Change is scary, and it’s hard not to be sceptical over a car which runs on electrical charge, but you’d be pleasantly surprised by BMW’s own and very first innovative and sustainable design.
One of the most obvious things to notice when driving this car is its incredible smooth feel, its near-silent drive, all down to the electric motor replacement, and how fast this vehicle can actually move. It can reach 0 to 62mph in 7.2 seconds.
This vehicles acceleration is extremely sensitive, only a light press down on the pedal to see an immediate increase in speed. As soon as you lift your foot off the pedal the car slows down just as fast.
The i3 became available around November 2013 complete with brake energy regeneration, ECO PRO/ECO PRO+ mode, electric power steering, lightweight engineering and reduced rolling resistance tyres.
The passenger compartment is made out of high-strength and extremely light carbon fire reinforced plastic which is connected to the aluminium chassis via a state-of-the-art bonding process.
The electric motor with power electrons, lithium-ion battery and Intelligent Energy Management are combined in the Drive Module and embedded deep in the vehicle.
Charging the car is obviously a big issue but charging stations across the UK are becoming increasingly available and BMW also offer a home charging solution which includes the ergonomically designed BMW i Wallbox Pure, which can be installed at your home providing you have a private parking space.
The shape and appearance of this car is very different from any other BMW design but it is without a doubt a smart looking car and best suits its purpose for town and city driving.
The price of the car is steep but BMW promises the running costs for the new BMW i3 are considerably lower, as the 80 per cent to 90 per cent efficiency of electric vehicles is significantly higher than that of conventional vehicles.
In addition to the lower costs for electricity brake wear is reduced by Brake Energy Regeneration, resulting in lower maintenance costs.
It produces 0g of local CO2 emissions which is obviously a great thing, but teamed with the car being well-designed and offering a comfortable and fun drive it’s hard to find any kind of criticism other than the initial price.
