In November 2008, I sat with a group of journalists on a hotel terrace in Beverly Hills to learn about BMW’s Project i which had the aim of a building a 21st century megacity car. In the middle of the terrace sat a fairly conventional-looking grey MINI hatchback that frankly didn’t look all that advanced. However, the lessons learned from that car and the other 500 examples just like it, led directly to the BMW’s first true, next-generation automobile, the i3.
BMW launched Project i in mid-2007 and quickly came to the realization that a car designed to deal with the problems of congestion and air quality in rapidly growing megacities would need electric propulsion. Unfortunately, BMW didn’t have much real world experience with plug-in vehicles but wanted to learn quickly. The German engineers realized they needed help so they called up Tom Gage at a little California company called AC Propulsion.
While Gage and his team offered some aftermarket EV conversions, they were best known among electric fans for the T-Zero, a prototype two-seat roadster with a gigantic battery pack filled with thousands of off-the-shelf lithium ion cells of the type used in laptop computers. If that concept sounds familiar, it should. Gage’s refusal to put the T-Zero into production prompted a Silicon Valley entrepreneur named Martin Eberhard to start a little car company with his friend Marc Tarpenning. With financial backing from a guy named Elon Musk, Tesla Motors was born. Early on, Tesla replicated the T-Zero concept for the Roadster and even licensed a lot of ACP’s patents.
But let’s get back to BMW. The Germans contracted ACP to produce battery packs, power electronics and motors to convert about 500 MINIs into EVs. Those cars were leased out to customers in California, New York and Europe for the next two years while BMW gathered data on they were used. In 2011, BMW rolled out phase two, the ActiveE, an electric conversion of the 1 series coupe and repeated the process. This time, BMW used a bespoke electric storage and propulsion system.
The original MINI E prototype at its unveiling in December 2008
Throughout this data collection process, BMW was actively working on what would be its first purpose-built battery electric car, the i3 along with the plug-in hybrid i8 sportscar. The i3 turned into something far more bespoke and different from traditional BMWs in far more ways than the powertrain. In partnership with Moses Lake, Washington-based SGL Group, BMW developed some new techniques for fabricating carbon fiber automotive structures at a significantly lower cost than ever before. The i3 is the first high-volume vehicle with a carbon fiber structure and it has a starting price well below $50,000.
The inherent advantage of carbon fiber is its combination of high strength and low weight compared to metal structures. The Nissan Leaf weighs in at just over 3,300 pounds while a Ford Focus Electric is more than 3,600 pounds. By comparison, the base electric i3 weighs about 2,800 with the range extender option bumping that up by about 200 pounds. That’s still 300 pounds less than the Leaf. In keeping with the target of creating a new urban mobility vehicle, BMW has reduced the footprint of the i3, making it 18 inches shorter than the Leaf, enabling more i3s to fit on the same amount of roadway. Unlike the MINI E which sacrificed its already tiny back seat to the battery pack, the i3 battery is located under the floor, leaving room for a second row of seats.
In keeping with the lightweight philosophy, the i3 features slimline seats devoid of power adjustments. The front seats offer plenty of space and the minimalist design philosophy gives the car a very roomy feel. The thrones are comfortable although they don’t have as much lateral support as you’d find in traditional Bimmers. The back seats offer more than adequate head and shoulder room but legroom is a bit on the tight side compared to the Leaf. It’s still adequate for kids and even adults for crosstown trips. Access to the back seat is easy thanks to the absence of the B-pillar (enabled by the carbon fiber structure) and rear hinged half doors. Probably the biggest issue with the rear seats is the fixed windows in the back doors which my dog did not appreciate.
Compare the EPA efficiency estimates of the i3 and other EVs
From the outside, aside from the twin-kidney “grille,” the i3 is quite unlike any other BMW. It doesn’t look in any way sporting with its short and tall profile, but then again, this is the Megacity vehicle for which it is well suited. The lightweight and composite construction means that opening and closing the doors has a very different feel from other high-end German cars. It has none of that bank vault solidity you would normally expect. In fact it almost feels cheap, an impression that disappears as soon as you move, but I’ll come back to that in a moment.
