Autoblog posted a story today claiming the i3 will have a beginning price of $34,500! If true that would mean the effective price would be $27,000 in the US after the $7,500 federal tax credit and would most certainly propel the i3 into instant sales success immediately upon its launch. The article also claims the range extender option (REx) will cost about $2,000, which is exactly half of what has been speculated thus far.

However, don't write your deposit check yet. While I'll be as happy as anybody if BMW somehow manages to deliver this groundbreaking vehicle at such a low cost, I just don't believe it's true. BMW hasn't said much about pricing, but what they have said seems to indicate a higher price point, one in the mid $40,000 range. It would certainly be a coup if they can deliver on this, but I'm not holding my breath. The article is suspect to me in the first place because it claims the range extender to be used in the i3 was first used in the ActiveE. I have over 50,000 miles on my ActiveE. I wish somebody told me earlier it had a range extender, I cold have used it on more than  a few occasions!

Want LED headlights on your i3? It looks like you'll have to pay for them. Close up images of recent i3's caught driving around on public streets confirm there are two different headlights used; one being typical Halogen and the other LED. Combine that with the recent (patent?) drawings posted online by autoevolution.com and it's clear the car will have two headlight options. 

The Halogen headlights that will likely be standard

The more expensive and energy efficient LED headlights that appear to be optional

 I'm not sure what this means for the taillights which look to be blade-lit LED's in all the spy photos I've examined. Perhaps only the LED headlights will be optional and the rest of the lighting will always be LED. I think many would have assumed the i3 would be all LED in all trim levels because of the emphasis BMW has put on efficiency. Using heat pumps, uniquely tall and skinny tires, CFRP and aluminum to reduce weight, etc it would seem like a shame to then have normal halogen headlights lighting the way. If this is the case, I'm sure it's a result of BMW trying to get the base MSRP as low as possible. Will that mean the stylish wheels we've seen recently will be optional also, as well an "EV necessities" like navigation with charging station locator? We don't have long to go now and the "Vorfreude" is certainly building. I'm looking forward to getting all this information finally out in the open so we can really get down to discussing what we like and what we don't. What do you think of the headlight topic? Post your comments below.

Both i3 concept cars(the original 5 door & the more recent coupe') had LED headlights

A nearly undisguised i3 with production wheels

I started this blog about 2 1/2 years ago and until recently I've had to scour the internet and reach out to contacts I have to get any morsel of i3 information I could. BMW had been exceptionally tight-lipped when it came to i3 information of any kind. In fact we are only a couple months from its official European launch and there is very little technical information available.

However as we approach the July 29th unveiling of the production we are now getting daily doses of 'spy' photographs, each one seemingly revealing more and more. The site gmotors.co.uk is responsible for grabbing the latest, and most revealing pictures posted here today. For the first time we see an i3 with production wheels driving on the roads. We did get a quick glimpse of these wheels (which I posted here back in April) when the car was apparently doing an advertising photo shoot. I really like these wheels but I don't know if they are the 19" standard wheels or the 20" wheels that will be optional. You can tell they are very flush with black painted inlets to give the appearance the spokes are thinner than the really are so there is minimum wind resistance, decreasing the drag they cause.














The second piece of interesting information I found today was from a blogger "Lisa The Car Addict" who was sitting in the BMW Welt just as a BMW "Product Genius" was walking by and talking about i3 & i8 Pricing. Here's what she had to say on her blog:


Hey Guys,
Right now I’m sitting inside the BMW Welt, killing time before my last final exam later and a “Product Genius” just walked by with a group of business men. Anddd, he also talked about the Prices .. 36000€ for the pure electric BMW i3 and 39000€ for BMW i3 with Range Extender. And 100000€ for the BMW i8. All base prices, of course.
So yes, the earlier “communicated” prices must be real
I also had a look at their recently installed quick charger for Electric Cars right in front of the BMW Welt at the Doppelkegel. Pictures of it later!
Enjoy your Day,
Lisa

A 36,000€ price for he i3 would be great, and much lower than most - including myself expect. For US pricing, most premium German manufacturers sell their cars for much less than they do in their home country, and it's usually "1 Dollar for 1 Euro" as opposed to adjusting for the Euro's higher value. So if Lisa's information is correct, the i3 could have a base MSRP in the US for $36,000! With the Federal Tax credit it could actually cost less than $30,000! I still have a hard time believing this will be the case and I'd hate to get everyone's hopes up only to be disappointed when a $42,000 MSRP is announced, but this is definitely intriguing news that I'll watch closely and report here as soon as any kind of pricing information becomes available.

