BMW i3
Encyclopedia
The BMW i3, previously Mega City Vehicle (MCV), is an urban electric car
under development by BMW
. The i3 is part of BMW's "Project i" and is being planned as a new brand, BMW i
. The BMW i3 is expected to go into mass production
in 2013 with deliveries in several world markets by that year end. The i3 concept car
was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and BMW announced the electric car will have a “REx” range extender option. BMW plans to showcase a BMW i3 prototype
during the 2012 Summer Olympics
in London
.
The i3 will be BMW first zero emissions mass produced vehicle due to its electric powertrain, and BMW also expects to be the first company to launch a volume production vehicle on the market featuring carbon-fiber reinforced plastic to improve the vehicle's energy consumption. The BMW i3 is expected to be priced in the U.S. at around .
's "Project i" is a program aimed to develop a lightweight eco-friendly
urban electric car
designed to address the mobility and sustainability
needs for people who live in megacities
. According to BMW, "Project i" has three phases. The Mini E
demonstration was the first phase of this project, and it will be followed around mid 2011 by a similar field testing with the BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicle. The ActiveE is based on the BMW 1 Series
Coupe and will be built based on the lessons learned from the Mini E trial. The last phase of "Project i" is the development of the i3 and i8 electric cars.
The automaker expects that its first series production all-electric drive vehicle will contribute to achieve an overall fleet fuel economy
average of 35.5 miles per US gallon by 2016, as mandated by the U.S. federal regulations. BMW expects high volume sales of the i3 to allow the company to continue selling in the U.S. several of its high-performance cars which have a low fuel economy.
In February 2011 BMW announced that the new sub-brand for the commercialization of the vehicles produced under Project i will be called BMW i
, and its vehicles will be sold separately from BMW or Mini
. The first two production
models will be the battery electric
Mega City Vehicle, now called BMW i3, and a plug-in hybrid called i8, which is the production version of the Vision Efficient Dynamics
concept unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and has an all-electric range
of 50 kilometres (31.1 mi). Production of both plug-in electric cars is scheduled to start in Leipzig
in 2013.
up front, the i3 is being designed from the ground up, but avoiding to look podlike, with a dynamic sweep of the roof and the beltine to make it look sportier than most electrics. In order to achieve a lightweight car, the i3 will be the first mass production
car to have most of its internal structure and body being made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). As of November 2010, BMW has only demonstrated the light weight of the passenger compartment, and the automaker's Chief Executive said they have already decided on the basic design of the car and that road-testing prototypes will begin soon.
The i3 will feature four doors and seating for four occupants with dimensions being slightly larger than the MINI Cooper
and BMW 1 Series
but smaller than the BMW 3 Series
. The i3 will be powered by a newly developed powertrain
consisting of a 134 horsepower
electric motor
running on lithium-ion batteries and driving the rear axle. BMW is aiming to achieve a 100 miles (160.9 km) range, the same expected for the BMW ActiveE, but in order to reduce weight with a battery capacity of 16 kWh instead of the ActiveE's 30 kWh. A range extended version that functions similarly to the Chevrolet Volt
is also being considered by BMW.
Based on the experience from the field testing of the Mini E
, BMW has learned that drivers get used to one-pedal driving with electric cars, as some 75% of all deceleration maneuvers are initiated without the brake pedal while in urban traffic, thanks to the brake regeneration function as the actual braking is applied only to the rear wheels. BMW plans to include this feature in the ActiveE and the i3 is likely to have also the one-pedal approach. BMW also expects that the i3 will use the same type of battery and powertrain that will be tested in the BMW ActiveE trials.
