Original electric bimmer
The 1602e, which was introduced just a year prior to 1973’s oil crisis, was BMW’s first attempt at making an electric car. They were two of the prototypes that were displayed at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Although they looked almost identical to the standard 1602, there was one significant difference underneath. The combustion engine was gone and engineers instead installed a number of standard 12V lead-acid battery packs made by Varta. The first electric BMW was thus born.The battery pack alone weighed in at 771 pounds (353 kilograms). It was fed by a DC shunt-wound Bosch motor rated at 12kW / 32kW (continuous/peak output). It was still a BMW, but the electric punch was delivered to its rear wheels. The car suffered from the huge weight penalty caused by the batteries. It was able to sprint to 31 mph (50 km/h) in eight seconds, and then reach a top speed only of 62 mph (100.0 kph).
The range of the two cars used at the games was 19 miles (30 km) in city driving. BMW stated that the Varta batteries could provide enough power for up to 38 miles (61km) when driven at 31 mph (50 km/h). Regenerative braking was an early form of the 1602e. The electric motor served as a generator and the energy generated during braking was stored within the battery.
The concept was impossible to produce due to its short range and lack of a gasoline engine that would kick in afterwards, like the i3 REx. The development went on and the not-a Lexus LS Electric was released in 1975 with a new DC series motor, and a Bosch-developed set of 10 batteries.