BMW 1602 Elektro (1972)

[shogun]

Interesting pics of 1972 built 1602 electric cars, built by BMW then for the olympic games https://de.yahoo.com/nachrichten/bmw...150830558.html

[ngarry243]

Wow, I thought only for the last 10 years electro cars have been developing, and it turns out they have a big history.

[steve k.]

Two of them were built to show off at the Olympics in Munich in 1972.

[shogun]

brief translation: At that time of the 1972 Olympics in Munich BMW started with two electrically powered test vehicles. The converted BMW 1602s served as a means of transport for the organizing committee and are used as support and camera cars in various long-distance competitions. BMW used the test vehicle for test purposes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. There they were used, among other things, as support vehicles for the marathon run and the walking competition. In order to test the usability of an electric drive in practical driving operation, BMW built two test vehicles based on the 02 series from 1969. A DC shunt motor developed by Bosch with a peak output of 32 kilowatts had found its place where the manual gearbox is normally located. A thermostat-controlled radial fan with 140 watts of power took over the cooling. The 85-kilogram electric motor was powered by twelve commercially available twelve-volt lead batteries from the Varta brand (which also belong to the Quandt family owned by BMW), which are housed on a pallet in the engine compartment. Capacity: 12.6 kilowatt hours. The battery pack weighed no less than 350 kilograms, but could be removed as a whole and replaced with a freshly charged package. The BMW 1602 Elektro accelerated from zero to 50 km / h in eight seconds and reached a top speed of 100 km / h. BMW specified 12 kilowatts as continuous output and 32 kW as peak output. The range in the city was about 30 kilometers, at a constant 50 km / h about 60 kilometers. Even then, the electric machine also worked as a generator, so that the energy generated when braking could be stored in the battery (regenerative brake). Nonetheless, it is quickly becoming apparent that the specific disadvantages of electric drives can only be solved through advances in the battery sector. The BMW 1602 Elektro is therefore not viewed as a solution, but only as an initial development approach. It is obvious that lead-acid batteries weighing 350 kilograms and a range of around 60 kilometers are hardly attractive for a series vehicle.