The prototype
presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show has a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is expected to deliver between 80 mile and the battery will take about four hours to fully charge from the 240-volt charging unit. BMW is planning to offer an optional gasoline range-extender engine. The i3 is expected to go from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 60 mph
) in less than 8 seconds. The BMW i3 has a 170 hp electric motor that will be mounted on the rear axle to drive the rear wheels . The top speed will be limited to 93 mile per hour.
plans to manufacture the i3 body-in-white from carbon-fiber at a new plant being built in Moses Lake
, Washington, using raw material that will be shipped from Japan
. This location was selected to take advantage of the abundant hydroelectric power available in this U.S. region because carbon-fiber production requires much energy and emits a lot of carbon dioxide
. The carbon fiber will then be shipped to Landshut
, Germany
, where the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic parts will be fabricated, and the vehicle assembly line
will be located in Leipzig
.
On November 2010, the Leipzig plant was inaugurated, with an investment in the production that will amount to euros through 2013. The plant will be at BMW's complex that already produces variants of the 1 Series
model.
demonstration programs took place.
United States
The 2013 market launch in the U.S. is scheduled to include Los Angeles
, San Francisco, Sacramento
, San Diego, and New York City
, plus the suburban areas of New Jersey
and Connecticut
.
Electric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
under development by BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
. The i3 is part of BMW's "Project i" and is being planned as a new brand, BMW i
BMW i
BMW i is a sub-brand of BMW which has been created to commercialize low emission vehicles.In February 2011 BMW announced that the new sub-brand for the commercialization of the vehicles produced under Project i will be called BMW i...
. The BMW i3 is expected to go into mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
in 2013 with deliveries in several world markets by that year end. The i3 concept car
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and BMW announced the electric car will have a “REx” range extender option. BMW plans to showcase a BMW i3 prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
during the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
The i3 will be BMW first zero emissions mass produced vehicle due to its electric powertrain, and BMW also expects to be the first company to launch a volume production vehicle on the market featuring carbon-fiber reinforced plastic to improve the vehicle's energy consumption. The BMW i3 is expected to be priced in the U.S. at around .
Project i
BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
's "Project i" is a program aimed to develop a lightweight eco-friendly
Green Car
Green Car can refer to:*Green vehicle*First class travel accommodations on many Japanese train lines...
urban electric car
Electric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
designed to address the mobility and sustainability
Sustainable transport
Sustainable transport refers to any means of transport with low impact on the environment, and includes walking and cycling, transit oriented development, green vehicles, CarSharing, and building or protecting urban transport systems that are fuel-efficient, space-saving and promote healthy...
needs for people who live in megacities
Megacity
A megacity is usually defined as a metropolitan area with a total population in excess of 10 million people. Some definitions also set a minimum level for population density . A megacity can be a single metropolitan area or two or more metropolitan areas that converge. The terms conurbation,...
. According to BMW, "Project i" has three phases. The Mini E
Mini E
The Mini E is a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China...
demonstration was the first phase of this project, and it will be followed around mid 2011 by a similar field testing with the BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicle. The ActiveE is based on the BMW 1 Series
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is an entry level sports car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is unusual in its class as it features rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight balance, a longitudinally-mounted engine and an advanced aluminum multilink suspension...
Coupe and will be built based on the lessons learned from the Mini E trial. The last phase of "Project i" is the development of the i3 and i8 electric cars.
The automaker expects that its first series production all-electric drive vehicle will contribute to achieve an overall fleet fuel economy
Fuel economy in automobiles
Fuel usage in automobiles refers to the fuel efficiency relationship between distance traveled by an automobile and the amount of fuel consumed....
average of 35.5 miles per US gallon by 2016, as mandated by the U.S. federal regulations. BMW expects high volume sales of the i3 to allow the company to continue selling in the U.S. several of its high-performance cars which have a low fuel economy.
In February 2011 BMW announced that the new sub-brand for the commercialization of the vehicles produced under Project i will be called BMW i
BMW i
BMW i is a sub-brand of BMW which has been created to commercialize low emission vehicles.In February 2011 BMW announced that the new sub-brand for the commercialization of the vehicles produced under Project i will be called BMW i...
