Electric BMW i3 to Start at $35K, Have 150 HP and 99-Mile Range

[SEGsby]

Electric BMW i3 to Start at $35K, Have 150 HP and 99-Mile Range

http://blog.caranddriver.com/electric-bmw-i3-to-start-at-35k-have-150-hp-and-160-mile-range/

[c0mp13x]

Really nice... love that batteries are flat and low in the vehicle (creating that squat, upright stance), motor in the rear... and that there is storage up under that bonnet! Imagine walking up to your BMW, popping the hood and putting you suitcase in there. Ha

http://netautocar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BMW-i3.jpg

I'll be really impressed if you can actually buy one of these at $35k, without $8k of upcharges and still get the 99 miles of range.

OK, Bimmer... show me the money!

[SEGsby]

http://www.bmw-i-usa.com/en_us/?WT.mc_id=net-img_ggl_us_phase3&noredir=1

[SEGsby]

Published on Jun 29, 2012 by BMWi

The electric motor of the BMW i3 Concept is designed primarily for operation in an urban environment, developing 125 kW/170 hp, with peak torque of 250 Nm (184 lb-ft). Typically of an electric motor, maximum torque is developed from standstill, in contrast to an internal combustion engine where torque increases with engine rpm.

i3:
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i8:
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The BMW i8 Concept combines the advantages of two different drive systems. As a plug-in hybrid it reaps the benefits of an electric motor and an internal combustion engine for maximum efficiency with maximum dynamics.

[randyd]

A CGI-based video of a car they won't put into production does not impress me. A CGI-based video of the production vehicle would interest me more, but not a lot.

[palmer_md]

They do continue to keep testing the water and keep ready for building an ev but I see no signs they want to do anything serious anytime soon. The activeE cars are cool but not very impressive. ModelS is a much better choice.

[SEGsby]

The i3 is slated for 2013 release, so most of what you're going to see, will likely be mostly CG until then.

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or bad cell phone video of prototypes:

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or Spy Video from Car Magazines:
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[PatQ562]

At least the narrow tires suggest they're serious about low rolling resistance (and less weight to support).
Pat Q

[NeilBlanchard]

I have been confused about the size if the i3. The rendered images and videos make it look pretty massive, but the actual photos and videos show that it is fairly small -- much closer to a Mini than to an X5.

[randyd]

The i3 is slated for 2013 release, so most of what you're going to see, will likely be mostly CG until then.

I am much closer to palmer_md:
They do continue to keep testing the water and keep ready for building an ev but I see no signs they want to do anything serious anytime soon. The activeE cars are cool but not very impressive. ModelS is a much better choice.
It's great that they are testing the waters. I wish GM or Ford was as clear in their EV intentions. And if something will be shipping from BMW in 15 months, then they have to be in the final stages of design, and the early stages of testing the production-intent vehicle.

But all of the images from BMW are **clearly** marked as a "concept". Meaning, what we are looking at now is not what we will see in a year and a half in the showroom.

[PatQ562]

The rendered images and videos make it look pretty massive, but the actual photos and videos show that it is fairly small -- much closer to a Mini than to an X5.
As a relatively recent owner of a 1962 Austin Mini Countryman (the micro-woody version with 4" added length) the BMW Mini is a "large" car in my book. I would hope the i3 is, if anything, SMALLER than the current (ever enlarging) Mini, although I wouldn't mind if the seating is a little higher than my old Mini. The video and driver silhouette makes the i3 look fairly tidy.
Pat Q

[kerbe]

The third clip looks a great deal more like the VW electric Up! than it does a BMW...