BMW Reveal The New i3 Electric

BMW i 3 electricBMW have revealed its radical new i3 electric car. This is BMWs first full production electric car which will go on sale here in November priced at €33,160

The i3 battery-electric five-door hatchback’s 125-kilowatt (170-horsepower) electric motor can generate peak torque of 184 lb-ft.

The motor will accelerate the car from 0 to 60 mph in “approximately 7 seconds”, BMW says, and the critical stop-light dash from 0 to 35 mph takes just 3.5 seconds.

The 2014 BMW i3 will offer an advanced aray of new connectivity features giving the user seamless control and over the vehicle. The BMW i3 has a range of 130km and has an “Eco Pro” efficiency setting which can boost that by about 12 percent or 20km.

BMW says the battery pack contains “approximately 22 kilowatt-hours” of energy, and that in the European drive cycle, the car achieves more than 4 miles of range per kWh.

Like the MINI E and BMW ActiveE prototype electric-car test fleets, the BMW i3 will provide strong regeneration when the driver lifts off the accelerator.

bmw i3This offers largely “one-pedal driving,” as did the original Tesla Roadster, but it’s a different feel to most other electric cars. This will mimic the driving experience of a conventional automatic-transmission car, effectively coasting when the driver lifts off, providing only minimal regeneration until the brake pedal is applied.

(The company didn’t specify whether the i3 will provide a “coasting” mode at an intermediate spot in the pedal travel between acceleration and regen, as there is on the ActiveE.)

The regenerative effect is speed-sensitive: It’s reduced at motorway speeds to let the car “coast” and avoid unnecessary slowing, but strongest at lower speeds.

The i3 can be charged from a standard domestic socket, by a BMW i wallbox or through a public charge point.

The two back doors are hinged from the rear panel and there are no middle pillars, this gives a large aperture for loading. The use of a carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) body shell means you don’t need conventional B-pillars. By using CFRP, BMW reckon that the replacement cost on body panels will be 40% less than standard body panels.

Range extender

BMW offers an optional 0.65-liter (650cc-34hp) range extender engine which will maintain the battery charge at a constant level once it drops below a certain charge percentage and increase the range by a further 100km.BMW i3

The 34-hp (25-kW) two-cylinder engine sits below the rear luggage space, meaning there’s no compromise to cargo volume.

BMW i3 starts at €33,160

With Range Extender- €40,190