BMW i8 specs are out, demand is higher than initial planned production, and the price is still super high.
The highly anticipated 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is nearly here — production on the first units of the hybrid vehicle began recently, with the pace expected to soon begin gearing up rapidly in preparation for the June release date.
Perhaps of more interest to our readers, though, is the fact that BMW has also now released the final BMW i8 specs (for the version being sold on the European market).
Before getting into that, though, something to note — BMW has reported that demand for the i8 is already exceeding planned production volume during the ramp-up — just as the model’s predecessor the BMW i3 also did. A good sign. 🙂
And now, for the meat, Green Car Reports brings the details:
Mounted behind the driver and passenger is a 1.5-liter TwinPower turbocharged gasoline engine producing 231 horsepower. There’s also a 96 kilowatt, or 131-horsepower, 184 lb-ft hybrid synchronous electric motor, for a combined 362-horse, 420 lb-ft output.
With a 5.2 kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack, BMW claims a 23-mile all-electric range on the European test cycle, with a zero-emission top speed of 75 mph. Beyond that the gasoline engine can take over boosting the top-end to a limited 155 mph. On the way, the i8 will have dispatched the 0-62 mph sprint in 4.4 seconds, with strong mid-range acceleration–50 to 75 mph takes 2.6 seconds.
Other figures in the i8’s armory are also low–the coupe’s drag coefficient is 0.26, while carbon-fiber reinforced plastic construction keeps curb weight down to 3,273 pounds. For reference, that’s lighter than a Nissan Leaf.
When you take all of this together, what you end up with is a lightweight and aerodynamic PHEV that does 112 mpg (combined fuel economy figure).
As Green Car Reports notes, these are the European figures — “the i8’s eventual EPA numbers will differ from these figures, thanks to differences in EPA and European testing procedures. Electric range too will be lower on the EPA cycle than it is in European testing.”
As stated up above, the first models are set to be delivered in Europe beginning in June, with deliveries in the US market beginning shortly after that.
One final note — and somehow that had somehow slipped past my awareness until now — the i8 will be the first production car available in the world to feature laser headlights. 🙂 That alone could probably sell a high-end vehicle!
The Leaf’s battery is four times larger than the i-8. There is weight there, minus the complexity of hybrid. The Tesla “S” is 4800 lbs , all electric (0 maintenance) with a battery 16 times larger. That extra weight is as low as it can go, being in the floor, which is a real plus in handling!.