BMW i8 Concept - Official Photos and Info

It’s been nearly two years since BMW’s Vision Effective Dynamic Concept debuted at the 2009 Frankfurt show, and the car has now officially re-emerged one step closer to production as the BMW i8 concept. As you can see, little has changed in the styling department. In fact, other than a new wheel design, the only other notable change we’ve spotted concerns the doors, which seem to have claimed some territory along their bottoms and thereby reduced the size of the blue body-side accent. Interestingly, the car didn’t show that change when BMW paraded it around for spy photographers this past March, but we like it.

Passenger Compartment + Powertrain = LifeDrive

As with the i3 city car concept that debuted at the same time, the story of the i8 begins with its so-called LifeDrive architecture. BMW says that its experiences in creating the Mini E and 1-series-based BMW ActiveE showed that adapting cars engineered for internal-combustion power to electric propulsion results in a lot of excess weight and compromises in packaging. As a result, both the i8 and i3 are built using two purpose-built modules: one to house passengers, dubbed “Life,” and one for propulsion and suspension components, called “Drive.” Combine them, and you have a car—and marketing-friendly “LifeDrive” branding.

While the i3 and i8 share the LifeDrive architectural philosophy, the cars differ in execution. That’s because the i3 is fully electric, while this i8 is a plug-in hybrid. The i8’s powertrain is split between its two axles, with an electric motor and direct-drive transmission at the front axle and a gas engine and transaxle at the rear.

Interestingly, the battery packs in the i3 and i8 use different lithium-ion chemistries, as well as unique shapes. The large, square pancake battery of the i3 is designed for longer distance travel—in other words, it has a lot of energy—and is located below the passenger compartment. In contrast, the i8’s lithium-ion cells protrude into the coupe’s Life space, where, as in the Chevrolet Volt, the liquid-cooled and -heated battery stack fills a hump that could be mistaken for a transmission tunnel. The i8’s elongated pack is designed to deliver shots of power in short spurts; the final spec is yet to be decided, but it should have a capacity of around 8 kWh.

Arranging the pack this way allowed BMW’s engineers to achieve yet another claim of perfect 50/50 weight distribution, thereby preserving peace in the city of Munich. As in the i3, the i8’s Drive components are largely crafted of aluminum, while the Life module uses a carbon-fiber skeleton wrapped in thermoplastic exterior panels.

So much lightweight material allows the i8 to use a smaller, lighter battery than would be needed if the car were made of heavier steel. This frees up room in the cabin, and, more important, keeps the curb weight around a svelte 3300 pounds. The rigidity imparted by the carbon fiber also allows for long, dramatic doors that ease access to the two small rear seats.

While most other hybrids are based on existing front-drive vehicles, BMW had the luxury of starting from scratch. As with all 50/50-balanced cars, the majority of braking forces occur at the front axle. So, in the effort to recoup as much energy from regenerative braking, it makes sense for BMW to fit the electric half of the powertrain up front. The i8 uses a modified version of the i3's electric motor, with a peak output of 129 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. It’s fed juice, of course, by those lithium-ions, and takes about two hours to charge from a 240-volt trough. Battery topped off, the i8 will return 20 miles of all-electric driving.

Three’s Company: 220-Horse Three-Cylinder

The original Vision EfficientDynamics concept used a three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine, but the i8 makes use of a gas-fired turbo three-cylinder that may turn out to be the best part of the powertrain puzzle. It is a version of BMW’s new modular engine on which we first reported in April. It displaces just 1.5 liters, features direct injection, a turbocharger, variable camshaft timing, and variable intake-cam lift. It makes an astonishing 220 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque. Altogether, the hybrid powertrain makes 349 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. That puts this car in elite company within BMW. Think M company.

The i8 weighs slightly less than a 1-series M, and makes more power and torque. BMW says the i8 is governed to 155 mph and it will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than five seconds; think more like low fours with a quarter-mile time of less than 13 seconds. But where the 1M gets, at best, 26 mpg on the highway, BMW says the ocho should return real-world, combined fuel economy near 40 mpg. One area of concern for twisty-road seekers is its tires. They are narrow, of the low-rolling-resistance variety and will thus suffer in limit grip. We hope there’s an option box for summer tires.

