BMW AG took another step in the direction of electrification at the recent Los Angeles Auto Show by rolling out a concept version of an electric, three-door coupe.
The i3 Concept Coupe is the third electrified car BMW has announced in the past 18 months. It joins the racy i8 hybrid and a five-door vehicle (also called the i3) that is slated to reach production at the end of 2013. Like the five-door car, the coupe will be designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle.
BMW did not offer a production schedule for the coupe, but it did call the vehicle yet another sign the luxury automaker is earnest in its plan to bring electric powertrains to the premium car segment. "We're very serious about getting real sales volumes from this," Matthew Russell, a spokesman for BMW, told us. "It's a car that will have an appeal to a huge number of mega-city residents, business people, and electric car aficionados. We're expecting a real demand for this car."
Click on the photo below to check out BMW's EV lineup.
Family members: The i3 Concept Coupe joins two other vehicles in BMW's i sub-brand. The i8 plug-in hybrid (right) will reach production in 2014, and the five-door all-electric i3 EV will come out in 2013. (Source: BMW)
The i3 Concept Coupe is the third vehicle to be proposed for the BMW i sub-brand. All three vehicles will use a body-on-frame approach consisting of two functional units -- a drive module and a life module. The drive module, made from aluminum, incorporates the suspension, battery, drive system, and structural components. The life module, which sits atop the drive module, is a high-strength passenger cell made from carbon fiber-reinforced plastic. The plastic is said to offer a huge weight reduction, which is why the i3 Concept Coupe checks in at just 2,756 pounds.
The coupe will be propelled by a 170hp electric motor developed by BMW that offers 184lb-ft of torque and works in conjunction with a single-speed transmission. A liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery (of unknown capacity as yet) will provide approximately 100 miles of all-electric range. BMW has said the i3 will offer an optional range extender -- an onboard generator coupled with a small gas tank. "It's kind of an emergency-only feature," Russell said. "It's for people who have some range anxiety and are transitioning into an electric vehicle. It helps them relax by roughly doubling the range."
Battery charging for the coupe takes about three hours. However, an optional, DC fast-charge setup (available only at public charging stations) can charge the battery in less than an hour.
Unlike two other electric vehicles unveiled at the L.A. Auto Show (the Chevy Spark and the Fiat 500e), the BMW i3 vehicles will not be built atop another vehicle's platform, Russell said. "It's not based on anything. The aerodynamics, architecture, propulsion, battery, motors, wheels, tires -- all of it's brand new."
Though BMW did not reveal a price for the concept car, Russell did say it would be positioned at the premium end of the electric car market segment. "We believe we are more in the category of the Tesla Model S," whose base price was recently boosted to $59,900. "Like the Model S, it's a unique vehicle. We see it as a key part of the future of mobility."
One question for BMW is how they plan on selling gasoline, diesel, electric, AND fuel cell vehicles in high enough quantity to make profits on them all. Electric will die off fairly quickly once fuel cells hit, this unveil is probably nothing more than PR. Their fuel cell cars go on sale in 2 years so where does electric cars fit in their long term vision?
What I would like to know is whatever happened to motor-in-wheel. That strikes me as the most efficient and cost effective system (no gearing losses, no drive train hardware). And an itelligent version of it could be linked to the steering to do a better job of allocating torque than a differential ever could.
Did the cost of the motors kill that? Why don't you ever hear about it anymore?
Yes, but I want to see the numbers on redcharging in 3 hours. Surely that is not at a residential location. The article says 1 hour at public "fast charging" stations and 3 hours otherwise.
Numbers please?
I would have posted this as a separate topic but could not do so for some reason.
It's good to see that BMW is taking seriously the importance of reduced mass since schlepping a traditional all-steel vehicle wastes precious energy. Light weight fibrous composites therefore make sense. Thjis is not a new idea. The original electrics, like the Baker in the early 20th Century, also used a light strong fibrous composite for the same purpose. They called the stuff wood. (Just for the record, I am not proposing wood for structural elements today, although it should not be ruled out a priori.)
Certainly some of the "dumbing down" of concept cars is a matter of acceptance concerns.
There are also practical concerns. Can the exotic shapes be manufactured involume at an acceptable price? Can the designers desired shape contain actual humans of various sizes in a position they will accept? Will the drivetrain and other equipment all fit in the real car?
100 mile range? Range in an EV is still the most expensive item (opinion). WIth any car if you advertise the price "fully-loaded" a lot of folks will not even look at it. If you advertise the "starting at (try to find one on the lot)" price many who wouldn't look other wise will drive away with a 95% loaded model.
If you can't get them to look you can't get them to buy.
Cabe, you are right about the "brand tax". Even the least expensive 1-series car starts at $31,200. That is not a lot of car for so much, but that is their approach to pricing. When they came out I thought that it would be a good thing. I saw a 1-series convertible and it was nice. For sheer driving pleasure I like smaller cars. At that price, though, it does not seem that many are buying them.
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