Another mostly-revealed photo but this one has what hopefully are wheels used only for testing. If these are the standard wheels than I'm sure most people will opt to pay for the much nicer wheels in the above pictures. Perhaps that's BMW's plan to get you to spend another $1,500 or so for the upgrade! Offer hideous stock wheels so you have to buy the premium option ;)

Super-thin seats of the i3. They'll save weight but will they be comfortable and supportive?

There have been dozens of i3 spy photos captured over the past couple years since BMW has been field testing mule i3's in hot and cold weather climates. Until last week the cars have been camouflaged with a blue swirly cover that effectively disguises the body lines beneath it. However they have all been exterior pictures. Nobody has really been able to capture any interior pictures at all, until now.

An Autokarma follower happened upon a parked i3 on the streets of Leipzig, Germany which didn't have its interior completely covered so he snapped some shots with his cell phone. Although much of it was covered, the seats are completely visible and we get to see them for the first time. They are surprisingly thin, no doubt to save weight. The picture of the rear seats is kind of dark but what you can take from it is there will be plenty of rear leg room which is uncommon in a car of this size and much more than there is in a BMW 1 series like my ActiveE. In fact, I'd say it looks like there is at least as much room in the rear seating area than there is in a 3-Series. This would confirm what BMW NA electric vehicle program manager Jacob Harb said at last years LA Auto Show, that the i3 would have about as much interior passenger room as a 3-Series even though the exterior dimensions are much smaller.

The rear seats will have plenty of legroom

Now that BMW has pretty much shown the whole exterior and are leaving pre-production i3's on the streets of Germany it can't be long in my opinion before we get to see the whole car. I had previously assumed BMW would hold off to the Frankfurt Auto Show to reveal the production i3, but recent reports have claimed it will be much sooner than that and I'm beginning to believe that will be the case. All the better!

Practically uncovered i3's now roam the streets in Germany. BMW is still obscuring the funky look of the rear window though.

The video above is brief but you can see the interior a bit and even an armrest which people have asked about. It was shot by Joachim Kerscher in Sittenbach, Germany. He just happened to see the car drive by his house so he drove around looking for it and found it parked here. 

The BMW i3 range extender engine which is made by Taiwanese manufacturer Kymco for BMW.

There is still a lot of unknown information about the i3. BMW has been extremely conservative about what information they offer. While they have stated it will have an electric range of 80 to 100 miles and cost about the same as a nicely equipped 3-Series, the two biggest questions still remain: What will the EPA range rating be and exactly what will it cost? However right behind those two questions for many people is: What will the performance be when the range extender is in use?

The range extender engine will be a 650cc Kymco engine borrowed from the BMW C650 GT scooter. It will be highly optimized to lower noise & vibration and will only put out 35hp, compared to its 65hp when used for the scooter. The gas tank will be a miniscule 2.8 gallons and BMW has stated it will extend the range of the car about another 90 miles, effectively doubling the cars range. However many journalists are wondering will that added 90 miles be an ultimate driving experience or the ultimate disappointment?

