SPY PICS: BMW i3

With its restricted first media drives in Europe just days away, here is the best look yet at BMW’s i3 electric car.

Unlike the larger i8, which uses a petrol engine to boost power, the i3 will be offered with a standard plug-in electric or optional range extender-assisted electric-drive powertrain.

The innovative drivetrain features a compact electric motor mounted over the rear axle, and it draws energy from the lithium-ion battery to provide drive to the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission.

BMW claims the 125kW/250Nm electric motor propels the i3 from 0-100km/h in 7.9sec, and it dispatches the 80-120km/h increment in just six seconds. Maximum speed is limited to 150km/h to preserve battery life, which may be a bit restrictive on German autobahns, but it would obviously not be an issue on our speed-restricted roads.

According to BMW, the i3’s battery can be recharged in six hours via a conventional 220-volt socket, and an ‘80 per cent capacity in one-hour’ fast charge is also available. Efficiency is boosted by a brake-energy recuperation system and a ‘coast mode’ that can be used for periods of energy-neutral freewheeling.

BMW plans to sell 30,000 i3s in its first full year of sales in 2014.

The i3’s range is claimed to be 130-160km. This should prove adequate for inner-city commuting, but those seeking to cover longer distances will be able to opt for the optional range extender powertrain called REx.

At 3845mm in length, the five-door i3 is compact in the extreme. By way of example, the latest Golf is almost 500mm longer! Though taller than most current hatches, BMW claims the i3’s centre of gravity is lower than all 1 Series models thanks to the position of the car’s liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery (mounted within the central section of the floor).

Both the i3 and the larger i8 will be built at the Leipzig plant and ride on the ‘LifeDrive’ architecture, which features an aluminium chassis clothed in a carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell.

As evident from these spy pics, the production i3 loses the futuristic see-through doors worn by the concept, but apart from this, the design language appears to have translated through largely intact.

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