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BMW i3 Electric Car Coming With 100-Mile Range And $35,000 Sticker: Report

 
3,011 views May 17, 2011
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The upcoming BMW i3, the car formerly known as the Megacity Vehicle and the first production all-electric car from BMW, is set to revolutionize the way mainstream cars are engineered and built, with most of its internal structure and body being composed of lightweight composite materials such as reinforced carbon-fiber plastic.

Sadly, buyers won’t get to hop behind the wheel until at least 2013 and even then the U.S. may not see the car until a later date.

However, to keep us enticed, some important new details have spilled onto the web. Though yet to be confirmed by BMW, the guys at Car and Driver are reporting the i3 will have a pricetag of about $35,000.

This makes sense considering the amount of technology expected to be featured, not to mention that BMW is launching the i3 under its new ‘i’ sub-division just like its high-performance M cars.

Other crucial details revealed in the report include a 112 kW (150 horsepower) output for the i3’s rear-mounted electric motor, which should be able to carry the car a distance of 99 miles (160 km)--and at speeds of up to 100 mph--on a single charge of its lithium-ion batteries.

The i3 will still be able to carry four people in relative luxury--it's still a BMW after all.

And if 100 miles is still too short for you, note that a range-extended version complete with a compact internal combustion engine acting as a generator may also be launched.

For more details, check out our previous post on the upcoming BMW i3 by clicking here.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: The original version of this article cited Car and Driver's reported driving range of 160 miles. C/D later corrected the figure to 160 km, and we have since updated the title and story to reflect that. 

[Car and Driver via MotorAuthority]





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Comments (15)

  1. Verde Posted: 5/17/2011 10:31am PDT

    Speed comes from the motor, range comes from the battery. Seems like this story is mixing kW with kWh which are two entirely different things.
     
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  2. fb_542856692 avatar Rich Civil Posted: 5/17/2011 11:42am PDT

    Range is also affected by how much juice it takes the motor to create the speed. A more efficient motor will help increase the range, just like a more efficient gas motor will increase the mpg will affects the range of a tank of gas.
     
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  3. Tom Moloughney Posted: 5/17/2011 11:52am PDT

    I know this was reported by Car & Driver yesterday, but as someone close to the program I have to say I think the 160 miles range has been incorrectly reported. I believe the i3's target range is 100 miles which happens to be 160 kilometers. I think the person who reported this for C&D confused miles for km and the car will indeed have a targeted 100 mile range. The $35,000 base price is good news though, as I was expecting something a bit higher. Here is some more info on the i3 powertrain: http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2011/03/bmw-i3-light-weight-means-less-energy.html
     
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  4. Tom Moloughney Posted: 5/17/2011 3:24pm PDT

    Car & driver just corrected themselves. The i3 will have a 100 mile range as I expected. However they are standing by the price and HP rating which I think are both good news. I was expecting this to be slightly north of 40K
     
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  5. fb_100001280320465 avatar Ev Now-now Posted: 5/17/2011 10:03pm PDT

    We don't know whether the price is before or after tax credit. Makes a big difference.
     
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  6. Noel Park Posted: 5/18/2011 9:04am PDT

    I'm from Missouri. I wouldn't take that $35K price to the bank, especially if we're not going to see it until 2013. Remember when the Volt was going to be "comfortably under $30K", LOL?
     
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  7. ev enthusiast Posted: 5/18/2011 10:08am PDT

    in any case, we see another car company coming out with an ev.
     
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  8. JP Posted: 5/18/2011 10:18am PDT

    Still waiting for the Ford Focus EV will cost. Hopefully right at $30k before the tax credit.
     
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  9. Noel Park Posted: 5/18/2011 12:20pm PDT

    #8 ev enthusiast - I hear you. I'm just going to believe it when I see it. If they can actually produce a car that sophisticated and sell it for $35K before the tax credit (or maybe even after), they are going to sell all that they can make for sure.
    #9 JP - Same answer, LOL.
     
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  10. ev enthusiast Posted: 5/18/2011 12:49pm PDT

    noel,
    i am curious if there is something going on in the battery industry of which we are not yet aware ?
    the battery represents a large percentage of the cost of our current evs. a car that is not coming out for 2 more years may well be able to sell at that price.
    i have had sneaking suspicions that this may have something to do with coda's delay ?
    normally, improvements are only offered when needed. but if it is the bigwig's real desire to get us off oil more quickly, a quicker reduction in battery prices would be the best way to do this.
    there seems to be a lot of car companies with models in the next couple of years, such that supply could drastically increase.
     
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  11. fb_100000005296979 avatar Kent Beuchert Posted: 5/18/2011 1:30pm PDT

    This guy obviously knows very little about electric cars, especially expected ranges. Range is severely affected by driving speed. Case in point : a Tesla roadster in Australia set a record of 347 miles on a single charge - it was driven at a constant 25 MPH.
    At a 100 MPH (mentioned here) the range would probably have been less than 80 miles, if that.
    Normal driving yields range estimates of 240 miles for the Tesla roadster.
     
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  12. Noel Park Posted: 5/18/2011 4:19pm PDT

    #11 ev enthusiast - "God send that it shall be true"
    #12 Kent Beuchert - Yeah, I find myself driving the Volt at 65 mph on the LA freeways where I have driven ICE cars 75 all my life. Even 65 is too fast, as you can just watch the range meter unwind before your eyes, but I really can't make myself go 55, LOL. At least not yet.
    On trips where the RE comes on I kick it up to 75. Somehow it doesn't seem so bad then. It's amazing what a game it gets to be to try to max the AER. #1756
     
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  13. fb_100001280320465 avatar Ev Now-now Posted: 5/19/2011 7:36am PDT

    #12 Kent Beuchert - You are interpreting it wrong. The max speed of 100 mph & range of 100 miles are not related. They are separate specs. We don't know under what condition 100 mile range will be achieved (LA-04 like Leaf or some EU cycle ?)
     
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  14. jeffhre Posted: 5/20/2011 12:00am PDT

    Would have been nice to see 160 mile range though. Kent, a Tesla Roadster would be expected to get 110 miles of range at 100 mph. http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/roadster-efficiency-and-range
     
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  15. FREEPAT75014 Posted: 5/22/2011 2:57am PDT

    BMW what your customers expect from you is an iX6 or an iX4, with a 50KWH battery and a solid range extender. i3 pure EV 100M mee too with no range extender, is only good for green PRs, and may be few professional fleets after grabing public subsidies. Bring a real BMW of the future in this i range, not just pure EV and Sport car toys please.
     
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