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BMW i3 Electric Car To Have 100-Mile Range, $35,000 Pricetag: Report

 
3 1,200 views May 17, 2011
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BMW i3 spy shots

HI-RES GALLERY: BMW i3 spy shots



Development of BMW’s all-electric i3 hatchback, the car formally known as the Megacity Vehicle, is well underway as we saw last winter when these prototypes were spotted. Apart from a few initial details, such as a four-seat layout, carbon fiber construction and an electric drivetrain, there’s little else known about one of BMW’s most important models of the decade.

Starting off with what we know, the BMW i3 will be a zero-emission urban car for the world’s metropolitan regions. When it comes to the choice of materials, the company is broaching entirely new territory. This is because weight plays a pivotal role in the range achievable by electrically driven vehicles. Not surprisingly, there will be plenty of lightweight carbon fiber in its construction--you may recall BMW is building a new carbon-fiber plant together with composites expert SGL Group specifically for the i3.

Despite its small proportions, the vehicle will be a four-seater. It will be powered by a newly developed drivetrain consisting of a 100 kW (134 horsepower) electric motor mounted on the rear axle and running on lithium-ion batteries. A range-extended version complete with a compact internal combustion engine acting as a generator may also be launched.

All this technology won’t be cheap, however. BMW is launching the i3 under its new ‘i’ sub-division just like its high-performance M cars.



According to inside sources, pricing for the car will start at around $35,000 when it goes on sale in 2013. For this you reportedly get enough battery power for nearly 100 miles and a 100 mph top speed. Total storage space is expected to be a reasonable 14.1 cubic-feet and around 40,000 units are to be manufactured each year.

The first public outing for the new i3 is expected to be at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, due to kick off July 27, 2012, though we expect to see more concepts and near-production versions at the intervening auto shows. As mentioned, an actual sales release isn’t pegged for until 2013.

[Car and Driver]


UPDATE and CORRECTION: The original version of this article cited Car and Driver's reported driving range of 160 miles. C/D later corrected the figure to 160 km, and we have since updated the title and story to reflect that. 


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HI-RES GALLERY: BMW Megacity Vehicle four-door rendering




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Comments (3)

  1. By  Tom Moloughney Posted: 5/17/2011 10:08am PDT

    I know this was reported by Car & Driver yesterday, but as someone close to the program I have to say I think the 160 miles range has been incorrectly reported. I believe the i3's target range is 100 miles which happens to be 160 kilometers. I think the person who reported this for C&D confused miles for km and the car will indeed have a targeted 100 mile range. The $35,000 base price is good news though, as I was expecting something a bit higher. Here is some more info on the i3 powertrain: http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2011/03/bmw-i3-light-weight-means-less-energy.html
     
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  2. fb_82100996 avatar Rich Shanks Posted: 5/17/2011 10:20am PDT

    Does this car use the MINI platform? Just curious.
     
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  3. By  Tom Moloughney Posted: 5/17/2011 10:38am PDT

    @Rich: No it doesn't. It has a purpose built aluminum/CFRP frame and passenger cell. Designed from the start as an EV with the emphasis on extreme weight reduction and efficiency. It will be bigger than the MINI-E and weigh about 800lbs less.
     
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