The REx will fit nicely next to the e-motor

The Chevy Volt is the closest vehicle to compare the REX i3 to, even though it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison. The Volt has a 1.4 liter gas engine that puts out 80hp to power the generator, more than double the output of the i3's gas range extender engine. However the Volt weighs 1,000lbs more than the i3 will and isn't nearly as efficient so it would naturally need a larger, more powerful range extender engine. The Volt's robust range extender allows it to drive uninhibited while the range extender is maintaining the car's charge. The million dollar question is will the same be said about the i3? That answer looks like it will be no, it won't. BMW's Product and Technology Communications spokesman, Dave Buchko said of the range extender: "The i3 range extender is meant to enable the car to go a little further than the pure BEV on those rare occasions when driver needs to go a little further. It is not intended for daily use. We've said that the REx [range extender] will double the effective range of 80-100 miles. I have not seen anything to suggest that it would not be capable of doing so.". Then BMW North American CEO Ludwig Willisch said while the range extender is running: "The car will not be as agile," Willisch said. "It will not have full power when it runs on the combination."

I'm not exactly sure what "not intended for daily use" means though. That sounds like you'll break if you use it every day and that's obviously not going to be the case. Will the cars performance be so inhibited while in REx mode you wouldn't want to drive it that way every day? I find it difficult to believe BMW would add the range extender if it was so weak it offered terrible performance while in use. Willisch must have confidence it will perform admirably in REx mode though because he predicted at least 80% of US i3 buyers will order it with the range extender. I've also heard it described by some as a "limp home mode" by some(not BMW people) and I also don't believe that is accurate either.

An i3 with the range extender was caught at a gas station refueling in this spy photo. The gas filler door will be located on the front passenger quarter panel and the charge port will be on the rear passenger side quarter panel, just above the wheel.

A big determination of how it will perform in range extender mode is how much of the battery the car holds as a buffer when the range extender turns on. Lets say the i3 normally only uses 90% of its 22kWh capacity. That means the all electric i3 will utilize about 19.8kWh's. If the REx i3 holds another 10% as a buffer to help with short bursts of needed energy than the range extender will turn on after using only 17.6kWh's of the 22kWh pack. This will allow the car to perform better when in REx mode but it will also mean the car will drive about 10 miles less on electricity. The larger the buffer the better the REx performance but the shorter all electric range. I hope BMW allows you to turn off the REx for those times when you could make your destination on pure electricity if you only need a few miles after the REx would have turned on. That way you could utilize the full ~19.8kWh that a BEV i3 has available, without reserving the buffer needed for the REx since you don't intend to need it. Of course the percentages of the battery pack utilization I'm using here are just guesses on my part, but I expect them to be pretty close to reality.

My guess is it will be pretty much in between the hobbled horse and "ultimate driving EV" when the range extender is in use. I think it will drive fine on flat terrain, and can probably even drive along at 70mph in those circumstances. However introduce an extended incline or times when you need to go 75 or more to keep up with traffic and the car could quickly find itself gasping for enough energy to maintain its motion. It definitely won't be a "It'll get you home but you'll have to crawl along at 30mph" but lets just say you'd lose if you try to autocross in REx mode. Then again, if BMW does reserve a fair amount of the battery back as a buffer, it could perform very well for the first 20 miles or so, before the stored energy gets to a minimum and the REx is working at maximum output to sustain the charge level.

The bottom line is if you really just want the security of knowing you'll never have to call a tow truck to get home, then the REx will be worth its weight in gold for you. I've been there on the side of the road a couple times in the past four years falling short of my destination so I know it will be a valuable asset for those circumstances. However if you plan to use the range extender to drive hundreds of highway miles to make a far off destination, then I'm guessing this isn't the right EV for you. Horses for courses. Hopefully, we'll get the answers to these questions and all the technical specifications of the i3 soon. It launches in Europe in the fall so the wait is nearly over.

The concept i3 coupe parked with a BMW i branded level 2 wall charger

I get asked all the time "How much does it cost to drive an electric car?" I've also had a fair share of people say " I like the car, but I wouldn't want to see your electric bill". Like gas cars, some electric cars are more efficient than others. The BMW i3 has been purpose built to not only offer the dynamic driving experience BMW customers have come to expect, but to also be a highly efficient car. But what is efficient for an electric car? Everybody understands MPG for gas cars but few really understand how electric cars are measured for efficiency, let alone how that will translate into the cost to operate it.

