Unplugged: BMW i3, i8 Electric Cars Make Shocking Debut

This week, BMW pulled the electric blanket off the first two cars in its new “i” range of environmentially friendly vehicles: the BMW i3 Concept and the BMW i8 Concept. The German automaker, with its ActiveE, Megacity, and BMW i programs, joins Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Ford as one of the latest automakers to plug into the electric power train.

The BMW i3 Concept is a four-passenger hatchback. Aimed at city dwellers, BMW says the BMW i3 Concept can travel up to 93 miles between charges and move from zero to 60 mph in eight seconds. That’s not bad for an electric car, but it’ll still require some thought and planning to pass that BMW M3 on the Autobahn. BMW says judicious use of materials like carbon fiber keeps the i3 Concept’s weight down, contributing to handling which BMW says will live up to its Ultimate Driving Machine slogan. The automaker also says the BMW i3 Concept’s high-speed charger can refresh the EV’s battery up to 80 percent within an hour.

The BMW i8 Concept sedan is the sports car of the pair and can bolt from zero to 60 in less than five seconds, and will continue accelerating all the way to its 155 mph electronically limited top speed. A plug-in hybrid, the BMW i8 Concept can travel up to 15 miles on electric power alone before the gas engine kicks in. According to BMW, the i8 Concept’s three-liter engine has a fuel efficiency of a staggering 78 mpg.

Production versions of the BMW i3 Concept goes on sale in 2013 while the BMW i8 Concept hits dealerships in 2014. BMW has not said when the pair will arrive in the U.S.

Our take? We find BMW’s numbers competitive, though Nissan and Mitsubishi EVs are still the segment’s leaders. BMW needs to up its game since the production i3 EV doesn’t hit dealerships until 2013, giving the Japanese automakers — and possibly even Ford with its Focus EV — at least a year to improve on their current vehicles.

What do you think of the BMW i concepts? Would you purchase the production versions? Let us know in the comments below.

Source: BMW