Electric BMW i3 makes its debut, SA launch set for April

30th July 2013

By: Irma Venter

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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Germany’s BMW Group on Monday unveiled its new i3 in the major global hubs of New York, London and Beijing. The i3 is the luxury brand’s first pure electric series-produced model.

“Innovation drives change. The i3 is more than just a car. It’s a revolutionary step towards sustainable mobility. It is purpose-built around an electric power train to serve the needs of our megacity customers,” said BMW management board chairperson Norbert Reithofer at the world premiere in New York.

“What the mobile phone did for communication, electric mobility will do for individual mobility.”

Customers in South African cities will also soon be able to experience the newest innovation by BMW, as the i3 is set to make its local debut in April next year, confirms BMW South Africa group automotive communications manager Edward Makwana.


The i3 can travel 130 km to 160 km before it requires recharging.

BMW says in a statement that its research has shown this range to be sufficient for the majority of drivers.

“The average distance driven daily worldwide is no more than 64 km."

If so desired, however, the BMW i3 is also available with a range-extender, which maintains the charge of the lithium-ion battery at a constant level while travelling.

This is performed by a two-cylinder, 25 kW petrol engine, mounted adjacent to the electric motor, above the rear axle.

The range extender increases the car’s maximum range in day-to-day driving to around 300 km.

The i3’s electric drive-train generates an output of 125 kW and peak torque of 250 Nm, which is available from a standing start. The vehicle sprints from 0 to 60 km/h in 3.7 seconds, and from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds.

Its top speed is limited to 150 km/h for efficiency reasons.

The i3 also features a carbon-fibre passenger cell and a chassis made of aluminium. It has a curb weight of 1.12 t.

The BMW i3 will be released in Germany and other European markets in November. This will be followed by launches in the US, China, Japan, South Africa and several other markets in the first half of 2014.

The base price for the BMW i3 has been set at €34 950 (roughly R460 000) in Germany. However, local pricing has not been confirmed, says BMW South Africa.

If customers opt to purchase the range extender as an extra, the price in Germany increases to €39 450.

The vehicle’s running costs are comparatively low, believes BMW.

Over a period of three years, the maintenance and running costs for a BMW i3 are about 40% lower than that of a 320dA model, registered in Germany.

“In other countries, figures may even be lower, depending on the level of subsidies available for electric vehicles.”

Response to the i3 has been positive, to date, adds the German car maker.

The BMW i-brand has more than 1.2-million fans worldwide on Facebook, and more than 90 000 people have already requested a test-drive with the i3.

The i-brand takes pride in its low environmental footprint.

The electricity needed for production of the i3 at the Leipzig plant, in Germany, is generated from wind power. In addition to this, the plant also uses 50% less energy and 70% less water than the average BMW plant.

The global market for electric vehicles is showing positive development, adds BMW.

Almost 93 000 electric vehicles were registered worldwide last year, with sales of 150 000 units forecast for 2013.

 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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