BMW electric cars.

A BEV (battery electric vehicle) drives exclusively on electricity, driven by an electric motor. It therefore doesn't have a combustion engine to drive the vehicle. The electrical energy is stored in a high-voltage battery. Alongside other factors1 it is mainly its capacity that determines the range of the electric car, in other words, the distance that it can cover with one battery charge. An electric car is considerably more efficient than vehicles with combustion engines, among other things because the drive motor feeds the brake energy back to the battery, a process called recuperation. In addition, electric cars drive locally emission-free. This is a significant difference from combustion engines.

Fully electric cars are ideal for users who can charge their electric car battery at work or at home. At the same time, the public charging infrastructure is expanding at a rapid pace. New charging stations are therefore appearing all the time in urban areas and along motorways. There are also a number of high-power charging stations for ultra-fast charging on longer journeys, such as the charging stations operated by our partner IONITY in Europe. Long journeys are set to become ever simpler. Long journeys are set to become ever simpler.

¹ Other factors affecting the range include the aerodynamics of the vehicle, the travel speed (e. g. motorway/urban driving), driving style, outside temperature, etc.

An electric car provides a completely new and emotional driving experience. You will experience amazing electric dynamics, thanks to maximum torque from a standing start with seamless acceleration. At the same time, the almost silent electric motor delivers a new and relaxed driving experience.

A battery electric vehicle is also locally emission-free. It's also almost silent and therefore does its best to protect our environment.

Further benefits of battery electric vehicles may include Government subsidies and tax concessions.

Temperature is a key external factor that affects a battery's performance and capacity. This is no doubt a factor you may have experienced with your mobile phone: its capacity is also limited at very low temperatures. It's the same with your vehicle. The influence of temperature is minimised by optimised operating strategies, however.

And did you know that the battery capacity also indicates your possible available range? Apart from the temperature, the range is largely affected by your personal driving style, and also by energy consumption factors, such as the air conditioning, trailer load, luggage etc. By far the most important factor in terms of driving style is your chosen motorway speed.

If you need to charge on the go, your fully electric BMW will be preconditioned when you enter a DC charging station as your destination. This means that the high-voltage battery will be adjusted to the optimum operating temperature when you reach your destination, which will increase its charging capability and shorten the charging time.

Electric cars are considered environmentally friendly by the public because, unlike combustion engine cars, they do not produce exhaust emissions locally. However, looking at the entire life-cycle of an electric cars paints a different picture: CO2 emissions and pollutants are generated in the in the raw material supply chains and during production of the vehicles. The type of electricity used also needs to be taken into account. Due to the energy-intensive production of the high-voltage battery, a finished electric vehicle has a higher carbon footprint than a comparable combustion engine model. This balance only shifts in favour of the electric car during its use. You can further improve your vehicle's environmental footprint by charging your electric car at home with green power such as using electricity from your own solar panels. Once you consider the whole life-cycle of an electric car, its global warming potential is lower than that of a comparable combustion vehicle.

You also need to consider the efficiency of your drive system. Here, efficiency means the percentage of the energy supplied that is actually converted into the required form of energy. The electric drive system in the current generation of BMW electric cars has an efficiency of up to 95%.5 However, the efficiency falls to around 75% if the driving cycle prescribed for the EU (WLTP) plus charging losses and battery depletion are also taken into account. So when driving a BMW electric car, around 75% of the energy charged is actually used for forward motion. Under comparable conditions, a petrol engine car has an efficiency of about 20%. Furthermore, electric cars have the advantage that they generate minimal noise, and so are less stressful for people and animals.

5 Drive unit consisting of electric motor, power electronics and transmission, best efficiency value

Your battery is influenced by a number of factors. Charging primarily affects the range, service life and power of the battery. To ensure the maximum service life of your battery, BMW recommends a battery charge state between 10 and 80% in everyday use. You should only charge the battery to 100% for long journeys, and this should be done shortly before you set off. A careful driving style also actively helps to optimise battery life. You should also pay attention to the state of charge when the vehicle is not in use for a longer period of time. Ideally, it should be between 30 and 50%.

Why do electric cars usually only have one-speed transmission?

A BMW electric car accelerates directly, and can access its full power instantly, even across a very broad speed range. This is made possible by the power characteristics of the electric motor. In an electric car, this means that neither a multi-speed transmission nor a clutch are necessary. Your electric car is just as easy to operate as a BMW with an automatic transmission.