Global Crisis

High Gear Media just posted a video of the i3 in cold weather testing in the Arctic Circle. Looks pretty much the same as the last few spy photos we've seen so I'm guessing BMW has probably finished testing the 'mules' that weren't the final version and we'll probably see this same look from now on. It's pretty close to the concept so I'm sure it's going to look good once the fake lights and camouflage is removed. Here's the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aApTbHi3Ss

Original i3 spy photo- Boxy look

Recent photo - Much more sleek

New spy photo's of the i3 clad in the usual blue swirly camouflage have surfaced on the internet. They clearly show a body that is more like the i3 concept BMW revealed in comparison to the early spy photos from last year. 

The production i3 will obviously lose the glass roof and doors that the concept i3 had however the overall shape seems mostly intact. The new photos also show the side wind diffusers similar(though not as pronounced) to the concept i3 on the lower side skirts between the wheels whereas the original i3 spy photos showed a straight line between the wheel wells.

One noticeable difference from the i3 concept is the smaller rear door. It's clear that the production i3's rear door ends short of the rear wheel well, while the concept's rear door extended to nearly halfway through the wheel well. The wheel wells are also smaller on the production i3 which is no surprise because most concept vehicles are shown with over sized wheels for a dramatic visual effect.





The rear looks very similar to the concept other than the fake rear lights meant to disguise the cars true look. It's also clear to see the "Stream Flow" signature trait that will be found on all the i cars. The sides of the cars will have two horizontal lines that sweep down the side of the car from the front to the rear where they converge into the C pillar. This streaming signature style is meant to represent streaks of air flowing down the side of the car while it is in a wind tunnel.

I'm happy to see the i3's progress is keeping with the concept as much as possible. Most people I talked to that saw the i3 in person liked what they saw but wondered if BMW would stray too far from the concept in in order to make the car affordable and practical. With the outside mostly in tack, the next questions are: Will they be able to pass the NHSTA crash testing without a B-pillar? and will BMW dare to use a bench seat for the front seats as the concept had? Hmmm.

The display featured on the concept i3. The production version is thought to be very similar to this.

The 2013 BMW i3 will be a revolutionary vehicle. It will be be the first mass produced car that has an aluminum frame and a body made just about entirely out of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. It will use a modern version of body-on-frame design with the aluminum drive module made completely separate from the passenger cell with the latter bolted and glued to the frame near the end of the production line. It will be the first all electric car that the BMW group offers for sale and it will be one of the most efficient vehicles ever offered for sale by any major automobile manufacturer.

It will also, have one of the most advanced and connected electronics and display systems. There hasn't been much written about the i3's electronics, but from the photo's that have been leaked so far, it is obvious BMW is working hard to make the driving experience custom tailored to then needs of an electric car driver. Built in navigation system that will list all charging station within your driving range and destination routing that even includes the part of your trip after you leave the car to use public transportation.

One thing that is interesting is there seems to be two numbers offered as the driving range based on your current state of charge, one that is based on normal driving and one based on the use of the Eco Pro mode which will reduce power to the motor and other energy using devices like cabin heating and cooling system. By doing so the car will use less energy and the range will be extended. The Eco Pro mode will undoubtedly give the car a less spirited driving experience, but when your cutting it close with your available range, believe me you will gladly trade off a bit of acceleration to make your destination. By displaying both estimated ranges, it will help the driver to decide which driving mode is best for that given destination.

Besides in car electronics, the i3 owner will have the ability to perform many functions in the car by the use of a smartphone. You'll be able to precondition the battery and cabin to the desired temperature. You'll be able to plug in a destination and the application will tell you if the car can make it there based on it's current state of charge or suggest charging stations to stop at along the route. It will also alert you once a pre-selected state of charge is attained. This can be very useful. Let's say you plugged in and then went off to run some errands while the car reached a certain state of charge necessary for you to make it home, the car will then send you a text message when that percentage is met, alerting you that it's safe to return to the car and begin your journey.














It going to be really interesting to see just what BMW is working on here, but judging from what is currently leaked, I'm thinking it will be pretty useful (and cool!).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk6_kCQtdNE&feature=youtu.be

Autoblog scored some spy photo's of the BMW i3. The car is noticeably different from the original spy photo's that were taken last year of the car during cols weather testing. This looks VERY close to the concept i3 which is definitely good news.

At last weeks LA Auto Show, Richard Steinberg told George Parrot, reporting for Greencarreports that the concept i3 is “95 percent final” as compared to the production version. These photo's would seem to concur. The one obvious difference I can see is the doors. The concept had much larger doors that extended all the way into the wheel wells. The car in this photo clearly has smaller doors that do not extend to the wheel wells. Also, the rear "coach" doors do not have a handle so apparently they can only be opened once the front door is open, much like the MINI Clubman (and my Toyota Tacoma extended cab pick up).

Fake "Hybrid" badge on ActiveE

What Autoblog also reported was that they believe the car is fitted with the range extender (REx) option. I disagree. I think it's the pure BEV version. I see no sign of a tailpipe and the single reason they gave for this conclusion was that the car has badges that say "Hybrid Test Vehicle" That means nothing. When BMW was testing the ActiveE it had the same badges and that isn't a hybrid. I think BMW puts that on cars to confuse spy's and it worked!


Whether it is the BEV version or the REx version it really doesn't matter. What's important here is this proves the car will look very similar to the concept i3 and that's good news. The i3 that was photographed last year during testing look too boxy, this has much smoother lines. Can't wait to see it without all the camouflage! Here's some more pictures: