The BMW i8 Coupe has a combined fuel economy rating of 149.8 mpg and CO2 emissions of 42 g/km. The official range of the electric vehicle is 34 miles, which represents an increase of 50% over the previous generation. These numbers are from the updated WLTP test, however they have also been connected to the NEDC “equivalent.”
The official combined fuel economy for PHEVs in NEDC testing and the new WLTP cycle, as regular readers of Green Car Guide reviews are aware, is meaningless because real-world economy will fully depend on how far you drive and what percentage of your journey is done on electric power.
We averaged 44.0 mpg on the 350-mile trip from Manchester to Birmingham to Bedford and back in the real-world test described above. That’s a commendable outcome for a vehicle like the i8 that is enjoyable to drive. We got 51.5 mpg on average overall. Of course, getting the official 150 mpg rating could be simple if you only drive locally and with electric power.
In eDrive mode, you can travel up to 75 mph on electric power. When the gasoline tank and batteries were both full, the i8 showed a range of 380 to 500 miles.
The i8 has to be plugged in to charge, just like any other plug-in vehicle. It is advised to use a home charger, while you may also use quick and rapid public chargers all throughout the UK.
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What do you think about having an i8 but not being able to charge it? Even though I live in an apartment building, I am aware that the automobile can recharge itself when in sport mode.
You could have to sacrifice some performance and efficiency because the tiny 1.5-liter gasoline engine would have to put in all the effort to charge the HV battery so it could power the front electric motor. There is a little less power to drive the back wheels since you have to run the generator that charges the HV battery. Since the energy needed to power the vehicle must come from somewhere, something would have to give. As a result, maybe you’d only get a heavy mini’s performance. The electric motor may supplement the gasoline engine or provide some kilometers of all-electric drive with a fully charged HV battery, which is primarily what makes the i8 so efficient. It only requires approximately 3–4 hours to fully charge the device’s relatively modest battery, so could you not charge it at work in a neighboring parking lot?
Makes absolutely no logic yet works well. PHEVs can only reach the mentioned consumption rates with daily charging and daily driving distances of up to 100 km. The i8 is a gem of efficiency. There are far better value options for a powerful sports car. Parking is not possible when using an outlet.
Because of this, PHEVs have a terrible image. This demonstrates that those who advocate for treating individuals like ICEs and measuring their consumption using empty batteries are correct. So I only ever advise purchasing a PHEV if daily charging is planned.
However, as was already said, there is absolutely no problem with never charging the car. You would also need fairly full batteries for constant boosting if Sports Mode were engaged while driving normally under low load.
Features Unique to Charging Your BMW i8:
The sporting model of the BMW I plug-in hybrid lineup, the BMW i8, genuinely distinguishes out thanks to its cutting-edge styling. With a 7.1 kWh capacity, the battery charges completely in just 2 hours when using a wallbox with a 3.7 kW charging output. You can anticipate a driving range of up to 37 km in electric mode after the battery is charged. A type 2 plug is present on the BMW i8. Using the corresponding charging cable, you can use the wallbox or a domestic outlet to power your BMW i8. However, because charging your automobile from a home connection will put the maximum demand on the socket for about 2:30 hours, we do not recommend doing so on a frequent basis for safety concerns. On the other hand, a 3.7 kW wallbox can charge your car securely and nearly twice as rapidly.
How frequently should my electric BMW be charged? Do I have to charge it to 100% all the time, or can I charge it halfway?
The process of charging your electric BMW before a day of use is similar to that of your cell phone.
How much charging you’ll need depends depend on how many miles you drive each day. Unless you must rely on your car’s whole driving range, there is no need to charge the battery to 100% every night. You should have adequate driving miles if you keep your battery capacity between 20% and 80%.
Keep your electric BMW’s battery between 20% and 80% charged whenever you aren’t using it for a week or more.
Remember that the frequency and duration of charging your electric BMW will vary depending on your daily driving requirements and the type of home charging option you have. Whether you decide to fully charge your electric BMW every night may also depend on whether you have easy access to office charging.
Does the BMW i8 allow for in-car charging?
Although you can plug in the i8 to fully charge the battery, if you drive in EV mode and completely drain the battery, you can recharge it while you’re on the road. This is especially noticeable in Sport mode.
Can the BMW i8 be charged at a Tesla station?
Yes, you may use a Tesla charging station to recharge your BMW electric vehicle. It can have some restrictions, though, and you might need to purchase other components like an adaptor. BMW electric cars and other non-Tesla vehicles may use any of the numerous Tesla charging stations located throughout the US thanks to a few available Tesla adapters.
I’m Scott, a huge fan of BMWs and a long-time owner of these incredible vehicles. I’m here to chronicle my encounters with BMWs over the years and, hopefully, to be of use to others.
Does the BMW i8 have a battery?
