Hot News: BMW's Electric Car

Nice for BMW to go all in!!! Good Job!!! Now it's time to for Toyota to make that call!!! Glad it's happening now with other brands. Not like GM a company that created the Saturn EV1 and then shit the bed due to U.S. Politcal B.S.(called Texaco and Chevron)...curious to see how this will pan out again with these to giants when the product goes global in 2012. Don't pull the plug BMW!!!

Huu76, you are such a LOSER!!!

BMW may not have invented the electric car but it looks like it may well make it successful around the world..

Go back to playing with your wind up TOYO/LEXUS toy cars and quit your WHINING...

BMW RULES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Should be priced around $30K because of legendary BMW handling of course."

LOL

Damn, the guys that hate BMW just keep reading more and more about them!!!!

I guess you could call it "BMW ENVY"...

Must suck knowing Toyota always loses to BMW whether it be technology, performance, innovation, and "gotta have it factor"...

Toyota/Lexus "tincans" are a dime a dozen no matter what label you slap on them...

toyota didnt invent the electric car nor the hybrid, so i fail to see your point....i guess they also pioneered the automobile, and the wheel im sure also

Inspiration and innovation as well as "The Ultimate Driving Machine" is what BMW always delivers to the auto market.

Toyota/Lexus = "YAWN!!!!"

Toyo/Lexus Tincans on wheels with a little navi in the center is supposed to be inspirational and innovative... LMAO!!!!!!!!!

Numerous landmark and breakthrough technologies for the entire automotive industry debut on BMW. Here's a short list:

First 5-speed automatic - 1991 BMW E34 5-Series

First 6-speed automatic - 2002 BMW E65 7-Series

First traction control - 1987 Bosch Mercedes-Benz S-Class/BMW 7-Series

First drive-by-wire throttle - 1988 BMW 750iL

First dynamic stability control system/Electronic
Stability Program - 1996 BMW 7-Series/Mercedes-Benz CL-Class

First head airbags - 1997 BMW 7-Series

First HID lights - 1991 BMW 7-series

good to see toyota commited to building electric vehicles seeing how they came up with it first before everyone. Since I don't see any electric vehicles anywhere within 20 mile radius from my house it must mean that toyota completely chickened out of their commitment to building zev, just like how they backed out of their commitment to build highly reliable cars.

Watch toyota embarrass themselves when theyre forced by california to build more zev and actually commit this time around

Toyota had researched zev vehicle for years. if you ever go to UC Irvine's national fuel cell laboratory, there are few toyota's fuel cell cars park there in the parking lot (in the form of Rav 4). I have seen them being driven around for a long time. ( i did some RFID research at UCI's engineering gate way, which is right cross that parking lot, and that was few years ago).

validus00, you have to understand there is a difference between be able to engineer a product and be able to engineer a market viable product. Take GM's electronic car for example. they had that car for at least 5 years. it moves, it stops, it works as a prototype. but with all the safety concern/price/maintenance, it may never see the light of day. I have no doubt BMW can make a zev right here, right now (take that hydrogen 7 as an example). but just because you can make it, doesn't mean you can massive produce it.

Honda's ZEV (FCX) has been around since year 1999, they had leased model (in japan) since 2002. they now have the FCX clarity, which is still not ready for massive production given the cost/maintenance/durability. Unlike changing a different sheet metal along with a new control panel interface and call it a new generation of whatever, a whole new power train would take as much as 20 years from research to massive production.

I recall reading something regarding vw hybrid diesel polo (or something) getting 75 mpg but aborted because it is not markable. Compare that to toyota's prius and you should know how big of chance did toyota took when they launch the prius in year 1997.

in conclusion. i don't think Toyota would embarrass themselves, in fact, as people become more educated, diesel's aura will slowly goes away as hybrid/fuel cell technology steps in.

lastly, despite the fact that i don't like toyota's cars, i do respect their vision and courage of this great company.

New BMW Isetta? POssibly a NEV to bypass crash regulations and limit it to a NEV?

huu76, you might need to do a little more research using your World Book encyclopedias. Try trading in your 70's editions for the 90's and maybe you can make a comment that the rest of us might recognize as intelligent instead of yadda, yadda, yadda....

huu76 seemed to forget that bmw was the first to introduce regenerative brakes, adaptive headlights, comfort access, xenon headlights, steptronic transmission, to list a few

prius a zev?? do you even know what a zev is?? go look it up kiddo

Huu76,

Actually window wipers were invented by a woman, not sure if she worked for BMW or not... :)

You have already hung yourself by making the statement that BMW created irrelevant car segments that nobody asked for, because that is the sign of a truly innovative car company. Those "irrelevant car segments nobody asked for" have drawn mass appeal and I'm quite sure your favorite car company toyo/lexus will come up with a copy and try to compete.

By the way, like validus00 stated, since when did the prius become a zev?

Most of your comments have no relevant or fact based info. Just so you know, ZEV mean "zero emissions vehicle".. Last time I checked the prius still used petrol and I don't think toyo has been so "innovative" that it has a patent on how to remove all emissons from a petrol based vehicle.

And huu76, don't give me the "zev if you drive it in the city" plug for the prius.

ZEV means zero emissions period. My aunt has a prius and it rarely uses just the batteries, so there goes your ZEV based prius...

hah, i guess i was "misinformed" by bmw about regenerative brakes then. but if toyota has been so successful with the technology then shouldn't we see them on other toyota models besides the prius, your so called "zero emissions vehicle"?

certainly don't look for them in the utter failure called is-f rofl

This is the 'electrifying' sort of Isetta BMW should be going for! It will 'blow away' the Smart ForTwo! http://www.tuvie.com/sev-space-efficient-vehicle