, and its vehicles will be sold separately from BMW or Mini
Mini
The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout influenced a generation of car-makers...
. The first two production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
models will be the battery electric
Battery electric vehicle
A battery electric vehicle, or BEV, is a type of electric vehicle that uses chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. BEVs use electric motors and motor controllers instead of, or in addition to, internal combustion engines for propulsion.A battery-only electric vehicle or...
Mega City Vehicle, now called BMW i3, and a plug-in hybrid called i8, which is the production version of the Vision Efficient Dynamics
BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics
The BMW i8, first introduced as the BMW Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics, is a plug-in hybrid under development by BMW. The initial concept car was unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the BMW i8 concept car destined for production was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show...
concept unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show and has an all-electric range
All-electric range
All-electric range is the driving range of a vehicle using only power from its electric battery pack to traverse a given driving cycle. In the case of a battery electric vehicle, it means the total range per charge. For a plug-in hybrid , it means the range of the vehicle in charge-depleting mode...
of 50 kilometres (31.1 mi). Production of both plug-in electric cars is scheduled to start in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
in 2013.
Design and technology
BMW explained that taking advantage of the fact that the vehicle does not need an internal combustion engineInternal combustion engine
The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer in a combustion chamber. In an internal combustion engine, the expansion of the high-temperature and high -pressure gases produced by combustion apply direct force to some component of the engine...
up front, the i3 is being designed from the ground up, but avoiding to look podlike, with a dynamic sweep of the roof and the beltine to make it look sportier than most electrics. In order to achieve a lightweight car, the i3 will be the first mass production
Mass production
Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...
car to have most of its internal structure and body being made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). As of November 2010, BMW has only demonstrated the light weight of the passenger compartment, and the automaker's Chief Executive said they have already decided on the basic design of the car and that road-testing prototypes will begin soon.
The i3 will feature four doors and seating for four occupants with dimensions being slightly larger than the MINI Cooper
MINI (BMW)
Mini is a British automotive marque owned by BMW which specialises in small cars.Mini originated as a specific vehicle, a small car originally known as the Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959, and developed into a brand encompassing a range of...
and BMW 1 Series
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is an entry level sports car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is unusual in its class as it features rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight balance, a longitudinally-mounted engine and an advanced aluminum multilink suspension...
but smaller than the BMW 3 Series
BMW 3 Series
The BMW 3 Series is a compact executive car manufactured by the German automaker BMW since May 1975. Successor to the BMW New Class, it has been produced in five different generations and in no less than five different body styles. It is BMW's best-selling model, accounting for around 30% of the...
. The i3 will be powered by a newly developed powertrain
Powertrain
In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air. This includes the engine, transmission, drive shafts, differentials, and the final drive...
consisting of a 134 horsepower
Horsepower
Horsepower is the name of several units of measurement of power. The most common definitions equal between 735.5 and 750 watts.Horsepower was originally defined to compare the output of steam engines with the power of draft horses in continuous operation. The unit was widely adopted to measure the...
electric motor
Electric motor
An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...
running on lithium-ion batteries and driving the rear axle. BMW is aiming to achieve a 100 miles (160.9 km) range, the same expected for the BMW ActiveE, but in order to reduce weight with a battery capacity of 16 kWh instead of the ActiveE's 30 kWh. A range extended version that functions similarly to the Chevrolet Volt
Chevrolet Volt
The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufactured by General Motors. The Volt has been on sale in the U.S. market since mid-December 2010, and is the most fuel-efficient compact car sold in the United States, as rated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency...
is also being considered by BMW.
Based on the experience from the field testing of the Mini E
Mini E
The Mini E is a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China...
, BMW has learned that drivers get used to one-pedal driving with electric cars, as some 75% of all deceleration maneuvers are initiated without the brake pedal while in urban traffic, thanks to the brake regeneration function as the actual braking is applied only to the rear wheels. BMW plans to include this feature in the ActiveE and the i3 is likely to have also the one-pedal approach. BMW also expects that the i3 will use the same type of battery and powertrain that will be tested in the BMW ActiveE trials.
