Global Crisis

If you look at the two pictures of the i3 chassis above, you can see the one on the left has a large empty space to the right of the electric motor with only a support brace in the empty void. In the picture on the right there isn't any spare room and it appears as if the entire unit there is one large piece of machinery, which of course it isn't. That's the i3's optional range extender and BMW certainly used every inch of space they had to squeeze it in there.

The engine used in scooter trim

When equipped with the range extender the i3 weighs 330lbs more, is slightly slower (because of the added weight) and has a lower all electric range since the rage extender comes on automatically once the state of charge reaches about 20%. The driver will have the ability to manually turn the range extender off so it doesn't come on at 20%, and many will likely do so as long as they can make their destination to recharge safely before they run out of charge. However many will be willing to accept these drawbacks because of the added utility the car when equipped with the range extender, as well as having the peace of mind knowing you'll never get stuck somewhere if you fail to calculate the cars electric range properly or need to drive further than expected.

The i3's range extender is a modified version of the 650cc Kymco engine used in the BMW C650 GT scooter. It's highly optimized for this particular use and puts out only 34 horsepower compared to 65hp when used for the scooter. It has a tiny 2.4 gallon gas tank which is positioned in the front of the car close to the filler door which is above the front right wheel. BMW claims the range extender will add up to 87 miles of range before needing to refuel but whenever a manufacturer says "up to" I've found you can easily discount that number by as much as 20% so without any proof  I'm guessing it will provide around 70 miles of additional range.

The range extender tailpipe is shown here. This picture was taken from the rear of the car and you can see how it won't be possible to see any tailpipe unless you bend over and look under the car.

The Frankfurt Motor Show just opened a few days ago and Horatiu Boeriu, the managing editor for BMWblog was there covering the event. I have been providing content for BMWblog for a few years now and Horatiu usually asks me to cover electric mobility topics on his site. I asked him to get a picture of the underside of an i3 because I haven't seen any good pictures of that yet. I tried to get one myself at the i3 premier but the lighting was so bad my picture wasn't clear enough to use. So Horatui got the picture I asked for and I was pleasantly surprised to see the car he picked had the range extender option on it and he got a great picture of how BMW managed to conceal the range extender tailpipe so it's not visible from the outside unless you crawl under the car like Horatiu did to take the picture. This is important because many electric vehicle owners have expressed how they are proud they don't have a tailpipe on their EV. They don't want to see a tailpipe on their car, even if it's a range extended EV that happens to need a tailpipe. This is the very first picture I have ever seen of the range extender exhaust, and may just be the first one ever published.

The Frankfurt Motor Show hasn't officially opened yet, but today is the first day the press had access. The i3 and i8 are the centerpieces of BMW's display this year and BMWBLOG is there snapping dozens of pictures of the i3 in various colors. There's no new news yet, but I wanted to get these pictures up ASAP. I'll post any new i3 information as it gets released, but for now enjoy the pics! Click to enlarge. All photos credit BMWBLOG.

BMW has an indoor track set up at the show. The i3 & i8 are available for test drives. Here is an i3 in Laural Grey on the track.

There are lot of unknowns with the i3. BMW has been very careful to only leak out small details, much to the chagrin of journalists and enthusiasts interested in the car. However the most sought after piece of information that everyone wants to know is how much will it cost?

It seemed like we finally got some clarity on that a couple days ago when Diana Kurylko of the Automotive News wrote a story that claimed the i3's would be "priced at about $40,000". The story was of course picked up by many other outlets and suddenly everywhere you looked on the internet you saw "BMW i3 to cost $40,000". I was skeptical of his from the start. While I have no official inside information on what the price will be I do not believe it will be as low as $40,000. I'm thinking $43,000 to $45,000 as the base price, with options like the range extender and premium electronics packages pushing the price up to and even over $50,000.

