It was just a few weeks ago that BMW launched its new brand, simply called "i," and pledged two new electrified cars would be coming to save us from both the perils of pollution and the danger of boring commutes. Now here they are, spotted in the wild wearing the company's usual swirly vinyl, which is doing its best to hide those decidedly distinct curves -- and failing miserably, if we're honest. Both the i3 hatch (below) and i8 sportscar (above) were obviously doing some winter testing, and we'd say that the smile on the face of the passenger in the i8 is a good sign that the four-seater with 62MPG rating and a 0 - 62 time of 4.8 seconds will be fun to drive. Or fun to ride in, at least.
i3 doesn't have the distinctive BMW flavor...
ReplyDeleteLet's clarify a few things here. First off, these cars will be hybrids (or at least the i8 will). It was initially expected to have the 1.5L 3 cylinder turbodiesel from the Vision ED concept mated to twin electric motors, but current reports are that it will be equipped with a small gas engine to supplement electric drive. So issues regarding range aren't relevant, since it's not purely electric.
ReplyDeleteSecond, BMW very rarely ever uses production wheels on prototypes, since A) it would ruin the surprise when it reveals the production model, and B) they're still experimenting with wheels.
Third, electric or hybrid cars have gotten a bad rap because, up until recently, most of them have been boring econoboxes, more closely related to big golf carts than full-size cars. Things like the Porsche 918 RSR and the i8 are examples of electric drive vehicles that can be plenty powerful & as fun (if not more so) than their pure IC counterparts. The nice thing about electric motors is that they give you nearly 100% of the power from 1RPM, which lasts all the way up to their red line that can exceed 15,000RPM without too much struggle. Combine that with a torquey diesel and you have a car that's capable of delivering some pretty awesome driving experiences while still giving you the fuel economy of a Prius (maybe better).