29 Jul 2013

This is the BMW i3. The future is an 80 mile range

BMW have revealed the automotive peanut that is the i3.  Its looks are subjective but, whilst the intention is to look cool, urban, funky and modern, it does kind of look like a peanut.
The BMW i3 comes with some impressive stats.  It was designed from the ground up as an electric car, has a 50:50 weight distribution, weighs 1150kg and its passenger compartment is made from CFRP - Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer.

It has an electric engine that produces 170hp and 250Nm, has a top speed of 93 mph and does 0-60mph in 7.6 seconds.

It costs £30,680, but the government chips in £5,000 so the retail price in the UK is £25,680.

Now for the stat that kills all the other stats - its range is 80 to 100 miles in everyday driving.  That will be reduced in winter and reduced even further if having a little fun.  It takes 10 hours to recharge an i3.

BMW point us towards UK government research that says the average daily commute is 13.1 miles each way and the average daily mileage is 25 miles.  Aside from the fact those two figures don't stack up an average is just that - taking high and low figures to create a middle figure, or average.

i.e. to a greater or lesser extent 50% of the sample will do more than 25 miles (or 26.2 miles if commuting) per day.

For an extra £3,200 you can buy an i3 with a range extender petrol engine back up that increases the range to 160 miles.  Isn't that a hybrid, which you can already buy?

Even with narrow tyres, light weight, slippery aerodynamics and ECO buttons modern electric cars have pitiful ranges.  Surely we should be spending R & D cash on increasing battery range rather than designing new cars around batteries which have extremely limited power storage and take an age to recharge.

Oh yes, and the BMW i3 comes four different trim levels - Standard, Loft, Lodge and Suite.  God help us.