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BMWi: Understanding the i3 and i8 Concept Studies
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BMW announced their new sub-brand, BMWi earlier this year and recently the company unveiled two of their concepts,namely the i3 and i8, that will pioneer this new BMW sub-brand onto world roads in the near future.
Today the thought of going electric might seem unfeasible and there are many arguments that support the fact that it is indeed true. First and foremost is the lack of infrastructure on a global level. While some countries are working towards setting up recharge points and looking at ‘battery swapping’ stations, there are still a lot of countries that don’t have enough energy in the first place, let alone divert a whole lot towards running electric cars. Solutions seem to only work on the micro level at not at a macro application. Further to this, the vehicles are heavy, offer a limited range and take a long time to recharge. Hybrid applications are more feasible and make sense as they offer the ability to regenerate energy on the move, but there is a strong argument that hybrids are only an interim solution for they only lower the pressure on fossil fuel consumption. Regardless, while the general notion is to go green, the concept of ‘how’ seems to be in the grey area. Skeptics might rip this line of thought apart; however there is another side to this coin and that is the fact that today global manufacturers stand at the brink of a paradigm shift on what a vehicle should be. If an analogy has to be drawn, this period is symbolic of the time when the automobile first rolled out and horse drawn carriages were the primary mode of transport. At that time, the automobile was considered to be unreliable, slow and it’s just a guess but I am sure that people most probably found them to be too noisy and rickety. Obviously the notion toward the automobile changed and the face of this planet changed for transportation went under a paradigm shift at that point.
This brings me to BMW. BMW has been at the forefront of introducing automotive technology to the world. The company has continuously offered cars that are thrilling, stylish and very tech savvy, so when the company announced their plan to launch a sub brand, namely BMWi, where the focus would be on sustainable mobility, the automotive world was obviously keen on seeing where this was heading. Work on the sub brand began in 2007 when BMW set up a think tank on planning for the future and coming up with suitable programs for sustainable mobility. No doubt, BMW believes that we are at the brink of another shift in automotive engineering. We are at a turning point in terms of what we expect from vehicles and how they should perform. However what is most convincing is the fact that a global brand has announced their definitive plan to support and further the concept of going electric. This is the realm of BMWi and showcased to the world market for the first time were two almost production ready concepts namely the i3 megacity car and the i8 sports concept.
The two cars showcased under the BMWi brand boast of cutting edge design, new material use as well as an innovative technologies employed in body construction, powertrain development, packaging as well as interior functionalities. The i3 is an all electric urban people mover that has the ability to drive between 150-160 kilometers on a single charge. Despite an all electric drive, it still retains BMW’s genes in terms of offering exhilarating performance and is said to retain the genes of being a great driver’s car. It comes fitted with a 125Kw electric motor that powers the rear wheels and generates 250Nm of torque from standstill. Powering the rear wheels, in true BMW fashion, the i3 proves to be a throwback to a quintessential BMW that has a penchant for dynamic handling. The i3 is capable of going from 0-100 km/h in less than 8 seconds and this is largely due to the way the vehicle is constructed. Featuring a carbon passenger cell (CFRP), the i3 Concept weighs only 1250 kilograms. It can seat four people in comfort and offers 200 liters luggage space, which is rather practical for a city car. To add to the whole practical aspect, the i3 comes fitted with a high speed charger that is capable of achieving an 80 per cent battery charge in a single hour.
The i8 concept, which is based on the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics concept car, boasts of being a sports car that offers the running cost of a low-cost car. It’s a hybrid that mates a small petrol engine to an elaborate electric motor system and together it has the ability to really burn some rubber. The i8 Concept goes from 0-100 in less than 5 seconds and also manages to return a fuel consumption of under 3 liters per 100km. Making all of this possible is the mating of a conventional engine with an electronic drive and basing the vehicle architecture on a whole new platform. The power system (petrol engine + electric motor combination) offers an output of 250Kw and generates a healthy 300Nm of torque which allows for some rather dynamic driving. Since it is a plug in hybrid, it also operates in pure electric mode and can be driven for 35 kilometers on a single charge. For high speed dynamic driving and out of town journeys, a high performance three cylinder petrol engine also comes into play. The i8 has an electronically governed speed limiter to 250 km/h and has space inside for up to four occupants. It literally is a sports car for a whole new generation. The i8 also follows the same construction principles as the i3 in terms of the LifeDrive architecture; however it has a layout that is suitable for hybrid systems. The two cars stand as testimony towards what the world expects in terms of sustainable mobility for the future. However it is the thought behind these cars and which the brand is set up on that actually defines the way forward.
SLIDESHOW: BMW i3 CONCEPT STUDY
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Meena
NICE work BMW... just dont like the see through doors . It shows the car was designed by a male, a female would realize that women wearing dresses and skirts would be wary of sitting in a car with glass/see through doors.
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