It’s been 33 years since BMW introduced the E2 concept at the 1991 Los Angeles Auto Show. For the first time following its debut, the electric city car has returned to California. It’s currently on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum alongside several later EV efforts. These include the 2009 MINI E, 2009 Vision Efficient Dynamics, and the 2013 i3.
The E2 is by far the quirkiest and the most obscure of them all. While its predecessor, the E1, was penned by the BMW Technik skunkworks team, the subsequent concept was the responsibility of Designworks USA. It’s worth noting that it wasn’t until 1995 that the California-based design studio became a fully owned BMW Group subsidiary.
Compared to the original E1, the follow-up concept received an entirely new and smoother body. The E2 was longer, wider, and sat lower. At the time, Designworks founder and president Chuck Pelly said the intent was to adopt a look that was “more traditionally BMW styled, with less reversals.” The cabin could accommodate four people and some storage behind the rear seats.
The inside of the 1991 BMW E2 had a rounded dashboard that integrated the airbags for the front occupants along with the speedometer, remaining range indicator, and a clock. Although it was conceived as a static model, forward and reverse controls were added, along with an electric handbrake. We should point out the E1 was a running prototype.
The E2 was developed with the US market in mind, specifically as a response to California’s proposed emissions standards. Those stipulated that automakers would have to make EVs account for 2% of annual sales by 1998. The legislation was subsequently revised several times and BMW abandoned both E1 and E2 projects in the mid-1990s.
In 2024, BMW isn’t selling an electric city car as the i3 was phased out in 2022 after 250,000 cars. It is believed an i1 and maybe an i2 will arrive around 2028 on the Neue Klasse platform but nothing is official.
Source: BMW