The ActiveE Monroney sticker

First off lets discuss how the EPA calculates the miles per gallon equivalent(MPGe) for electric cars. Gas cars have the official EPA miles per gallon listed on the window(Monroney) sticker and electric cars have a rating called MPGe. Since one gallon of gasoline creates the same energy as 33.7 kilowatt hours of electricity, electric cars are tested to see how far they can go on 33.7kWh's and that is the official MPGe which is listed on the window sticker of every new EV. The BMW ActiveE I drive has a rating of 107 MPGe. Not bad for a heavy converted gas car, but not especially good as far as electric vehicles go. The Chevy Spark EV, recently was rated at 119 MPGe making it the most efficient EV rated so far as it barely beat out the Honda Fit EV's 118 MPGe rating.

Neither The Fit EV or the Spark EV were purpose built as electric vehicles. They are converted gas cars like the ActiveE. Being purpose built as an EV with a lightweight CFRP body and aluminum frame, the i3 should easily top the Spark's 119 MPGe rating. I'm guessing the i3 may have an MPGe rating as high as 130, which will give it the "most efficient EV" crown, one that it may hold for quite some time as there is really no other EV coming out anytime soon that will challenge it in my opinion.

So lets say the i3 gets a 130MPGe rating for arguments sake. That means it will go 3.86 miles for every kilowatt hour of electricity you use to charge it or need about 26kWh's to drive 100 miles. The average price of electricity in the US is 11 cents per kWh, however that varies greatly from state to state. I pay 18 cents per kWh so for me it would cost $4.68 to drive an i3 100 miles. If I were to drive 15,000 miles per year my annual fuel cost would only be $702! How far can you currently drive on $702 in gas? If your car gets 25 miles per gallon and you pay on average $3.50 per gallon(which is lower than what we have averaged the past year) it would cost you $2,100 in gas to drive the same 15,000 miles! Plus, we all know gas prices will only climb over time. Electricity rates do go up occasionally but historically they are much more stable than gas prices. Plus, many people do have the option of installing a solar array which will guarantee a free supply of electricity for the next 25 to 30 years. There is nothing the gas and oil industry can offer to compete with solar, as the customer supplies, and has control over their own energy.

BMW will offer solar canopies to i3 customers

So whip out your electric bill and find out how much you pay per kWh for your electricity. Then divide the number of miles you drive per year by 3.86 and multiply that by your electricity rate and you'll know how much it would cost you to fuel an i3 for a year. I'm sure you already know how much you dump into the gas pump so calculating your savings won't be too hard. Of course if you want to save even more you can install a solar array at your home like I did and start making your own electricity. Sure there's an initial outlay of cash for the solar system and not everybody can afford it, but if you can it's a fantastic set up and you'll have it paid off in a few years of savings from driving your i3 on sunshine!

Kranz stands in front of the CFRP passenger cell of an i3 used for crash testing.

BMW i Project manager Ulrich Kranz recently spoke with Automobilwoche about how BMW i came to be. Automobilwoche's sister publication Automotive News Europe then posted the following interview on their site:


How did Project i get started? Did BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer knock on your door one day and say: The two of us need to discuss the future of the automobile?
- It wasn't entirely like that. At that point, some management board workshops were under way and dealing with the future of BMW. A number of initiatives were developed to get BMW in shape for 2020. Project i was an initiative that we carried out as part of our Number One strategy.

Was it already called that?
- Its name was already Project i, and in 2007 I got the job of turning it into a reality.


What were you asked to do? 

- The job was to position BMW for the future -- and that was in all fields: from materials to production, from technologies to new vehicle architectures. The agenda included the development of sustainable mobility concepts, new sales channels and marketing concepts, along with acquiring new customers.


How great was your freedom?
- I had the freedom to assemble a team the way I wanted. The project was not tied to one of the company's brands so it could tackle any problem. We were allowed to completely break away from the existing structures.


How big was the team at the start?
- Besides myself, it was a team of seven at first: a designer; a vehicle architect; a purchaser; and three other specialists in production, marketing and finance; and then someone to keep the whole organization running. We call that individual a process steerer.


