Wednesday, July 07, 2010 BMW soon entering the electric era
 German auto maker BMW ventures into the production of an electric vehicle, and wishes to market it as soon as 2013. Able to accommodate 4 passengers, the car is named Megacity Vehicle (MCV). BMW’s Lifedrive architecture will allow the passenger compartment to be built almost entirely of carbon fiber, making the vehicle between 250 and 350 kilos lighter, which will palliate the extra weight generated by the presence of an electric system.
The MCV will be propelled by a lithium-ion battery module of only 96 cells, against the 5,000 cells battery actually used in the electric Mini (Mini E). It is estimated that the car’s max speed will be limited to 170 km/h, and that its autonomy will be superior to 250 km.
BMW is the second German carmaker to consider carbon fiber in the construction of its vehicles, Mercedes-Benz having announced its use in some of its car components as soon as 2012.
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