Willisch handing me the keys to my ActiveE

So after re-reading Kurylko's piece a few times, it became clear to me that she came up with the $40,000 figure herself, not from anyone BMW. During her interview with BMW NA CEO Ludwig Willisch, he told her the i3 would be priced "roughly the same as a well-equipped 3-series sedan" and Kurylko added the $40,000 herself, assuming that is what a well-equipped 3-series sedan costs. Only she was wrong. A well equipped 3-series costs closer to $45,000 depending on what you consider well equipped. Realizing this I posted my doubts on the BMW i3 Facebook group page and opened a thread for discussion. John Voelcker of High Gear Media, one of the leading journalists in the US covering electric vehicles, was the first to comment and I could see he was interested in getting the facts straight. He later posted that he contacted BMW spokesman Dave Buchko to follow up on the Automotive News piece and Buchko cleared things up a bit, reiterating that Willisch only said the i3 would be comparably priced to a well-equipped 3-series and didn't offer any specific price, and that such a car costs more than $40,000 He actually said a well equipped 3-series "falls more in the $45,000 to $50,000 range." Voelckers entire follow up story in GreenCarReports can be seen here.

So the hope of a $40,000 base i3 price was short lived. Personally I never thought the price would be that low. I believe it will be in the $43,000 to $45,000 range before any tax incentives so the final cost on a base i3 without options should be under $40,000 after the $7,500 federal tax rebate for those that qualify. Add a nice array of options and the range extender and you're probably talking $52,000 -$53,000, or about $45,000 after the federal tax credit. Final pricing probably won't be announced till after the i3's official debut at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG, addresses the media in front of the i3 concept coupe'

There has been a lot of prognosticating on the interwebs lately in regards to what BMW will have to say about the upcoming i3 at the Geneva Motor Show. Some have speculated they will unveil the actual production i3 while others have guessed BMW will simply offer a little more information, just enough to keep us interested without disclosing too much.

Well, BMW didn't reveal the production i3 (which is looking more and more likely to happen in Frankfurt in September) but the chairman of the Board of Management, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, did have this to say to the media today as he addressed the media in front of the i3 Concept Coupe':


Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the BMW Group!

This is what individual mobility of tomorrow looks like and we will bring it to the road – as early as this year. This stands to show that we don’t just talk the talk. We walk the walk – because we are convinced that e-mobility is the technology of the future. We all know how the world is changing. In megacities, the car can only have a future if we take the right steps to lead it from low-emission to zero-emission technologies today. We strongly believe that sheer driving pleasure will also work without emissions.

The BMW i range offers a broad range of possibilities. What you can see here in Geneva is a variant of the BMW i3 – the BMW i3 Concept Coupe.

And I can tell you this much: Many of the components used for this Coupe are close to the series vehicle. This model highlights the great dynamics of the fully-electric BMW eDrive technology. Just like the BMW i3, the Coupe offers a maximum output of 125 kW or 170 hp. This e-drive is an in-house development – which is what customers expect from a company called Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. The underbody is fitted with lithium-ion batteries that provide the power to the e-drive.

We believe that customers will decide to buy an e-car if they receive compelling offers. Still, success is not guaranteed. But I am an engineer, and as such I know that technical progress and pioneering work require a daring approach. At the BMW Group, we have tackled the issue of e-mobility from a holistic perspective, and let me add: more so than any other automaker.

This means:

A completely new vehicle concept, consisting of Life and Drive modules.
New materials such as CFRP.
Sustainable production.

The media will have the opportunity to test-drive the BMW i3 this fall. I have already driven it quite a few times, and let me tell you: Cruising the city in this agile and noiseless sprinter is, without a doubt, sheer driving pleasure. Unfortunately, our stage is too small; otherwise, I would be happy to give you a little demonstration on the spot. Thank you very much to the BMW i3 Concept Coupe!

The BMW i range is one example of the foresight that we have at the BMW Group. We aim to provide our customers once and again with innovative solutions and attractive services, which meet their individual demands and offer them additional benefits. Proof of this is the vehicle we would like to present to you next.

So now I think we have a more defined timeline. Here is how I think it will proceed:

-Between now and the Frankfurt Auto Show in September we will continue to get little bits and pieces of i3 information, just enough to keep everyone interested and media satisfied. An occasional journalist will get to drive in one, but not for a comprehensive review.

-The production i3 is introduced in Frankfurt including specifications and pricing. 

-The media will get full access to drive and review them in October.

-European sales begin in November and US sales start in January. 



Do you agree? Post your thoughts below in the comment section.