23 HP (17 kW) electric motor and ten 12V batteries. This enabled the prototype to accelerate from 0-50 km/h (31 mph) in 11.4 seconds, hit a top speed of 65 km/h (40 mph) and travel approximately 30 km (19 miles) on a single charge.

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