BMW has its ‘i’ on 2013 for revamped battery car

 BMW LONDON 

It’s as promised, but with an important twist.

Last summer, in Munich, BMW experts laid out the principles behind a new, attention-grabbing car.

Dubbed the MegaCity Vehicle, it was significant for two reasons: It would be the company’s first electric car built from scratch for battery power and intended for the mass market — at least, for those able to afford a BMW. And it would be aimed directly at urban and suburban drivers.

The battery and electric motor, as well as the myriad and complex controls for them, would be designed and built in-house and, while not revolutionary, would be state-of-the-art, BMW-style.


The car would feature a carbon-fibre passenger compartment and aluminium chassis to reduce weight and dramatically increase passenger safety.

And a rough design sketch suggested an automotive work of art.

The company recently took the next step, unveiling a prototype. The vehicle is now called the i3, to denote its membership in a new division — not surprisingly, “Project i” — that also includes, for starters, the sporty plug-in-hybrid i8 sedan.

The four-seat i3 looks at once streamlined and cute; high-tech and classic. Officials say it’s close to what is to appear in showrooms in 2013, although the clear doors aren’t expected to survive the transition to mass production.

The aim is to combine a big battery with the advanced construction and a compact, efficient power train, all arranged for good weight distribution and balance.

The 22-kilowatt-hour, liquid-cooled battery will provide up to 150 kilometres of electric driving — similar to Nissan’s Leaf and enough for a round trip almost anywhere within our 416 and 905 areas. The expected top speed is 150 kilometres per hour; the zero-to-100 time, around eight seconds.

While BMW isn’t providing much detail about what makes the motor so efficient, Ulrich Kranz, the head of Project i, notes it has cut the number of magnets to “the absolute minimum” and created a “very small air gap” between the moving and static parts.

“We’re very good at high-precision manufacturing,” Kranz says. “We are applying the same kind of strategy to the electric power train.”

The twist is that BMW will offer an optional two-cylinder gasoline engine to extend the i3’s range a little beyond the battery’s limit.

Extensive consumer tests with electrified Minis established that 150 kilometres is sufficient range for most drives, but, Kranz says: “We think . . . at the very beginning of offering e-vehicles you market a bit of a plus just in case there are not enough . . . charging stations where you live.”

Still, this is to be a (mega)city car.

It won’t be like GM’s Volt, marketed as capable of battery-powered trips up to 60 kilometres, but with its gasoline engine and 35-litre fuel tank, able to travel 500 kilometres without stopping.

The i3’s gas-tank size will be too small for convenient long hauls, Kranz says. In theory, it could keep going with frequent refills, but diesel would be a better choice for regular trips of hundreds of kilometres between battery charges.

I was going to conclude this is a shame because the i3 gives the impression that, if only they’d install a big enough tank, it would be a pleasure to pilot across Canada.

But that’s not the point: Here, the i3, like the Leaf, seems destined to be a second car for the well-heeled. But it might be a lone-car alternative in Europe and Asia, where most driving is within its range. Since the world’s urban and moneyed population is growing fast, there’s a sizeable market.

There’s plenty of scope for additional variations on BMW’s electronic theme. But this one suggests car makers detect consumer unease about battery power and, for the time being at least, are likely to offer gasoline suspenders along with the lithium-ion belt.

Source: Wheels