People will stop wherever you go in the i8 to take pictures of it with their iPhones and, if they have the chance, to talk to you. Despite the wide disparity in understanding of the vehicle, everyone agrees that the i8 looks stunning when parked by the side of the road. Since the i8 has a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.26, it is obvious that aerodynamics plays a major role in its design. When the gullwing-style doors are opened, the striking appearance causes an even sharper intake of breath.
Once inside, which necessitates some agility due to the relatively small and oddly formed entrance aperture, the interior also exhibits a significant amount of design flare, with numerous curved, layered surfaces. Everything is still where you want it and has the same superior ergonomic design as any other BMW cabin. We haven’t yet discovered a better in-car infotainment control system than BMW’s iDrive controller, but the head-up display is excellent. Importantly, the basic driving posture, like almost all other BMWs, is ideal and offers a wide range of modification.
Surprisingly, there is a good deal of storage space between the seats, in addition to the roomy center tube where the batteries are located. The “2+2” back seats, however, are cramped, and the boot is also quite small.
Things are equally inventive underneath the surface. The i8 is essentially a mid-engined vehicle thanks to its 3-cylinder, 1.5-liter turbocharged petrol engine, which is located between the rear seats and the rear wheels. The 6-speed automatic transmission used to drive the rear wheels of this power unit, which is based on the engine used in the new MINI Cooper, is lighter than the 8-speed automatic transmission often found in modern BMWs.
However, there is also a 96kw electric motor under the hood that is driven by a lithium-ion battery that runs up the middle of the vehicle. The front wheels are propelled by this electric drivetrain.
The i8 can be powered only by electricity, by gasoline, or by a combination of the two. The car has front-wheel drive if it is only powered by electricity. It has rear-wheel drive if only powered by gasoline. When used gradually, the i8 is all-wheel drive when using gasoline and electricity as power sources.
BMW has made significant efforts, like with the i3, to make the i8 as light as possible. The chassis is made of aluminum, while the passenger structure is made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The i8 only weights 1490kg despite having 100kg of batteries. Even with all of this complicated packing, BMW was still able to maintain its distinctive 50:50 weight distribution and low center of gravity.
How is a BMW i8 refueled?
The BMW i8 Hybrid is an amazing car. Few modern cars can match its exotic styling, and even fewer can claim to offer the same level of comfort for the driver and passengers. The BMW i8 leads the pack in several of these categories, but it is not without its flaws. The sticky gasoline door that can leave you trapped at the pump is one particular oddity that aggravates both vehicle owners and renters.
In an effort to create “The Ultimate Driving Machine,” BMW compressed the i8 hybrid’s whole fuel system. “Preparing To Refuel” will be shown on the dashboard when you press the fuel door release button on the driver’s door. Rarely, the door won’t open and the notification will remain on the dash. Follow these easy methods to swiftly open the fuel door if this ever occurs to you.
- On the driver’s side door, push the button to open the fuel door.
- Look at the dashboard to see the message “Preparing To Refuel.” There will probably be a percentage with this message.
- If this process doesn’t finish on its own after 30 seconds, wait some more.
- The car’s trunk should be opened. There is a trunk release on the driver’s side door as well.
- the vehicle’s passengers side access panel should be removed.
- Release the green tab.
- To release the gasoline tank door, press it.
Can the BMW i8 be fuel-powered?
BMW created the plug-in hybrid sports automobile known as the BMW i8. The i8 was marketed under the BMW I subbrand and was a member of BMW’s electrified lineup. The BMW i8 production model debuted at the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show and went on sale in Germany in June 2014. In August 2014, deliveries to retail consumers in the US started. In May 2018, a roadster variation was released. June 2020 marked the end of production.
The 2015 BMW i8 featured an electronically regulated peak speed of 250 km/h and could accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds (155 mph). A 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack allowed the 2015 model year i8 to have an all-electric range of 37 kilometers (23 miles) on the New European Driving Cycle. The range in EV mode was 24 km when tested using the U.S. EPA cycle (15 mi). In 2018, BMW upped the battery capacity of the i8 Roadster and Coupe to 11.6 kWh, extending the NEDC electric range to 55 km (34 mi) for the coupe and 53 km (33 mi) for the roadster.
Under the NEDC test, the BMW i8 coupe’s fuel economy was 2.1 L/100 km (134.5 mpg-imp; 112.0 mpg-US), with carbon emissions of 49 g/km. The i8’s combined fuel efficiency was assessed by the EPA at 76 MPGe (3.1 L gasoline-equivalent/100 km; 91 mpg-imp gasoline-equivalent) and 29 miles per gallon (6.7 L/100 km) while it was operating in pure gasoline mode.
The BMW i8 became the most popular plug-in electric sports car in the world by March 2020, with global sales of all variants topping 20,000 units, outpacing the combined sales of all rivals in its sector.