‘Locally emission free’: BMW Group amps up the EV doublespeak while showcasing the Mini Cooper SE’s trek from Munich to Frankfurt

By Bill Hayward

mini cooper SE so-called locally emission free electric car EV
Photo: BMW Group.

Ever get the feeling while mopping a floor that all you’re doing is spreading the dirt a little thinner?

An argument could be made that the concept “spreading the dirt around” is at least somewhat analogous to the environmental impact of electric vehicles (EVs). Yes, there is pollution taking place somewhere, from the process of mining the raw materials to make the batteries to burning the fuel that generates the electricity flowing to outlets that EVs plug into.

But with an EV, you can at least get the good feeling that you’re not polluting the area where you’re driving. Hence, the buzz phrase that has actually been floating around in the EV dialogue for a number of years: “locally emission free.”

Sure, there’s pollution related at least indirectly to your EV happens. But at least your EV isn’t directly polluting your own back yard. ‘

That’s a good thing, right?

“Locally emission free” isn’t a new buzz phrase by any means. The oldest occurrences that I found on the Interwebs are dated in the early 2000s, and the phrase seems to show up more frequently in the context of the European automotive industry.

And that’s where I saw it show up today, in a press release BMW Group issued touting an all-electric Mini Cooper SE’s excursion from Munich to Frankfurt for the 2019 International Motor Show (IAA)—aka the Frankfurt Motor Show or the Frankfurt Auto Show.

The press release boasts that the electric Mini, with the fast-charging capability of its high-voltage battery, had to stop only one time to charge. Wow. According to Google Maps, the trek from Munich to Frankfurt is in the ballpark of approximately 245-275 miles.

According to BMW Group, the range of the Mini Cooper SE electric car is up 270 kilometers—about 168 miles.

That’s actually not too impressive considering the range that some other EVs are claiming these days—like up to 342 miles, according to Motor1, for Volkswagen’s newly-revealed ID.3.

Also not too impressive is the “locally emission free” doublespeak.

To be fair, that’s not really a BMW Group issue. It’s an industry issue. The industry is pushing hard to win market acceptance of the EV model of automobility.

But by at least appearing to skirt legitimate questions about the true net environmental impact of EVs compared to internal combustion cars, the industry isn’t doing itself any favors in winning over the more skeptical among us.     

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