Toyota may have sold 5m hybrids worldwide since the launch of the original Prius in 1997, but the company’s next goal is a lot more localized: 5m hybrid sales in the US by 2016. Speaking at the company’s Hybrid World Tour, senior vice president of automotive operations Bob Carter threw down the gauntlet to not […]
Toyota will cut the cost of financing to boost sales of its electric vehicle range, the company has confirmed, after demand for models like the RAV4 EV proved less enthusiastic than predicted. The Japanese company had aimed to shift 2,600 RAV4 EVs – priced at around $50,000 apiece – by the end of next year, […]
As environmentally-friendly concepts go, Nissan’s Infiniti EMERG-E is definitely more in the BMW i8 camp of performance first, rather than the meek eco-boxes that can give EVs a bad name, and we’ve been lucky enough to grab a test drive of one of the two working cars in existence while at Nissan 360. While most […]
BMW’s i3 may be the company’s first electric car to reach the market, but the company knows it’s gas-guzzling SUVs that could really benefit from an eco-friendly update, hence the new BMW Concept X5 eDrive. Set to debut officially at the Frankfurt International Motor Show, the concept SUV bears a few design tweaks on the […]
A new Tesla trademark registration for the “Model E” has prompted speculation that the company’s much-anticipated low-cost electric car will launch under that name, following the Model S and upcoming Model X crossover. Filed on August 5, the “Model E” application – for “automobiles and structural parts therefor” – comes well in advance of the […]
Bill Gates has slammed Google’s Project Loon, which would bring internet connectivity to developing nations using high-altitude balloons, arguing that getting online won’t help core issues like malaria, and suggesting that the search giant has lost its way when it comes to altruism. “When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see […]
Tesla sold 5,150 Model S cars in Q2 2013, pushing net income up 70-percent versus the previous quarter as production rates rose and, this week, European sales begin. The disruptive electric car company – which had warned investors of a potential shortfall in profit for Q2, after a strong opening quarter – has seen production […]
Now that BMW’s i3 production car has broken cover, the German company has moved onto arguably more exciting things: namely throwing the BMW i8 around a track in France for some performance testing. Shown off in Spyder concept form back at the LA Auto Show in November 2012, the slinky hybrid borrows the plug-in eco-friendliness […]
BMW isn’t counting on brand cachet and outlandish styling to sell the new i3 EV, with the “range-extender” gas generator option getting an even more fossil-fuel-reliant companion in the shape of access to a loaner X5 SUV. The backup option, which BMW will market as an “add-on mobility” feature Bloomberg reports, will effectively offer i3 converts access to the more traditionally powered X5 for a number of weeks each year.
The package – which will be an optional extra on top of the $41,350 starting price of the i3 – is yet to be finalized, with BMW still to decide on how much it will cost drivers as well as how many days with the X5 they’ll get. Still, it’s being positioned as a way to drive an eco-friendly vehicle the majority of the time while still having the reassurance of a regular one for family holidays and the like.
The base model i3 offers between 80-100 miles of electric-powered driving in typical conditions, BMW has said, recharging through either regular household outlets or via dedicated high-voltage power points. However, as a cost option, BMW will outfit your i3 with a “range-extender”: in effect a compact gas engine that is used as a generator to recharge the car’s Li-Ion battery array.
It’s an approach we’ve seen other companies take to prolong range, albeit with a little remaining reliance on traditional fuels. Cadillac’s upcoming ELR, for instance, offers a similar system as standard, with a gas engine working to keep the batteries topped up rather than directly driving the wheels.
BMW claims that with the range-extender option, the i3 will drive more than 180 miles.
Even those who don’t opt for the range-extender or the X5 will still have ways to prolong their use of the i3, however. An ECO PRO mode trims the top speed from its already-limited 93mph to around 75mph, in addition to curtailing acceleration in the name of economy.
Meanwhile, a more draconian ECO PRO+ mode can further reduce the power demands, by turning off supplies to non-driving-essential features like the radio. BMW estimates a 30-percent boost in range with ECO PRO+ active.
As for the BMW X5, the company took the wraps off the 2014 model back in May. While it may have little of the eco-conscious features the i3 offers, the refreshed SUV isn’t lacking in technology or power, with a 3.0-liter, triple-turbocharged gas engine pushing out 381HP and 546lb-ft of torque in the M variant.
BMW i3′s cure for range anxiety is a gas-guzzler on demand is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
BMW has officially revealed the production BMW i3, the company’s first i-Series electric car for the market, a carbon-fiber clad urban vehicle set to reach roads from November. Based on the i3 concept first shown off in early 2011, the new i3 will manage 80-100 miles on a full charge in its cheapest $41,350 form, though a hybrid-style version with a compact two-cylinder engine will effectively double that for an extra $1,150.
BMW took the wraps off of the production car at a simultaneous event in New York, London, and Beijing today, ahead of deliveries beginning in Europe this November. The US release, along with availability in China and Japan, will follow on sometime in the first half of 2014.
According to BMW, running costs for the i3 should work out roughly 40-percent less than its 320dA sedan, in Germany at least, over the first three years. That advantage could be even bigger, the firm suggests, depending on the level of local subsidies. It’s worth noting, though, that the first three years of life is unlikely to include a change of the 125 kW Li-Ion batteries.
BMW i3 Concept:
Those batteries, paired with a 170HP electric motor, are good enough to propel the BMW i3 from 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds, with a top speed limited to around 93mph for what the company claims are efficiency reasons.
The compact “range-extender” is a two-cylinder gas engine mustering 34HP and mounted above the rear axel by the electric motor; rather than drive the wheels directly, it’s used to keep the batteries charged up. BMW says that, with a full battery and a full tank of gas, drivers can expect more than 180 miles in range in regular driving.
Carbon fiber has been used to keep weight down to 1,195kg, with a passenger cell of the lightweight material wrapped around an aluminum chassis. Inside there’s room for four, along with BMW’s Connected Drive and 360-degree ELECTRIC systems.
BMW i3 production car revealed is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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