How big is your team now?
- Today several hundred people work on the development of the BMW i vehicle and the mobility services associated with it.


What criteria did you use to choose your people? Did you look for visionary types?
- I was allowed to obtain the right employees both internally and externally, and that is what I did. One issue was very important to me: I looked for people who had once been independent professionals or were operating their own businesses because they approach an issue holistically, consider the long term and think strategically. In addition, I brought a mix of young guns and veterans who had already brought a vehicle to volume production.


How did everything proceed after the team was established?
- At first, we launched an intensive research phase that dealt with mobility questions and customers' future needs. Where do we need to delve deeply into the issue of sustainability? How well will customers accept a new product and a new technology such as electric mobility? Urbanization was one of the identifiable trends. In 2007, more people already lived in cities than in the countryside. Based on forecasts, more than 60 percent of the world's population will live in an urban environment in 2030. We wanted to see what that meant concretely on site.


Where did your team travel?
- We traveled to a total of 20 mega-cities, including Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, Tokyo and Shanghai. We met people who live in metropolises and who indicated that they had a sustainable lifestyle. We lived with them, traveled with them to work and asked questions.


What did you ask them?
- We wanted to know the products that they would like from a car manufacturer, how their commute to work could be improved and how they imagined their mobility in the future. As a second step, we asked the mayors and city planners in each metropolis about their infrastructure problems, the regulations for internal combustion engines and the advantages of electric vehicles.


What findings did you reach?
- One finding was that there are great differences between the metropolises. For example, Barcelona is an old city with narrow streets that has grown over time. The demand for scooters is high there. In Mexico City, cars provide protection and a retreat to escape all the hectic activity there. In Tokyo, there is a good traffic control system; customers want to be well networked in their vehicles and get an overview of all the control systems. Some cultural circumstances surprised us as western Europeans. For example, a large portion of the Japanese living in Tokyo between the ages of 18 and 22 are not even interested in getting a driver's license.


Why has no special small car been developed for metropolises with little space for parking?
- That also occurred to us. But all our inquiries told something else: Customers do not want to do without comfort and safety. They are actually very sensitive to environmental issues, but they are not willing to put up with substantial limitations in their vehicles.


How do your respondents plan to travel in the future?
- Despite the traffic jams, many people do not want to do without a car of their own.


Parallel to your research, you promoted the pilot project for the electric Mini E. Why?
- It was clear to us relatively quickly that the first stage in development would be a car that operated as environmentally friendly as possible, meaning emission-free. The simplest, quickest way to see how an electric vehicle would go down with the public was to convert an existing car and send it into the market. A Project i team had customers test electric Minis in Europe, Asia and the U.S. The findings proved extremely valuable to us.

Where did you get the idea to construct the passenger compartment of carbon?
- We knew that we needed a lightweight vehicle and that we had years of expertise in carbon-fiber reinforced plastics and mixes of materials. We asked ourselves how we could reduce throughput times and the investment in manufacturing through the use of a new vehicle architecture.


Can you cite an example?
- One example is the paint shop: a large building involving high investment and long throughput times. If it were no longer needed, we could save a tidy sum of money. The desire for a completely corrosion-free vehicle emerged from the development department. Carbon-fiber reinforced plastic met these standards, but it had to be cost-effective -- or we had to compensate for the price somewhere else. A smaller vehicle could get by with a smaller battery, and the battery is considerably more expensive than carbon-fiber reinforced plastic. So one thing led to another.


When did it become clear that the Megacity Vehicle would be a carbon vehicle?
- We discussed the issue with the management board in 2008.


What was Project i's greatest challenge?
- This is a very comprehensive project. One is developing a technology separately within one team. Balancing out the entire Project i, considering all the aspects and keeping them all in view, that was each of the participants' true masterstroke.


Initially, did you think the job would be so wide-ranging?
- That was clear to me immediately. I saw it as a real opportunity. But you have to find good people who also see such a major undertaking as an opportunity. And we have these people.

