Tuesday 21st May 2013

Dealers confirmed for BMW i3 and i8

Ready to go electric? BMW is, as dealers gear up for the new i range

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News of of BMW's 'i' EV sub-brand has been circulating for a while now, or so it seems. There have been spy shots, passenger rides and motor show reveals; now we have the list of dealers that will sell and service the new range of electric BMWs.

The list comprises 46 BMW retailers, from Jacksons Jersey to John Clark Aberdeen. The first showroom, BMW Park Lane, currently has an i3 city car on display. It will go on sale later this year, with the i8 range-extender supercar due in 2014.

i3 in electric or range-extender forms

BMW calls the i3 a 'megacity' vehicle, and it will be offered with a choice of pure EV or range-extender powertrains. The electric motor in both is an evolution of that seen in the 1 Series Active E, producing 170hp and 184lb ft. Power goes to the rear wheels (it's still a BMW, after all) through a fixed-gear transmission. Performance up to its 93mph top speed should rival junior hot hatches; carbon fibre allows for a fairly lithe 1,250kg kerb weight, and 0-62mph is completed in 7.2 seconds.

Like their combustion-engined counterparts, relying on the official range figures will only lead to disappointment with BMW's electric vehicles. So whilst the i3's NEDC total is 140 miles, BMW is claiming an everyday figure of between 80 and 100 miles. Harvesting kinetic energy whilst driving will provide some battery replenishment, and a full charge through a conventional plug will take six hours. An optional quick charger promises to restore 80 per cent of the battery pack's energy in 30 minutes.

To alleviate range anxiety worries, the range-extender i3 will use a BMW motorbike engine as a generator for the electric motor. The 650cc engine is predicted to double the real world range to around 200 miles.

Initial estimates suggest the i3 will cost around £35,000 in all-electric form or £38,000 as a range-extender. Whilst the Vauxhall Ampera is perhaps the i3 range-extender's nearest conceptual rival, it lacks the performance or advanced materials of the BMW. Its perhaps also worth noting a Nissan Leaf offers a similar range at nearly half the price of an i3.

We've already ridden in the i8 - and been sideways!

The halo model of the 'i' brand, the i8 promises all the excitement of a conventional sports car with comparatively minuscule running costs. Its combustion engine is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo, set to feature in the next Mini Cooper S, making 223hp and 221lb ft. Allied to a pair of electric motors, the i8's total outputs are 354hp and 406lb ft. The majority of the electric power comes from the front-mounted motor, with the rear system acting mainly as generator/alternator.

The 4WD i8 is claimed to hit 62mph in 4.6 seconds whilst also offering an all-electric range of 20 miles. A kerb weight of 1,480kg gives the i8 a power-to-weight ratio of 239hp per tonne, near identical to a Jaguar F-Type V6 S.

So far, so promising. But there's a price to pay for BMW's innovation and it's the, er, price. The i8 is likely to cost around £100,000, placing it above BMW's own M6 as well as the Audi R8 V8 and 911 Carrera 4 S. Will prospective buyers be willing to embrace new technology for a premium over such talented conventional rivals?

Well, according to BMW, it has more than 6,000 customers interested in the i models. This certainly bodes well for when the i3 and i8 reach showrooms, and will reassure BMW to an extent on the validity of its EV gamble. You only have to look at Renault's relative lack of success so far with its EV programme for evidence of frosty customer reception to electric cars.

However, the allure of a blue and white roundel on the nose may encourage a few more doubters. With the 46 confirmed dealers also capable of repairing battery damage and BMW promising to expands its EV service network, the infrastructure is coming into place. The i8 in particular offers something genuinely fresh to the performance car market, and it will be fascinating to witness how it is received.

[edinph]

£35,000........................ I'll write more when I stop laughing!

[Nick644]

On looks alone the i8 is worth £100K!

[Fleckers]

i thought Irobot used Audi not BMW

will the car have a noise so people can here them coming ?

[Galileo]

£35000?, Shocking.

[Mermaid]

We will get used to it.

[Stu R]

I really, really love the i8.

The other one is a bit ... challenging.

[mnkiboy]

My problem with EV's is still the fact that whilst the potential fuel savings are huge, you can't drive them far enough to make the savings and offset the cost of buying the thing in the first place.

The range extender is a good idea, but the running costs when using it are the same as an average diesel car.

Once costs come down close to the levels of an equivalent petrol car then opinions will change.

[E38Ross]

100k? Surely anyone spending that amount of money isn't toooo concerned about a few mpg for the sake of less performance? Who knows.

The i8 does look pretty good though!

Thinfourth2 will be confused.... It's great as it's electric, but bad because it's a bmw. Tough call!

[g3org3y]

I'll be interested to see how the production version differs in looks compared to the concept.

The i8 looks particularly exciting.

35k is quite pricey for a city car. A fk load more interesting than the AM Cygnet though.

[LaurasOtherHalf]

so much want for the i8 here, it just looks & sounds superb.

£35k for the i3 though, i seriously don't think it's a lot when you consider a top of the range mini cooper is near £30k these days.

[The Jolly Todger]

I imagine a large proportion of these will be bought for use in London where driving one of those instead of a more traditional car will save you £10 per day, add on the tax saving and the fuel saving and it suddenly looks a lot better value. Not as good as a used Yaris or whatever but better than that MINI.

[Uncle John]

So judging by the photo the range extender is a fold up bike..??

[Toaster]

edinph said:

£35,000........................ I'll write more when I stop laughing!

Well if you want a 'Poverty' Model why not one of these http://www.renault.co.uk/cars/model/twizy/pricesan...

I do not mean the above in a derogatory way its quite a nice car in its own way and you could always for the F1 version http://www.carscoops.com/2013/05/watch-renault-twi...

[greggy50]

I think that I8 looks bloody amazing best looking car in a long time as it's something very different from the norm!

I3 looks a bit silly but I think the price is fair enough when a prius plug in is near enough £30k...

[BS75]

Bear in mind it's a premium brand, so £35k for an i3 isn't bad when you consider it's similar to a healthily specced up 1 or 3 series - you can even spec a prius to the £30k neighborhood if you go crazy with options.

Although I do think it's a shame they won't come with that optional electric bike in the boot that the concept at the Olympic Village had

[Toaster]

greggy50 said:

I think that I8 looks bloody amazing best looking car in a long time as it's something very different from the norm!

I3 looks a bit silly but I think the price is fair enough when a prius plug in is near enough £30k...

Agreed

[Devil2575]

E38Ross said:

100k? Surely anyone spending that amount of money isn't toooo concerned about a few mpg for the sake of less performance? Who knows.

I don't think the people buying them are doing so to save money.

[Carnnoisseur]

The i8, should the specs prove accurate, are not just great to look at, but seriously capable also. However, I believe their looks would be improved if they colour coded them to one colour (not necessarily red btw).

[killingjoker]

As a diehard fossil fuel petrolhead electric cars mean the end of a golden era for me.

[Si_man306]

i3 is a bit same old...

But that i8?! Come on, there's got to be more than a few people who are bold with the 911s and the R8s of the world, plus it's stunning/ film worthy looking.