Tag Archives: i3

BMW To Launch iNext EV Models By 2023

According to an announcement made in Munich last year, BMW is ramping up its production of electric vehicles and plans on bringing them to market sooner than previously announced.

By 2023, BMW will significantly expand its lineup of electrified vehicles and add 25 new options for consumers after sustainable luxury vehicles.

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming generation of new BMW EV models.

BMW’s New Electric Vehicles Getting Ready for Market

The new vehicles will be part of the BMW i sub-brand, which already includes vehicles like the i3 city car and i8 plug-in hybrid. More than half of the 25 new vehicles will be fully electrified, with many of the others being a hybrid version of existing models. 

Among the vehicles is the BMW iNext, which was announced in 2018, and is currently expected to arrive on the market in 2021. BMW is also expected to roll out the i4, the i3’s successor, sometime that year.

BMW also plans to launch a range of new plug-in electric hybrid versions of the BMW 3 series, 7 series, and X5. The company is also planning a China-exclusive plug-in hybrid version of the X1, as well as new hybrid versions of the 2 series and 5 series. A European and U.S. version of the hybrid X1 is getting ready for production.

Other EVs expected to arrive before 2023 include a fully-electric Mini, manufactured in England, and an electric version of the X3 crossover called the iX3 that is designed for the Chinese market.

BMW Press

The EV Timetable

Previously, the company had planned to have all of these EVs on the market by 2025 at the earliest. Now, however, BMW is accelerating its electric strategy, and plans to have the cars ready by 2023 

The accelerated timetable is based on the success of the company’s current electric and hybrid vehicles, BMW claims it will have doubled its sale of electric vehicles by 2021, compared to its 2019 numbers, and the continued growth of BMW’s EV sales numbers.

The advanced production is also likely in part due to BMW’s new scalable vehicle architecture, which allows the company to swap in a BEV or PHEV powertrain into any vehicle that uses the new architecture.

BMW hasn’t said yet whether or not it will remain committed to further electric vehicle development in the near future — but if current market trends hold, and EVs remain as profitable as they’ve been for BMW, it’s likely that we’ll see even more EVs be announced in the near future.

Businesses across the automotive industry are pivoting to electric, resulting in large-scale production of everything from electric trucks to e-buses — EV market growth suggests that there is definitely room for additional BMW EVs.

BMW Prepping 25 EVs for Launch by 2023

The quicker arrival of the new electric vehicles, which were planned to arrive on the market by 2025, is likely a good sign for those wanting more EVs from BMW. 

The 25 new cars include both hybrids and fully-electric vehicles and demonstrate the flexibility of BMW’s new architecture, which could make developing new EV variant models even easier in the future.

A few of the cars that are planned for launch will be exclusive to the Chinese market, but there’s no reason to believe that they won’t eventually be exported to the US and European markets.

Top Gear Reviews UK’s Sportier BMW i3s

BMW just released in Britain an i3s, the sportier version of its electric i3, with a larger 120 Ah battery. Top Gear decided to give the upgraded i3s a try, and the resulting review paints a pretty alluring picture of what it’s like to drive the car.

The i3s offers 182bhp, about 14 more than the i3, and can go from 0 to 62 mph in 6.9 seconds, 0.4 less than the i3. It also features one-inch-bigger wheels, 10mm-lower suspension, a 40mm-wider track and extended wheel arches. The car’s max speed is 99mph.

The drive system now also has a new Sport mode, and you get a bespoke steering setup and slightly updated exterior design. The upgraded i3s costs £37,615, or about 49,022, new — about 3,258 more than the regular i3. Overall, Top Gear gave the BMW i3s a rating of 8/10.

2014 BMW All-Electric i3 Press Drive.

The Top Gear reviewer, Stephen Dobie, notes that on paper the differences between the i3s and i3 are pretty subtle. When it comes to how the car drives though, he writes, the i3s “does noticeably lift it to another level.” He notes that the acceleration is “flipping quick” up to 60 miles per hour, especially in the first 40. Lifting off the gas pedal often provides enough of a slowdown to navigate turns, speed bumps and the like without needing to hit the brakes.

Top Gear writes that the i3s handles well “to an extent.” Dobie notes the vehicle’s tall body and flighty steering as well as its rear-wheel drive and the fact that the car’s heaviest portions are set low. After some time, you’ll get used to how the car handles and even learn to take advantage of it to tuck into and out of corners, he writes.

“It’ll even indulge a small amount of silliness if you slacken off the stability control,” Dobie says. Loosening up the stability control with a few turns and clicks of the iDrive wheel will let you get enough momentum during a turn to enjoy some nano-slides.

The setup and design of the car seem to encourage you to drive fast, Dobie says. There’s a large fishbowl windscreen that gives you a clear view of the road, and a digital speedometer at the bottom of it. The way the car flat-lines its acceleration around the typical highway speed limit means you can get to the car’s fun dynamics without pushing too hard.

BMW Press

“What’s present here – and not in a Leaf, Zoe or Ioniq – is a real sense of humour, and layers of fun beyond those first few hits away from the traffic lights,” Dobie writes in his review. “Isn’t it vital to know as cars fundamentally change, their sense of fun is still tangible?”

Of course, if you drive hard, your range will decrease from the quoted 160 miles. The car doesn’t have the optional range extender, a small gas-powered engine, anymore either — it’s fully electric.

Based on this review though, it seems like enjoying the full extent of the driving experience the i3s has to offer might be worthing losing a bit of range now and then.

BMW i debuts as an exclusive partner of Coachella 2017

BMW i will debut as the exclusive transportation partner at the Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival in 2017, providing VIP shuttle service and hospitality during the weekends of April 14-16 and 21-23. BMW’s sustainable, future-oriented brand will provide BMW i3 electric vehicles and BMW X5 40e iPerformance plug-in hybrid electric vehicles for transportation on and around the festival site.

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