Another unique visual aspect is the wheels and tires. Crafted specifically for this car, the standard alloy wheels are 19-inches in diameter but the tires are a mere 155-mm wide at the front and 175-mm wide at the rear axle. The combination of large diameter and narrow width provides a contact patch similar to other tires, while reducing the rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag. We’ll probably be seeing much more of this in the future.
Back in the cabin, BMW is relying on electronics for controls with a slim row of buttons across the center of the dash and the iDrive controller between the seats for primary controls. A 10.2 inch display is suspended in the center of the dashboard while a smaller display sits right in front of the charger with speed, signals, warning lamps and range information. While visibility of the limited instrumentation is good, the A-pillars are surprisingly thick. However, because the windshield and pillars are so far out in front of the driver and the seating position is fairly high, overall visibility is still quite good.
In place of a traditional shifter, BMW has implemented a multi-functional controller directly behind the steering wheel. A button faces the driver for stop/start, a twist of a knob toggles between drive, neutral and reverse while another button the top engages park. In all, it’s not the most natural or ergonomic setup since you have to reach around the wheel to start and stop.
Underway, BMW has made some interesting dynamic choices. When I first drove the MINI E back in 2008, I was surprised that they had calibrated in a significant amount of regenerative braking when you release the accelerator pedal. Whereas most other EVs behave like traditional cars with a small amount of deceleration that simulates engine braking (about 0.05gs), releasing the i3 pedal will bring on about 0.5g of deceleration and even bring the car to a full stop. For comparison most braking in normal driving is only about 0.2-0.3g deceleration. I drove the i3 from my office near Ann Arbor to a meeting in Warren, Michigan and probably touched the brake pedal less than 10 times in a 90 mile round trip. The result is a surprisingly pleasant once you become accustomed to it.
Compared to the supple ride provided by many other contemporary cars, the i3 feels considerably stiffer. It’s not uncomfortable, but you definitely feel a lot more road texture than you do in the Volkswagen e-Golf or a Ford Fusion. Despite it’s narrow tires, the i3 seems to have adequate grip and well controlled body roll relative to its height. Fortunately a large proportion of the mass is below the floor, helping to keep things under control.
The i3 I drove had the optional range extender which consists of a 650-cc BMW boxer motorcycle engine with a generator to keep you going for an extra 70 miles or so after the battery runs out. Unlike the Chevrolet Volt which is designed to provide full performance under all conditions, the i3 Rex limits you to about 55 mph in extended mode. If you frequently drive to locations where chargers might not be available, the Rex can be a reasonable option to keep you from getting stranded but its not something that will take you on a cross-country road trip.
Soaking in some electrons at 6.6 kW from a Chargepoint charger at the Meijer’s in Warren, Mich.
In battery mode, keeping a reasonable amount of pressure on the right pedal will yield close to 90 miles on a charge without trying too hard. Avoiding freeways and staying at 55 mph and below can easily push the range toward 100 miles and beyond. The i3 without the range extender is equipped with a heat pump that extracts thermal energy from the ambient air and reduces the workload on the electric resistance heater when cabin heating is needed. Unfortunately, adding the two-cylinder engine and generator doesn’t leave enough room for the heat pump so using the heat aggressively on cold days can cut range almost in half.
Using the air conditioning system at its maximum cooling capability will cut the range by about 25% but if you can live without frosting up the interior, the impact will be considerably less. Fortunately driving at night won’t be as much of a drain as some earlier EVs thanks to the use of LED lighting at each end of the i3. BMW also includes support for 400-volt DC fast charging using the SAE combo connector, however there aren’t publicly accessible stations of this type in southeast Michigan so I couldn’t try it out.
At a starting MSRP of $42,400 for the non-Rex version, the i3 is not the cheapest BEV available right now, but it offers some features and capabilities not found elsewhere and it certainly has a unique look to it. As tested with the optional 20-inch wheels, leather trim, parking assist DC fast charging and a few other extra cost bits, the i3 Rex came out to $52,500 delivered. It’s a lot cheaper than a Model S and worth a look if an 80-90 mile BEV fits your lifestyle and you want something that shows off your green credentials.
Click here for BMW i3 specifications
