New York July 30, 2013: The BMW Group debuted in the series version of its innovative electric vehicle, the BMW i3, simultaneously in New York, London and Beijing on Monday. “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 Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Norbert Reithofer, at the world premiere in New York on Monday.
The BMW i3 – the BMW Group’s first pure electric series-produced model – has the same sporting genes as every BMW and is characterised by sheer driving pleasure. Sustainability is a priority throughout the entire BMW i3 value chain: “The BMW i3 sets a new benchmark for sustainable mobility in all stages of development and production, as well as aftersales,” said Friedrich Eichiner, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Finance, at the unveiling of the BMW i3 in Beijing.
Range of 130 to 160 kilometres generally quite sufficient
The vehicle achieves a range of 130 to 160 kilometres. The BMW Group’s experience with test fleets of MINI E and BMW ActiveE cars has shown that a range of 130 to
160 km is quite sufficient for the vast majority of drivers. The average distance driven daily worldwide is no more than 64 km.
If desired, the BMW i3 is also available with a range-extender, which maintains the charge of the lithium-ion battery at a constant level enroute, as soon as it falls below a specified value. This is performed by a two-cylinder gasoline engine with 34 hp
(25 kW), 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 kilometres.
Low running costs and strong global interest
The BMW i3 will be released in Germany and other European markets in November 2013. The market launch of the BMW i3 in USA, China, Japan and several other markets will take place in the first half of 2014. The base price for the BMW i3 has been set at 34,950 Euros in Germany. If customers opt to purchase the Range Extender as an extra, the price in Germany will amount to 39,450 Euros.
The vehicle’s running costs are comparatively low: Over a period of three years, the maintenance and running costs for a BMW i3 are about 40% lower than those of a highly-economical 320dA registered in Germany. In other countries, figures may even be lower, depending on the level of subsidies available for electric vehicles.
Public interest in the BMW i3 and BMW i overall is extremely high and the response has been very positive: BMW i already has more than 1.2 million fans worldwide on Facebook, and more than 90,000 people have already requested a test-drive with the BMW i3.
