BMW electric cars.

The battery in an electric car stores energy. An electric motor converts this energy into movement. Without the diversions involved with a conventional manual transmission, the power is directed straight to the wheels. You simply press the accelerator pedal, and you can feel the full acceleration power instantly. Unlike with a combustion engine vehicle, an electric car has access to the full driving power, even at low speeds, which can be felt in the surprisingly powerful acceleration from standstill.

Temperature is a key external factor that affects a battery's performance and capacity. This is no doubt a factor you may have experienced with your mobile phone: its capacity is also limited at very low temperatures. It's the same with your vehicle. The influence of temperature is minimised by optimised operating strategies, however. 

And did you know that the battery capacity also indicates your possible available range? Apart from the temperature, the range is largely affected by your personal driving style, and also by energy consumption factors, such as the air conditioning, trailer load, luggage etc. By far the most important factor in terms of driving style is your chosen motorway speed.

If you need to charge on the go, your fully electric BMW will be preconditioned when you enter a DC charging station as your destination. This means that the high-voltage battery will be adjusted to the optimum operating temperature when you reach your destination, which will increase its charging capability and shorten the charging time. 

If you need to park your vehicle for a long time, say when away on holiday, there are different factors than can have a positive effect on the battery: maintain a charge of between 30 and 50% and park your car in a cool place or in the shade in summer, and in a garage in winter. Do not leave your vehicle plugged in to charge for longer stationary periods.

Electric cars are considered environmentally friendly by the public because, unlike combustion engine cars, they do not produce exhaust emissions locally. However, looking at the entire life-cycle of an electric car paints a different picture: CO2 emissions and pollutants are generated in the raw material supply chains and during production of the vehicles. The type of electricity used also needs to be taken into account. Due to the energy-intensive production of the high-voltage battery, a finished electric vehicle has a higher carbon footprint than a comparable combustion engine model. This balance only shifts in favour of the electric car during its use. You can further improve your vehicle's environmental footprint by charging your electric car at home with green power such as using electricity from your own solar panels. Once you consider the whole life-cycle of an electric car, its global warming potential is lower than that of a comparable combustion vehicle.

You also need to consider the efficiency of your drive system. Here, efficiency means the percentage of the energy supplied that is actually converted into the required form of energy. The electric drive system in the current generation of BMW electric cars has an efficiency of up to 95%.⁵ However, the efficiency falls to around 75% if the driving cycle prescribed for the EU (WLTP) plus charging losses and battery depletion are also taken into account. So when driving a BMW electric car, around 75% of the energy charged is actually used for forward motion. Under comparable conditions, a petrol engine car has an efficiency of about 20%. Furthermore, electric cars have the advantage that they generate minimal noise, and so are less stressful for people and animals.

¹ Drive unit consisting of electric motor, power electronics and transmission, best efficiency value

Your battery is influenced by a number of factors. Charging primarily affects the range, service life and power of the battery. To ensure the maximum service life of your battery, BMW recommends a battery charge state between 10 and 80% in everyday use. You should only charge the battery to 100% for long journeys, and this should be done shortly before you set off. A careful driving style also actively helps to optimise battery life. You should also pay attention to the state of charge when the vehicle is not in use for a longer period of time. Ideally, it should be between 30 and 50%.

A BMW electric car accelerates directly, and can access its full power instantly, even across a very broad speed range. This is made possible by the power characteristics of the electric motor. In an electric car, this means that neither a multi-speed transmission nor a clutch are necessary. Your electric car is just as easy to operate as a BMW with an automatic transmission.