Like the Porche 918 supercar, the i8’s engine and electric motor can each power the car on their own or they can work in tandem for better traction at launch or when powering out of a tight corner. Each axle also contributes regenerative electricity; the front houses the regenerative braking system, while the engine at the rear has a high-voltage alternator—it looks to be about half the size of the inline-three’s block—to recapture energy. No mention was made regarding what type of transmission will be paired with the gas engine, but Bimmer reps said it is an automatic and a familiar piece. Our hunch is that it could actually be an unfamiliar six- or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, although it might be the Mini Cooper’s six-speed slushbox tuned for efficient, low-rpm torque-convertor lockups.

A button-activated “Eco Pro” mode dulls throttle response and reduces the climate-control systems draw on the battery system. This improves fuel economy and has the potential to stretch the electric-only range a bit.

What i Looks Like

While not much has changed about the i8’s styling, a few themes have emerged now that it has a sibling in the i3. The laying of light-gray panels over a black and clear sub-layer is meant to reference the car’s Life and Drive components. Many of those clear layers, like the lower half of the swing-wing doors, will turn opaque when production time comes. Besides just looking flat-out futuristic, BMW i models will be marked by a BMW roundel with a blue ring around the outside, blue accents on the grilles and side sills, and the “stream flow” C-pillar treatment.

Inside, the i8 concept foregoes traditional gauges in exchange for a more future-tech 8.8-inch display screen for reporting road and engine speed, as well as battery and fuel levels. In Eco Pro mode, the digital gauges glow blue; in Sport mode—details of which were in short supply—they glow orange. A second screen tops the dash above the center stack to display navigation and infotainment functions, and the rest of the interior is clean, simple, and made largely of recycled or sustainable materials.

Yes, the i8 is technically a concept, although in typical BMW fashion, it’s pretty well fleshed out and likely very close to what you’ll see when the production car launches in 2014. While the diminutive i3 is certainly intended to capture the attention of the general public, the i8 appears to be an effort to draw a few enthusiasts under the BMW i umbrella as sustainability and efficiency become increasingly important. While it remains to be seen if the i8 will be satisfying to pilot, we applaud the idea, since there’s not much that we want to see more than a long future for driver’s cars.

BMW i3 Concept - Official Photos and Info

BMW has been hyping up its “Megacity Vehicle” for a couple of years now, and despite teasers about innovative tech features and full carbon-fiber body structures, we’ve withheld judgment, even when we spied one in the wild over winter. But as of now, the shroud of mystery has been lifted about all the details except how the thing actually drives. Like a BMW? Like nothing before it? Maybe both?

The i3’s story begins with its LifeDrive architecture. According to BMW, experience with the Mini Eand BMW ActiveE (the electric 1-series coupe) has proven that creating an electric car out of a structure designed to house an internal-combustion engine results in wasteful excess weight and imperfect packaging. As a result, the i3 (and the i8 Sports car that was also just unveiled) is made up of two separate modules, which BMW calls Drive and Life.

The Drive portion, made of extruded and cast aluminum pieces, carries all the driveline and chassis components. For an optimized center of gravity, the i3’s large and flat battery, roughly the size of the floor, sits low in this section. It’s encased in aluminum and has a capacity of roughly 21 kWh. Because the car is still a few years from production, the exact specs have yet to be nailed down.

Mod Squad

The Life module sits atop the Drive components chassis, and houses passengers and luggage. As BMW has already announced, this structure consists of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, or CFRP, a first for any vehicle this side of a few exotic supercars. While the aluminum Drive module weighs 30 percent less than a similar steel structure, the weight reduction in the CFRP Life module is closer to 50 percent. The carbon-fiber shell weighs just 265 pounds and is attached to the Drive module in five locations with glue and screws. As a whole, the i3 weighs in at 2800 pounds, according to BMW. When speaking about the safety of CFRP, the company points to Formula 1 cockpits as proof of security. While metals require large crumple zones, carbon can be designed with special deformation elements that result in large amounts of energy being consumed in a very small space. A further benefit of the LifeDrive architecture, in the i3’s case, is the deletion of a driveshaft tunnel, allowing more space to be dedicated to the cabin. BMW says each set of seats (front and rear) is connected so that every passenger can leave from one side in a tight parking space, but we think someone at the company just really digs bench seats. There’s seven cubic feet of space left over in the rear for luggage, as well as a small compartment up front where the gas engine would usually be for stowing a charging cord or other small items.

