BMW i3 News
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We'll finally see an undisguised 2014 BMW i3 electric car in about two weeks. But, this week, BMW released not only a few technical specifications for the powertrain but also some details of the car's advanced connectivity and navigation systems. First, the car has its own cellular connection--as do many cars--but it uses its communications abilities in some new and interesting ways. The suite of services and apps is grouped under the umbrella of BMW ConnectedDrive, a system already offered on other BMW vehicles. Apps for all situations Owners can share information with their i3 electric cars...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Specifications And Details Released
With the global unveiling of the 2014 BMW i3 less than three weeks away, BMW has revealed a few more details on its radical new electric car. The i3 battery-electric five-door hatchback's 125-kilowatt (170-horsepower) electric motor can generate peak torque of 184 lb-ft. The motor will accelerate...
John Voelcker -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Unveiling On July 29: Video
The 2014 BMW i3 electric car is coming... but you knew that already. Still, it gives BMW a chance to release another video, albeit one that tells us absolutely nothing save for the car's official date of unveiling: July 29th. Luckily, previous videos, plenty of spy shots and numerous auto show...
Antony Ingram -
Want To Test-Drive BMW's i3 Electric Car? Join The Other 100,000...
No single automaker has yet sold 100,000 examples of an electric car. BMW is no different, and won't be for quite some time--as its full production electric vehicles, notably the i3 city car, are yet to hit the streets. But the German automaker has got that many people interested in its i3, at...
Antony Ingram -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Price To Be Similar To BMW 3-Series?
The production version of the BMW i3 electric car will be unveiled at September's Frankfurt Motor Show, and anticipation is building. How much BMW's first battery-electric car will cost is one of the biggest open questions. Now Ludwig Willisch, the CEO of the Bavarian maker's North American arm...
John Voelcker -
Electric 2014 BMW i3 ReX Coming Dec, Lower Engine Power Confirmed
The ranks of dedicated electric cars--those designed from scratch as plug-in vehicles--are thin. Come December, a fourth entry, the 2014 BMW i3, will join the three currently on the market (the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, and Tesla Model S). BMW officials confirmed last Thursday that the first i3...
John Voelcker -
Most people give them little thought, but tires are one of the most important components on a car. They are, of course, your only point of contact with the road. So ultimately, tires are responsible for everything from performance, through cornering, to efficiency and noise. Tires of the future will significantly improve the last two factors, and BMW's i3 electric car will be among the first production vehicles to adopt the new breed of tire. While "round and black" has long been a simplified definition for tires, their design has changed significantly over the years. Most recently, the...
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BMW i3 Electric Car: ReX Range Extender Not For Daily Use?
The upcoming 2014 BMW i3 electric car is generating a lot of quiet excitement--especially for its optional "ReX" range extender, a tiny two-cylinder engine that fits under the rear deck to power a generator. The i3 will be only the third high-volume dedicated battery electric car on the market...
John Voelcker -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Price: How Much Will It Cost?
With the 2014 BMW i3 electric car launch getting closer, the rumor mill is heating up. BMW will unveil its first production battery electric car at this fall's Frankfurt Motor Show, after showing a number of concept cars in both four-door and coupe forms. It has already given rides in BMW i3 test...
John Voelcker -
BMW i3 Electric Car, i8 Plug-In Hybrid: First Rides For Journalists
Two of the most exciting electric vehicles due over the next few years both originate from German automaker, BMW. The i3 city car and i8 sports car are both clean-sheet designs, developed from the ground up as plug-in vehicles. With carbon-fiber chassis, purpose-designed interiors and unique...
Antony Ingram -
BMW To Use Geniuses Like Apple--To Sell i3 Electric Cars
If you've ever bought a car, you might have experienced the frustration that comes with a sales person who doesn't really know about the car they're selling. That's not an experience you'll have had in an Apple retail store though, where the Genius Bar program provides product experts to hand out...
Antony Ingram -
BMW i3 Electric Car: Motorcycle Engine Range-Extender For 250 Mile Range
If you're a fan of electric cars, there's a fair chance BMW's i3 urban electric car is one of the vehicles you're most looking forward to in 2013. When it goes on sale in the fourth quarter of 2013, it's set to be one of the most advanced vehicles on the road--not least for its lightweight...
