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."
I just think we probably won't see how this all plays out...but our kids will. Meaning it's going to take a lot of time to figure out which rules. VHS or Beta!?
Did it really say 1hr at public? Does that mean it would be like stopping for gas, but instead of the 5mins it takes for gas it would take you an hour?
Beautiful styling and I certainly think the timing is correct for a car of this type. I also agree with several comments that the "mileage extender" will be a desirable option. I have one client I do work for requiring a 74 mile round-trip commute. Mostly interstate driving, and as we all know, traveling the interstate system any more is a real crap shoot. Numerous times I have been in traffic that extends the drive 30, 40 minutes and even an hour when weather, wrecks, Friday traffic etc are necessary to deal with. I also see an issue with the probable cost of the car, if we are talking about $50K plus. A lot on money for what you might be getting. Great post Charles. Thank you for the update.
The vehicle certainly looks good, and the performance sounds quite impressive. But my guess is that with the AC on in hot city driving the range will be more like 40 miles than the 100 claimed. Or perhaps, like any true performance car, it does not even have air conditioning. Is there any additional information that would address this topic?
I agree with you about it not being a compliance car, NiteOwl. Some of the vehicles that are being called compliance cars right now may be part of a longer-range plan. This may be one of those vehicles.
Yes, I hope those doors make it into the production version. I think it's safe to say this isn't just a compliance car. Looks like they put a lot of work into it and it brings quite a bit of inovation to an industry sorely needing it. I hope there's a market for the car. At the very least, this design should influence other brands.
Nice article. I think those are Maclaren-style doors. I always liked those. Spectators are busy checking out the doors and maybe won't notice you gracelessly struggling to climb out of the deep bucket seats. The i8 concept looks cool. Kinda looks like a cross between a 6-Series and a Genesis Coupe. Too bad the price will be high. Decent charge-time, good styling, but the range is a bit limited for highway trips even with the range extender. I guess time will tell.
Tesla Motors plans to roll out a “compelling, affordable electric car” that will sell for about half the price of its high-profile Model S by the end of 2016, company chairman Elon Musk said last week.
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