BMW will offer up to 700 urbanites an electric 1 series lease

by Sebastian Blanco

from http://green.autoblog.com/


BMW ActiveE concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

BMW said recently that participants in the Mini E lease program were "Delighted with [the] Electric Vehicle Experience." The Mini E, though, will probably seem totally lame compared to the production version of the BMW ActiveE concept (an all-electric 1 Series). After all, who doesn't like a rear seat? Oh, and the 100 mile range per charge and a 90 mile per hour top speed aren't bad, either.

There are around 450-500 copies of the Mini E out and about, and BMW is reportedly going to offering up a few more units of the all-electric 1 Series when it becomes available some time in the next year. BMW's board member for sales and marketing, Ian Robertson, told Automotive News that between 600 and 700 units will be leased to selected customers in major global cities. Robertson said the leases will be divvied up with 200 destined for the U.S. and between 300 and 400 driving around in Europe. As for the other hundred or so, maybe those will be demonstration or fleet or test units?

Gallery: BMW Concept ActiveE

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.]