So, many of the EV sites that I follow got the attached response from BMW – thanks to the folks at Transport Evolved.
Anyone who has watched BMW’s ongoing development in the electric vehicle space and observed our investment in BMW i, has seen clear evidence of the company’s commitment to sustainable mobility.
BMW has always been clear that the ActiveEs were prototype vehicles and that the program would have a limited timeframe, which is now drawing to a close. Our time with the ActiveE and our Electronauts has been a great learning experience which has prepared us well for the arrival of the BMW i3 electric vehicle which is now in US showrooms at authorized BMW i Centers. As enthusiasts, we understand and appreciate the emotional connection that individuals can make with their cars. The enthusiasm that the Electronauts brought to the BMW ActiveE test program was truly remarkable.
The learning begun with the ActiveE will transition to the next phase with all of the lithium-ion batteries being repurposed for Battery Second Life research projects.
As prototypes, the BMW ActiveEs may not be resold. Based on increasing demand, the most well cared for cars have been deployed to bolster the fleet of Drive Now, BMW’s car sharing service in the San Francisco Bay Area, for a limited period. The total number of BMW ActiveEs in the Drive Now Fleet totals 150. Some have also been returned to Munich for additional research markets.
Legal requirements make it impossible to keep these cars on the road in the US indefinitely. Recycling of the vehicles locally is the most sustainably responsible means of handling the cars that are being taken out of service.
Wow… How about just a big “sorry” for being insensitive about parading your much loved ActiveEs crushed on the LA freeways? As I said in yesterday’s post, we understand the eventual fate, just don’t flaunt it. Spend a few bucks covering the cars up.
I would have preferred an apology for the insensitivity, heck you have our email addresses, send the apology via email. To BMW’s credit, it would seem to me (after umpteen views of this sickening picture), that the sequence in spray paint on the sides of the cars are NOT the VIN numbers. I would suspect some sort of list that corresponded these numbers with VINs.
Which means I still have hope that MY ActiveE is in San Francisco somewhere helping some DriveNow user get from point A to point B whilst saving the environment.
Heck, I’d even be happy if the DriveNow driver is taking the car from a San Francisco Giants’ victory (of course, being a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, I would be even happier with a Giants’ loss). But I digress. How about just covering the darn cars.
Don’t flaunt the eventual fate of our much loved ActiveEs. I’m just glad that I didn’t name the car.