BMW to Produce Low-Cost EV

BMW is partnering with TUM to create an inexpensive electric vehicle (EV), reports Wired:

Right now, electric vehicles are relatively large, incredibly heavy and overly expensive. Which means the people that would benefit the most – those confined to cities – aren’t particularly clamoring for the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus Electric or one of Tesla’s offerings. BMW AG and the Technical University of Munich recognize this and are putting 10.8 million euros provided by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research into finding a more cost-effective, mass-market solution.

The first concept out of the joint research project, dubbed Visio.M, is the MUTE prototype, which acts as the jumping off point for future vehicles. Visio.M aims to pack an electric motor capable of deliver 15 kW of juice, weigh around 880 pounds sans battery, and meet the European L7e regulation category for small electric vehicles.

While the MUTE won’t see production, it’s the first step towards offering an inexpensive, fully electric car for the masses – something that should slot in nicely below the more upmarket BMW i3 due out late next year.