Econintersect: BMW has announced an electric car coming to market. based on modification of their 3 series design. The i3 is a 5-door hatchback design, has a base price of $42,000 and will be available for delivery in November in Europe and 2Q 2014 in the U.S. Based on the name it might seem that the i3 might be a modification of the BMW 3 series design, but the connection is not obvious in information released.
Click on picture for 43 image file from BMW.
The i3 is BMW’s first member of its “i” sub-brand of green cars. The lithium-ion battery is liquid cooled and provides a range of 80 to 100 miles per charge (90-112 miles in ECO Mode). Recharging requires 3 hours with the standard 220-volt Level 2 J1772 charger, but can be accomplished in 30 minutes with an optional charging system.
The i3 will also offer an on board gasoline powered charging motor which will extend range to approximately 200 miles. Each gasoline refill (2.5 gallon tank) adds approximately 100 miles so the car as a purely gasoline powered electrical drive train vehicle operates with a fuel efficiency around 40 mpg.
The i3 BMW has a different set of operating parameters than the Chevy Volt, which also offers an on board gasoline powered battery recharge. While the i3 offers more than twice the range on a single battery charge (38 miles for the Volt), the extended range for the Volt is 380 miles, a little less than double the 200 mile extended range for the i3.
The Chevy Volt design is a 4-door sedan rather than a hatchback. According to the company it also gets 40 mpg highway using the gasoline powered range extender. The Chevy Volt base price is $39,145. In the U.S. both cars are eligible for a $7,500 government rebate.
Sources:
- BMW introduces the i3 electric car with optional range-extending engine (C.C. Weiss, gizmag, 29 July 2013)
- BMW introduces the i3 electric car with optional range-extending engine (Image Gallery, gizmag, no date displayed)
- BMW 3 Cars (BMW website)
- BMW i3. Electric and Electrifying. (BMW website)
- Chevy Volt Overview (Chevrolet website)