Antony Ingram -
Which car are you most excited about for 2013? If the BMW i3 electric car isn't near the top of the list, we'd be surprised. Its bare figures may not be headline-grabbing, but on design alone it makes even BMW's current production cars look a bit half-hearted. You can see this better than ever before in BMW's latest video, which shows the i3 Concept Coupe in motion and looks at the car's exterior, interior and sustainable materials in detail. While the overall shape might not be to all tastes--it's certainly more daring than BMW's previous compact car offerings--it's hard to argue with the...
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BMW Celebrates 40 Years Of Electric Cars, From 1602 To i3
Think BMW, and your first thoughts may turn to sports sedans, luxury cars and sports cars. None are known for being particularly green, but BMW is set to change that when it launches the i3 electric compact car, and the upcoming i8 plug-in hybrid sports car. In fact, BMW has been developing...
Antony Ingram -
BMW i3 Coupe Concept Live Shots: Los Angeles Auto Show
BMW is committed to creating a full line of electric and advanced plug-in hybrid models—so much so that it's establishing them apart from BMW (and MINI), as an 'i' sub-brand, revolving in part around the idea that 'premium' and 'sustainable' aren't mutually exclusive. But design will have to...
Bengt Halvorson -
BMW Shows Off i3, i8 In New York On 'Born Electric' Tour
Not only is BMW talking about its commitment in its plug-in car plans, it's putting that confidence on display, too. The BMW i 'Born Electric' world tour has just kicked off in New York City, putting the company's electric and plug-in products on display for all to see. Running for a week in...
Antony Ingram -
BMW i3, i8 Will Be First BMWs To Sell Online
If you're selling a futuristic vehicle, why not sell it using futuristic means? That's the strategy BMW is looking to take with its i3 and i8 plug-in cars, when both go on sale in Europe in a few years time. The German automaker may well have just opened a specialised showroom for the cars in...
Antony Ingram -
No Artificial Noises For Electric BMW i3 (Yet)
Put most people behind the wheel of an electric car, and you can guarantee one of the first things they'll talk about is the silence. Unfortunately, that silence has led some legislators to require EVs to emit a sound in order to warn pedestrians of their presence, stifling one of the genre's...
Antony Ingram -
The world of car-branded merchandise has resulted in some unusual items in the past. Ferrari, for instance is well known for its scarlet-clad teddy bears and a hugely expensive carbon fiber measuring stick. On the other hand, Porsche Design, a company affiliated with the sports car maker, makes some fairly tasteful products such as pens and coffee makers. Until now, you're probably most familiar with BMW's Project i brand for the stunning i3 and i8 concept cars. Now the "i" label is being applied to something even cleaner - an all-natural hand sanitizer. Let's make it clear though: BMW hasn't...
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2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Live Photos: Frankfurt Auto Show
The BMW i3's bigger brother the i8 may get all the attention from sports car fans, but as the smaller and more practical of the "i" range the i3 could be considered the more relevant of the two. We were at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show ready to capture both i-cars in all their glory. You can find...
Antony Ingram -
Compact, Fuel-Efficient Cars Grab Frankfurt Spotlight
Instead of outdoing each other with more mass and more horsepower, the focus at teh upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show seems to be on better fuel economy and more technology for the dollar.
Kurt Ernst -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car Spotted During Filming In Chicago
Were it not for imminent reveals at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show in mid September, you might think the automakers were getting careless with their upcoming models. First, Audi's E1 e-tron was caught on camera in the center of Berlin, being filmed in camoflage for an Audi promotional video. The E1...
Antony Ingram -
BMW's UK MINI E Test Ends: Drivers Happy, But...
A few months after BMW and MINI's electric car study ended in the United States, a similar scheme run in the U.K. has also come to a close, and the results are in... ...and if you've read the results of the American tests, the figures coming from the U.K. will all look very familiar. Basically, all...
Antony Ingram -
2014 BMW i3 Electric Car: Motorcycle Engine As Range Extender
Diversity among electric cars is rapidly expanding, from the all-electric Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi 'i' to the upcoming Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, which provides just 9 to 13 miles of electric range. Now, it turns out, the 2014 BMW i3--the all-electric urban four-door subcompact that BMW showed...
John Voelcker