Kranz gave Georg Kacher of Car Magazine a ride in a test i3 a few months ago. Kacher was very impressed and wrote a glowing article on his impressions.

BMW recently introduced a series of eleven short videos titled "Driving the Next Movement". I was surprised to find one of the video's(number seven & shown above) featured me talking about my experiences driving my MINI-E and ActiveE, and how I have come to accept the range of these cars without compromising my lifestyle.

I have spent a good a lot of time over the past few years being filmed by BMW and talking about my EV experiences without really knowing exactly what BMW had planned to use it for so it definitely was cool to see some of my interviews being used.

The entire video series can be seen from the BMW Group YouTube page from this link. They are all about BMW's electric vehicle program, the materials used and manufacturing process of the i3. Take a half hour and watch all eleven video's, they are really interesting as well as informative.

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, CEO of BMW AG stands beside the concept i3

It's common today for people to question the legitimacy of the commitment major OEM's have today in regards to their electric vehicle programs. Most are in one way or the other developing or have already brought to market a car that plugs in. Some are pure EV's like the Nissan LEAF and others are plug in hybrids like the Chevy Volt.

While both Nissan and Chevy are clearly committed to plug in vehicles by offering volume production cars and will make as many as they can sell, some other manufacturers haven't been so supportive of them. These manufacturers have begrudgingly made a few thousand copies with the sole purpose of complying with the California Air Resource Boards mandate which requires the top six auto manufacturers to lease or sell a minimal amount of zero emission cars. These low volume "compliance cars" generally get very little support from the manufacturer and even less support from the dealerships, many of which don't even stock them in regular inventory.

Over the past couple years many people and even a few journalists have commented on blogs and EV websites that they believe BMW is also just developing the i3 for CARB compliance and they have questioned BMW's commitment to plug in vehicles. Being in the MINI-E and now ActiveE programs and having the opportunity to talk to program managers and engineers working in the electric vehicle team I have never doubted that BMW was serious about electric vehicles but I understand why others may. Many people wanted an electric BMW they could buy and the trial lease programs of the MINI-E and ActiveE didn't offer that. However their wait will soon be over as the i3 will be available for sale before the end of the year. It will be a full scale production car, available all over the world and BMW will make as many of them as there is demand for. It's not a limited run compliance car and BMW is going to do what they can to support their dealership network and assist them in selling them.

Even though everything I've seen points to BMW taking electric vehicles very seriously, it's still great to see the CEO comes out as supportive of their plug in vehicle program as Dr. Reithofer did this week at BMW's Annual General Meeting. Other than Nissan's Carlos Ghosn, I haven't seen a CEO of any other major automobile company come out as strongly in support of their companies venture into making electric vehicles. He even calls for Germans to get over their "angst" with electric cars. Well done Dr. Reithofer!

The following is an excerpt from the Statement by Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, 93rd Annual General Meeting of BMW AG in Munich on 14th May 2013:

"But  2013 is also about revolution for us, as we launch series production of our electric vehicles.

At last year’s Annual General Meeting, we showed you the BMW i8 concept car: a plug-in hybrid; a genuine sports car with the fuel consumption of a small car. Today, you can view the pure-electric BMW i3 concept car. We believe in electro-mobility – and are putting it on the road. Germany is respected and admired the world over for its engineering expertise and powers of innovation. But “German Angst” is also a concept the rest of the world is familiar with. “German Angst” refers to how, when it comes to making radical changes, we in this country like to engage in long and fearful discussions: because we Germans tend to see more problems than opportunities. And it is no different with electro-mobility.

Being the spearhead of change means taking a calculated risk.
There is no guarantee of success – not even on the road to sustainable mobility.
Progress has to be imagined, earned and paid for.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The future belongs to those who dare to take bold actions. We cannot ignore the need for new approaches – especially when circumstances are changing. Because the market certainly punishes latecomers.

Shaping change also means overcoming resistance.

As Machiavelli wrote, 500 years ago: “…the innovator has for enemies all those who derived advantages from the old order of things, whilst those who expect to be benefited by the new institutions will be but lukewarm defenders”.