The prototype
Concept car
A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....
presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show has a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that is expected to deliver between 80 mile and the battery will take about four hours to fully charge from the 240-volt charging unit. BMW is planning to offer an optional gasoline range-extender engine. The i3 is expected to go from 0 to 100 kph (0 to 60 mph
0 to 60 mph
The time it takes to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph is a commonly used performance measure for automotive acceleration in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the rest of the world 0 to 100 km/h is used...
) in less than 8 seconds. The BMW i3 has a 170 hp electric motor that will be mounted on the rear axle to drive the rear wheels . The top speed will be limited to 93 mile per hour.
Production
BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
plans to manufacture the i3 body-in-white from carbon-fiber at a new plant being built in Moses Lake
Moses Lake
Moses Lake is a lake and reservoir along the course of Crab Creek, in Washington state, USA.Moses Lake is part of the Columbia River basin, as Crab Creek is a tributary of the Columbia River....
, Washington, using raw material that will be shipped from Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. This location was selected to take advantage of the abundant hydroelectric power available in this U.S. region because carbon-fiber production requires much energy and emits a lot of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
. The carbon fiber will then be shipped to Landshut
Landshut
Landshut is a city in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany, belonging to both Eastern and Southern Bavaria. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also the seat of the...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, where the carbon-fiber reinforced plastic parts will be fabricated, and the vehicle assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
will be located in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
.
On November 2010, the Leipzig plant was inaugurated, with an investment in the production that will amount to euros through 2013. The plant will be at BMW's complex that already produces variants of the 1 Series
BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is an entry level sports car produced by the German automaker BMW since 2004. The 1 Series is unusual in its class as it features rear-wheel drive, 50:50 weight balance, a longitudinally-mounted engine and an advanced aluminum multilink suspension...
model.
Markets
The i3 roll out is planned to include major cities around the world, including those in the United States, France, Germany and the United Kingdom, where the Mini EMini E
The Mini E is a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China...
demonstration programs took place.
United States
The 2013 market launch in the U.S. is scheduled to include Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, San Francisco, Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
, San Diego, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, plus the suburban areas of New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
.
See also
- BMW ActiveE
- BMW iBMW iBMW i is a sub-brand of BMW which has been created to commercialize low emission vehicles.In February 2011 BMW announced that the new sub-brand for the commercialization of the vehicles produced under Project i will be called BMW i...
- BMW i8 (BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics)
- Government incentives for plug-in electric vehiclesGovernment incentives for plug-in electric vehiclesGovernment incentives for plug-in electric vehicles have been established by several national and local governments around the world as a financial incentive for consumers to purchase a plug-in electric vehicle....
- List of modern production plug-in electric vehicles
- List of production battery electric vehicles
- Mini EMini EThe Mini E is a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China...
- MIT Media Lab's CityCarMIT CarThe MIT Car is a concept car project conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, United States, for the purpose of exploring the idea of urban mobility. This intensive study on advanced human traveling has been in progress since 2003...
- Personal Urban Mobility and AccessibilityPersonal Urban Mobility and AccessibilityThe Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility is an experimental electrically powered road vehicle created by Segway and adopted by General Motors as a concept vehicle representing the future of urban transportation...
- Plug-in electric vehiclePlug-in electric vehicleA plug-in electric vehicle is any motor vehicle that can be recharged from any external source of electricity, such as wall sockets, and the electricity stored in the rechargeable battery packs drives or contributes to drive the wheels...
- Zero-emissions vehicleZero-emissions vehicleA zero-emissions vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that emits no tailpipe pollutants from the onboard source of power. Harmful pollutants to the health and the environment include particulates , hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, ozone, lead, and various oxides of nitrogen. Although not considered emission...