Beginning today, the recruitment process for the highly anticipated all-electric BMW ActiveE is open in the metropolitan markets of Boston, Hartford, New York, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and San Francisco. The BMW ActiveE is available by lease only at a cost of $499 per month for 24 months with a down payment of $2,250. Electric vehicle (EV) enthusiasts interested in leasing the BMW ActiveE can begin the recruitment process at www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE. Vehicles are available on a first come, first served basis.

Calling All Electronauts.
The 700 BMW ActiveE lessees have been dubbed “Electronauts”. BMW Electronauts are adventurers and explorers; they are front-runners of innovation and advocates for sustainability. Most importantly, they are key participants in the BMW ActiveE Field Trial. Beginning in early 2012 and taking place in the U.S., Europe and China, the BMW ActiveE Field Trial will include more than 1,100 BMW ActiveE vehicles, produced at BMW’s plant in Leipzig, Germany.

Throughout the field trial, car- and driver-generated data and anecdotal feedback from the Electronauts will be collected by BMW to deepen its knowledge about the everyday use of EVs and to provide actionable insights into electric mobility in urban environments. Once the field trial commences, information collected from the Electronauts will be made available for all EV enthusiasts and media at www.BMWActivateTheFuture.com.

In addition, the learnings from the field trial will provide direct insight into electric mobility in advance of series production of BMW’s first purpose-built, mass-produced electric vehicles, the BMW i3 in 2013 and the i8 in 2014. Concepts of the i3 and i8, the first two vehicles from the new BMW i brand, made their official North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 16 and 17, 2011.

Born Electric. Born of project i.
The introduction of the BMW ActiveE is the newest product to be born from BMW’s project i. Project i is BMW Group’s visionary, all-embracing approach to redefining the understanding of personal mobility through purpose-built vehicle concepts, a focus on sustainability throughout the value chain and a range of complementary mobility services.

It is anticipated that by 2025 the planet will be populated by 8 billion people with over half of that population living in urban metropolitan areas. The data generated from the BMW ActiveE Field Trial will not only provide BMW with the insights necessary to intelligently develop innovative and sustainable mobility solutions tailored for the growing urban population, but also to deliver even more efficient and higher performing electric vehicles worthy of the BMW moniker.

The Recruitment Process.
After filling out the reservation form on www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE, prospective lessees. will complete a charging station consultation with BMW partner AeroVironment. The purpose of the consultation is to ensure that prospective Electronaut’s homes are capable of supporting an AeroVironment charging station and participants fully understand all aspects of maintaining and charging an electric vehicle before signing a lease. Once the consultation is completed, the prospect’s information will be forwarded to their selected BMW ActiveE center to finish the lease process.

For more details on the recruitment process please visit www.bmwusa.com/ActiveE.

[Source: BMW ]