Or, quite simply: The innovator stands alone.

Customers are waiting for attractive options – options which we can deliver.
We will succeed in this. And I can give you seven reasons why:

First:

Our BMW i models have strong emotional appeal. Customers will buy an electric car if it appeals to them just as much as a conventional vehicle. I myself have test-driven both the BMW i3 and i8 several times. I can assure you that these cars’ step-less acceleration to top speed guarantees real “sheer driving pleasure”. The i3 and the i8 fit the brand perfectly. They are genuine BMWs.

Reason number two:

We take a holistic approach to future mobility. More than that, in fact: As an engineer I can promise you that we are revolutionising automotive construction.

The vehicle architecture of the BMW i3 is unique: with a Life module and a Drive module.

• The materials we use are unique: a passenger compartment built of carbon fiber and a Drive module made of aluminum.
• The production processes are unique: High-tech adhesives are now used for procedures that used to require welding, bolting and soldering.
• Our production times are unique: We use fewer parts, and modules are produced in parallel. As a result, production of the BMW i3 takes only half as long as that of a similar-sized vehicle from our regular portfolio.

 There are also benefits for our associates, whose work has been made easier.

• Workstations are more ergonomic.
• Assembly is quieter.
• Production halls use natural light.

None of this has been done before.

The third reason:

We monitor customer needs around the globe. Drivers in Shanghai and California are not particularly interested in how we get from Flensburg to Garmisch. They have different everyday mobility issues.
And they need different solutions. Companies who focus only on the German market as a measure of the success of electro-mobility will fall short. After all, megacities are already limiting conventional individual transportation.

In Beijing and Shanghai, for example, number plates are awarded by lottery, with considerably more applicants than plates. But electric vehicles are exempt from the lottery process and the associated fee. These local, and even national, decisions will boost demand for electric vehicles and other drive trains.

Customers around the world have tested our electric MINI E and BMW ActiveE cars, clocking up more than 20 million kilometres. Their experience has shown that:

A range of 150 km is perfectly adequate for the vast majority of drivers. Also, with a range extender, that distance can be increased to up to 300 km.

• Worldwide, the average distance driven daily is no more than 64 km. Most cars are not actually in use for more than 22 hours of the day – so the battery can easily be charged during that time.

Fourth reason:

Many customers have already told us they are interested in buying a BMW i3 – a car they have not yet seen as a series model, with a technology they are not familiar with. Customers trust in our expertise and powers of innovation. They trust that we can deliver “sheer driving pleasure” in our electric cars, too.

The fifth reason:

We have received a lot of encouraging feedback from media and analysts.

Even before 2013 had started, SPIEGEL magazine declared: “The BMW i3 is the car of the year.” Auto-BILD wrote – I quote: “This car is a revolution. The i3 does everything differently and many things better.” End of quote. Try it for yourselves, Ladies and Gentlemen: Google BMW i, and see which company people believe is capable of shaping the mobility of tomorrow.

The sixth reason:

Our mobility services are in step with the times.

Around 110,000 customers in Germany and the US are already using our DriveNow car sharing service – with more joining every day. Our ParkNow mobility service in San Francisco is also gaining momentum.  As well, more and more people are taking advantage of our practical apps such as “Park at my House” and “My City Way” for easier mobility in cities. In this way, we are also reaching out to younger target groups.

And the seventh reason why we will succeed:

When it comes to the future of mobility, BMW has very good instincts.
We lead the way.

• We focus on sustainability. Others follow.
• We focus on carbon fibre. Others follow.
• We focus on three-cylinder engines in the premium segment. Others follow.

Boldness and a pioneering spirit have made the BMW Group what it is today: the world’s leading manufacturer of premium automobiles.

BMW i will not decide our future success alone. But the fact of the matter is:
We need both: evolution and revolution; continuing development and radical change.

In Leipzig, the pre-series BMW i3 models are already rolling off the production line.

