On Tuesday, Greg Kacher from Automobile Magazine reported that the BMW i Series are going full electric. The website also disclosed diverse news on BMW’s EV projects.
Back in 2011, BMW launched its I-Series with two vehicles. The fully electric car i3 and the Hybrid i8, The new BMW I sub-branch was the automaker company’s push into more moving eco-friendly vehicles.
Automobile Magazine announced the BMW i8 is going fully electric.The automobile will ditch its internal combustion engine for high revolutions, three-motor electric setup. The i8’s performance will receive a dramatic performance boost from 357 horsepower to up to 750 horsepower.
The report also states that the new i8 is expected to feature four-wheel steering, torque vectoring, active suspension, four-wheel drive, and a 300-mile range per charge. The i8 is supposed to be released in 2022 and 2023.
On the other hand, the i3 is BMW’s best selling vehicle from the series. For the next generation of i3 vehicles, BMW is considering three possible options. Firstly, the giant automaker company plans to expand on the current generation’s carbon fiber construction.
Secondly, the enterprise intends to lean on aluminum construction to save costs and possibly increase revenue. And lastly, BMW’s goal is to use carbon fiber and mixed materials in the car’s development process. The i3 next generation is expected for 2022 or 2023.
Coming for 2021, BMW is supposed to debut another electric vehicle.In the meantime the project is internally known as the Project i20 or iNext, It is possible that the car will eventually use the i5 or i6 name. BMW’s project i20 will probably be built on a variation of aluminum-steel architecture. BMW also expects the project i20 to be fully autonomous.
Other companies are also aiming to have autonomous vehicles by 2020. Brands like Volvo, Nissan, Honda, General Motors and Toyota are already working on autonomous vehicles projects. Reportedly GM Canada has committed up to 1,000 engineers in projects involving autonomous vehicles.
BMW is also upgrading the i3’s battery for the 2017 model. The new battery will give the i3 a 40 percent better performance on a single update. The US Environmental Protection Agency certified that the i3 can go 114 miles on a single charge. The 2016 Version can run 81 miles on a single charge.
The German automaker confirmed that the new i3 price would rise $1.200 from the starting price, so it would mark a $43,395. Nonetheless, leasing prices for the i3 adjust to tight budgets with a $524 per month.
On July, the i3 sales in the U.S. grew by 58 percent compared to a year earlier. The automaker’s sale also increased by over 40 percent in the Netherlands and Scandinavia.
Source: Automobile Magazine