Back inside the Drive structure, the i3 uses a 168-hp electric motor that’s 40 percent more compact than that of a Mini E, allowing it to fit right above the rear axle. Power is delivered to the wheels via a direct-drive single-speed transaxle. Yes, one speed. That means the car will never shift on its way up to a computer-limited top speed of 93 mph, which BMW has determined to be the point at which the batteries begin to drain too quickly. The company says the i3 will run 0 to 62 mph in 7.9 seconds. In terms of passing power, accelerating from 50 to 75 mph should take just six seconds.

Peak torque is 184 lb-ft. Range is estimated at 80 to 100 miles, and a full charge from a 240-volt source will take about six hours. With a special high-speed charger, the i3 is said to be capable of reaching an 80-percent charge in just an hour, meaning medium-range drives can be done with just a long coffee break in the middle. But wait, there’s more, as the infomercial folks might say.

Keep Going and Going and Going

Feedback from Mini E drivers showed that 90 percent of them were content with a driving range of under 100 miles, but for the outlying minority, BMW has (somewhat surprisingly) decided to offer the i3 with an optional range extender BMW calls REx. The company is mum on official details for the time being, but we do know that it will be a two-cylinder displacing about 600 cc and based on an engine in the BMW family. Think a modified motorcycle engine optimized to run at fewer—and quieter—rpm in an effort to be as transparent as possible. The engine meets strict SULEV standards and features auto stop-start capabilities. While BMW claims the extender doubles the i3’s range to about 190 miles, thus eliminating range anxiety from the electric-car equation, it also eliminates some practicality as the engine, generator, and fuel tank reduce the seven-cubic-foot cargo space to something far less useful.

Another pricey option BMW divulged is a bit of Star Trek technology called inductive charging. Small electronics have been able to take advantage of this for a few years now , but charging an iPod is far different from charging an i3. Inductive charging uses magnetic fields to transmit electricity to the battery wirelessly, meaning that all a driver has to do is pull the i3 into a garage equipped with, say, a charger embedded in the floor, and the car will automatically start to charge. There’s no cord to connect. It will be expensive, but, as one engineer told us, has the potential for fewer losses than conductive charging. BMW promises a demonstration later this year, which we eagerly anticipate. (We saw the tech at work on a Tesla Roadster at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.)

Among the i3’s other energy-saving details are familiar concepts like the “air curtain” first seen on the updated 2011 1-series, which smoothes airflow around the front wheels, as well as narrow, drag-reducing tires. Like the accelerator in a Tesla Roadster, the i3’s go pedal is tuned so that the car will still coast if the driver lifts just slightly, while lifting entirely off the pedal will engage regenerative braking based on pedal position. BMW predicts that, in around-town driving, this will allow the brake pedal to go untouched 75 percent of the time.

Beyond that, a button-activated Eco Pro mode changes throttle response so that the same pedal travel delivers less power. In this mode, speed is capped anywhere between 56 and 74 mph, and climate-control output is reduced. However, because the batteries use the climate system to stay at an operating temperature of 68 degrees, the system always remains running to some extent. Eco Pro can extend range by as much as 20 percent. Truly distressed drivers will be able to fall back on Eco Pro +, a mode that shuts down daytime running lights and any other non-vital energy drains, limits climate control functions to a minimum, caps speed at 56 mph, and tells the driver to get bent when he dives into the accelerator. Oh brave new world, with such vehicles in it.

So This is What the Future Looks Like

Design-wise, you can judge for yourself whether the i3 is a hip little car, but it certainly looks future-intensive. The rear doors open up rearward (their operation likely will require the front doors to be opened first), and the layering of light-gray panels over a black and clear layer is meant to reference the car’s division of Life and Drive components. Both this i3 and the i8 get a BMW roundel with a blue ring around the outside and blue accents on the grilles and side sills. “Stream flow,” which describes the C-pillar’s exposed glass section defined by lines converging like air streaks in a wind tunnel, is the Hofmeister kink of BMW i. Our first look inside the cabin, it appears, will have to wait until later.

The i3 is still in its concept stage, so some minor details could still change before its launch in calendar year 2013. We expect it also will be some time before we know more about how much the thing will cost. But for now, we must say BMW has our attention