Page 27 - ElectriCar Magazine

MSRP: $44,450
Motor: 170kwh
Battery Capacity: 42kwh LithiumIon Range: 153 miles
Curb Weight: 3,309
of both Plug-In Electric cars was scheduled to start in Leipzig in 2013.
The i3 concept car was unveiled at the 2011 International Motor Show Germany. BMW showcased an i3 prototype during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London,
and the production version was unveiled in mid 2013.
BMW unveiled the i3 Concept Coupé study at the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. The carmaker developed the concept car to demonstrate the potential for extending the model range. The three-door hatchback coupe, like the five-door i3 electric hatchback sedan, is propelled by
an electric motor developed by
the BMW Group, with a maximum output of 170hp. Power delivery to the rear wheels is via a single-speed transmission. The LithiumIon battery pack is placed under the floor and can deliver an All-Electric range
of 99 miles, but a gasoline engine referred to as “REx”, can be added to extend the car’s range to 200 miles.
As of late 2015, the i3 ranked as the world’s third best selling All-Electric car in history. Global sales of the i3 achieved the 50,000 unit milestone
in mid 2016. Three years after its introduction, total global sales totaled more than 60,000 units, making the
i3 the world’s top selling Plug-In Electric car in the premium compact segment, and the top selling BMW electrified model, representing sixty percent of combined BMW i and
BMW iPerformance models. As of late 2016, the i3 ranked as the world’s third best selling All-Electric car in history with about 65,500 units delivered.
Design And Technology: The ActiveE began field testing in early 2012 with several of the same electronic components proposed to be used in the i3.
BMW explained that taking advantage of the fact that the vehicle does not need an internal combustion engine up front, the i3 is being designed from the ground up, but avoiding to look podlike, with a dynamic sweep of the roof and the beltine to make it look sportier than
most electrics. In order to achieve a lightweight car, the i3 will be the first mass production car to have most of
its internal structure and body being made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). Like other BMW models before it, the i3 features door panels made of hemp, which mixed with plastic helps lower the weight of each panel by about ten percent. Hemp fibers, left exposed, also form a design element of the car’s interior. Benoit Jacob, BMW i Head of Design, said the use of natural materials like hemp and kenaf makes the i3’s interior feel like “a small loft on wheels.” As of late 2010, BMW had demonstrated only the light weight of the passenger compartment, and the automaker’s chief executive said they had already decided on the basic design of the car and that road- testing prototypes began soon after.
The i3 features four doors and seating for four occupants just
that it has rear suicide doors, with dimensions being slightly larger than the Mini Cooper, but smaller than the One Series. The i3 is powered by a newly developed powertrain consisting of a 170hp electric motor running on LithiumIon batteries and driving the rear axle. BMW aimed
to achieve a range of 100 miles, the same range that was expected for the ActiveE, but in order to reduce weight with a battery capacity of 16 kWh instead of the ActiveE’s 30 kWh.
The i3 has two pedals like all
cars with automatic transmission.
The accelerator pedal acts as both accelerator and engine brake. When the driver releases the pedal, the vehicle’s kinetic energy is regenerated by the vehicle drivetrain to recharge the battery. This has the effect of slowing the car down. During the field testing of the Mini E, which features an accelerator that recharges the battery in this way, and consists of brakes
that only apply to the rear wheels, BMW has learned that drivers tend
to rely on the engine brake: around seventy-five percent of all deceleration maneuvers are initiated without the brake pedal in urban traffic areas.
BMW i3 continued on page 75 25
iPerformance models. As of late 2016, the i3 ranked as the world’s third best selling All-Electric car in history with more than 65,000 units sold since
its inception. The U.S. is its best- selling market with 24,741 units sold.
Among other awards and recognition, the BMW i3 won two World Car of the Year Awards selected as 2014 World Green Car of the Year
and also as 2014 World Car Design of the Year. The i3 was also given an iF Product Design Gold Award, and, in the first UK Car of the Year Awards, it won in two categories: UK Car of the Year 2014 and Best Supermini of 2014.
In February 2011, BMW announced a new sub-brand, BMW i, to market the vehicles produced under Project i. BMW i vehicles are to be sold separately from BMW or Mini. The first two production models are the All-Electric Mega City Vehicle, now called i3, and a Plug-In Hybrid called i8, which is the production version of the Vision Efficient Dynamics concept unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany and has an All- Electric range of 31 miles. Production
JUNE 2020