With the 1602 Elektro, BMW already had an electric mid-range car in 1972

The 1972 Olympic festivities took place in the front yard of BMW’s then just completed iconic headquarters, the famous ‘four-cylinder’. It is therefore not surprising that it became one of the official car suppliers of the event. It was still too early for the all-new 520, as it would follow in the fall of that year. However, BMW was prominently present with two 1602s equipped with electric drive especially for the Games. These cars were, among other things, intended to drive officials around the site. A much more fitting task for both 02s was to move as camera and escort vehicles on the marathon course. After all, cars without exhaust gases – certainly if they have the dubious quality level of 1972 – will have been a relief to the runners. At the same time, once the 1602s had crossed the finish line, they were also quite exhausted. At least the batteries, which gave the cars a meager range of approximately 60 kilometers. At best, that is, because crossing the city regularly, they would only last 30 kilometers. So it wasn’t allowed to go too fast, which is a message that marathon runners usually don’t take into account.

The technical concept of the powertrain was touchingly simple: BMW had tied together twelve regular 12V lead-acid batteries and placed them under the front cover of the 1602, together a load of a sweet 350 kilos. The whole could be towed from the car, after which a freshly charged package took its place. A cumbersome, but effective way to keep the cars mobile. An electric motor from Bosch was installed in place of the gearbox, which drove the rear wheels. Even then, the powertrain could already store braking energy in the battery pack. “The electric 1602 made it clear to us that we could only deal with the limited range by focusing on the development of battery technology,” said the manufacturer. BMW took some time for that; the first electric BMW was the i3 in 2013.