360° Electric announced for Oz

BMW is serious about delivering a holistic sustainability experience for owners of its new plug-in vehicles, if first details of the BMW i aftersales program are any guide.

The German brand outlined its Australian plans for 360° Electric, a comprehensive care package designed to keep your BMW i vehicle in top shape, in Melbourne on the weekend, when media were invited to drive the i8 for the first time on home turf.

While first local deliveries of the $299,000 i8 hybrid coupe won't take place until March, BMW's first i-car — the i3 hatch — goes on sale here on November 21, priced from $63,900 for the all-electric version and $69,900 for the 'REx' range-extender.

“For i8, we’ve supplied a charger cable for occasional use, which is capable of connecting to a 230-volt household socket. It will take four hours for a full charge,” said BMW Australia Product Manager Brendan Michel.

BMW Australia will also offer an ‘iWallbox’ charging station via its accessories arm, which reduces the i8 charge time to less than two hours.

An installation service for the iWallbox (which starts at $1750 for the Pure version, including a two-year warranty) will be offered here by preferred installer Schneider Electric. This includes a $192 home assessment and $470 standard installation service.

Charging en route is also possible thanks to an agreement with ChargePoint. BMW i owners will be supplied with the appropriate token to access one of 80 public charging stations throughout the country. These locations are programmed into the navigation system, though they are fewer and further between than in other areas.

“Compared to the Los Angeles region, where there is a concentration of over 400 charging stations within an 80km radius, we still have a way to go with infrastructure,” conceded Michel.

BMW i offers clients complimentary roadside assistance for the first eight years of ownership, with a warranty on the lithium-ion battery pack of eight years or 100,000km, whichever comes first.

BMW’s novel approach to servicing is also available, with the choice of ‘Service Inclusive’ or ‘Service Inclusive Plus’ plans. Under these programs owners can fix servicing costs in advance for up to five years or 100,000km, thus avoiding inflation and other surprises, but they are limited in what they cover.

The vehicle communicates with the service department via ConnectedDrive to determine any maintenance requirements, although final details of the i8 program weren’t provided.

The i3 Range Extender Service Inclusive program covers an oil service (with top-ups between scheduled servicing, as required), vehicle check, climate-control microfilter and brake fluid. Inclusive Plus adds brake pad and disc replacement as required, and up to three sets of wiper blades.

In addition to the six authorised BMW i dealerships (BMW Melbourne in Southbank, BMW Sydney in Rushcutters Bay, Brisbane BMW in Fortitude Valley, Perth's Auto Classic in Victoria Park, Adelaide BMW in the South Australian capital and Rolfe Classic BMW in Phillip, ACT), a further 11 dealers “focused on the east coast” will be accredited to undertake i-car servicing.

Finally, BMW offers a car-swap service known as Flexibile Mobility. This enables i-owners to switch into a more conventional BMW vehicle when circumstances require it, such as when a larger vehicle is required for a holiday.

In addition, BMW claims 95 per cent of the materials required to produce an i8 are recyclable.