Throwback Thursday 1992: BMW E1 first drive

The E1 entered development in 1990 with Technik, BMW's specialist think tank (and the outfit that brought us the "excellent but ill-fated" Z1 sports car), as a test bed to prove whether an electric car could work in the real world.

This was partly due to California's demand that 2% of new cars sold in the state had to be zero-emissions by 1998; the same catalyst for the creation of the General Motors EV1.

The E1 was 3460mm long, 1648mm wide and 1500mm tall – roughly the same as today's Fiat 500 but perhaps best comparable to the Audi A2. Its structure was all-aluminium and its body made from recycled plastic.

Power was sent from a 19.2kWh sodium sulphate battery through a direct-drive motor on the rear axle, giving a total of 45bhp and 111lb ft. 

Vivian explained: "The E1 weighs a modest 900kg (battery included). Part of the weight saving can be credited to its custom-built light alloy wheels – 14in front, 16in rear – that are essen­tially just outer rims that fit directly onto the drum brakes. Doing it this way shaves 20kg from the overall weight. More­over, energy generated during braking is fed directly into the battery.

"You have to plug the E1 into a domestic power supply at the end of the day for recharging; it takes between six and eight hours. How far it will have travelled at this point depends largely on the way it has been driven. The maxi­mum range is about 155 miles."

That's a remarkable claim, given that today's lithium-ion-battery-powered (and much more powerful) BMW i3 is capable of a maximum of 158 miles on the WLTP cycle (or around 125 miles in reality).

Vivian continued: "But, lively as it is, the E1 doesn't have so much performance that 'easing back' is a realistic option. Top speed is 75mph, 0-30mph takes 6.0sec and 0-50mph requires 18.0sec. A few hours of cut and thrust in the city followed by a blast on the motorway will reduce the range to 125 miles or less."

But, like the i3, driving the E1 was "a good experience" – it was "simply a great way of getting around, not least because it's a car you want to sit in and drive".

Indeed, "the simplicity of the facia is hugely appealing", we wrote. 

We continued: "Speedo, range indicator, clock. Accelerator, brake pedal, trans­mission.

"The tiny transmission joystick, just a finger's stretch away from the steering wheel rim, is a joy to use: flick it for­ward to move ahead, back to reverse and to the left to acti­vate the electronic handbrake. The rudiments of driving don't come any easier.

"Which isn't to say that the E1's keen sense of minimalism is all-pervading. Count a glass sliding roof, air conditioning and a first-class stereo among its creature comforts. Soft-touch materials and drum-tight build quality smack of BMW's mainstream models. The light­weight seats give proper sup­port and have integral seatbelts.

"You twist an ignition key to start, just as in any other car, but the only things that will tell you the E1 is running are lights on the facia and a faint hum.

"Flick the transmission joy­stick forward and nothing happens until you press the accelerator. Press it as lightly as you dare and the result isn't altogether gratifying. A mild thump presages a rather gritty, jerky crawl forward. The problem is one that Technik acknowledges. But mostly it's down to the nature of direct-drive electric motors.

"As is the virtually silent running. From outside, it looks like magic — noiseless move­ment, as if by telekinesis. From behind the wheel, the illusion isn't so complete, but the low-level motor whine is quiet enough to be drowned out by the noise of other traffic.