In case anyone is still in any doubt – this is a clear signal that the i3 is definitely coming to market. And we will earn money with it, too."

Car Acceleration TV posted a YouTube video of an i3 cruising along the Autobahn and at one point it was traveling at the i3's electronically-governed top speed of 93mph. It's only a minute and a half, but hey that's all we get for now! One thing that's clear is the car has an open sunroof so if anyone was wondering if that will be an available option, here's your answer. Enjoy!

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.

As someone that have been driving an electric vehicle and charging it with renewable energy from my rooftop solar array for more than three years now, I can certainly appreciate this concept. BMW just announced a partnership with German based Solarwatt to provide solar carports for their i brand customers. It's unclear if these products will be available to customers here in the US as well as Europe, but I'd bet if that's not the case then there will be a similar arrangement with a US vendor also.  

For BMW's ActiveE customers like myself, BMW partnered with Real Goods Solar  last year to offer a discounted rate for any ActiveE lessee that wanted to have solar installed at their home and many took advantage of the offer. It's clear the synergy of EV + PV makes both technologies even better and manufacturers like BMW realize this and want to capitalize on the opportunity as well as make the path to using renewable energy for their customers easier.

My 8.775kW solar array powers my car and nearly all of my household electric needs.

 

Autoevolution scored some spy photos of a BMW i3 with a new color exposed. It's evidently a new color for BMW that will be exclusive to the i3 and it's called Solar Orange Metallic. BMW describes the new color as: "a warm shade bursting with energy that was created especially for the BMW i3." Autoevolution also said "For contrast, the bonnet and part of the boot lid will be gloss black" which would indicate the hood of the i3 will not be the painted the color of the rest of the car, but instead will be gloss black.

This was true for both of the concept i3's that BMW has shown but I think most people just assumed they had the two tone color scheme for dramatic car show effect. It's interesting to me because the hood & roof are CFRP, while the majority of the body is plastic panels that are bolted onto the CFRP frame. So if Autoevolution is right it would appear all the exposed CFRP will be simply gloss black regardless of the color of the rest of the car. And the tidbits of info keep coming...

The most recent spy shots of the BMW i3 show more of the car than ever before, continuing the trend BMW has set of slowly exposing more and more of the car as we approach its official unveiling at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

A production-looking nose is spotted

When the very first spy shots were captured two years ago, the car looked very boxy and was completely covered in the blue and white swirly camouflage. It was also clear that BMW had even added fake panels under the "camo" to further obfuscate the real look. As time progressed the fake body panels were slowly dropped and now we are seeing what looks to be pre-production i3's during testing with parts of the body exposed as some of the camouflage has been removed. There was even one picture of what looks like the nose of a full production version i3 which was taken during a photo shoot in California recently.

BMW is still holding back on releasing much information on the car but we have learned a few things recently:

1) BMW will offer gas loaners for customers who need to drive further than their i3 will conveniently take them. The full details haven't been released like how many times per year you are offered the loaner or if there is any fee, time or mileage restriction. Can you take the loaner for a two week vacation on a 1,000 mile trip? Answers to these important questions are still unknown.

2) The optional range extender will not operate like Chevy Volt, allowing the driver to continue driving for hundreds of miles after the battery is exhausted without any noticeable difference. The details are still very unclear, but BMW had said the i3 will have reduced performance when in range extender mode. While BMW is quick to say the car will not be in any kind of "limp home" mode while utilizing the REx, it is not meant to extend your range on a daily basis. In fact Herbert Diess BMW’s global R&D chief was quoted saying “The range extender is not intended for daily use. It’s for situations when the driver needs to extend the range of the vehicle to reach the next charging station,” said Diess. “Therefore, the i3 probably won’t be the choice for customers with a need for an extended range.”

3) The i3 will first go on sale in Europe (November 16th has been rumored to be the launch date) and come to the US in late December. The first batch of i3's that do make it to the US will have the range extender option, as BMW expects the majority of the initial sales to have the option included. Although some i3's will arrive in late December, the speculation is that the official US launch will occur in early January when the car becomes widely available.