Experience Driving a BMW i8. With no emissions from the tailpipe, the BMW i8 has a range of up to 34 miles when driven around town in electric only mode. To prevent the i8 from starting its gasoline engine, press the EV button.
In This Article...
BMW i8
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.
EV Performance, Power, and Motor
The i8 from BMW has just one available powerplant. A 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged gas engine is coupled with an 11.6-kWh battery and two electric motors in this vehicle. With their combined 369 horsepower, the trio of engines can move all four wheels. But it’s not the quickest supercar around: In 4.1 seconds, the 2019 i8 roadster we tested could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. The same mild steering we’ve questioned in many recent BMWs is present in the i8. More feedback is preferred, especially in a vehicle designed with sporting purposes. Surprisingly, the ride is smooth, and road imperfections are felt but never sharply.
MSRP starting at $147,500 *
You belong to a distinct cat breed. Hard-working. unconventional thinking Some people could even describe you as revolutionary or rebellious. Your spirit animal in the guise of a luxurious hybrid sports automobile may be the 2021 BMW i8. It’s a forward-thinking, unorthodox Coupe and Roadster. Sports hybrid vehicles are no longer so unique. But this one is special because it was designed specifically to harness amazing hybrid power and was expertly made to provide a driving experience unlike any other. With plenty of visual sex appeal due to its hardtop coupe or convertible roadster’s opening dihedral doors. Additionally, it has a powerful plug-in powertrain that is quicker than weaker hybrids. All of these factors combined to provide a comfortable, interesting, and user-friendly driving experience. The 2021 i8 offers brilliance for your daily life or that once-in-a-lifetime cross-country road trip, starting at $147,500. You can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and top out at 155 mph. Choose a convertible if you like to drive with the top down. It has just one motor and comes standard with all-wheel drive. Every model comes standard with heated front seats, a head-up display, a Harman/Kardon audio system, and Apple CarPlay compatibility. That certainly qualifies as a non-standard list of standards. The Tera World option, which adds ceramic controls, black brake calipers, blue seatbelts, and a special brown interior, may be just what your rebel needs to turn the heat up even higher. We know you don’t do things halfway or conventionally.
Call our sales staff at 760-469-4242 if you are looking for a new BMW i8 Model in Palm Springs, California, want to lease one, or have questions regarding price. Alternatively, if you’re ready for a test drive, stop by our BMW Dealership. In addition, we have customers from cities like Ontario, Riverside, and Murrieta, California. No matter where you’re from, BMW of Palm Springs will make you feel at home.
A BMW i8 is entirely electric.
The 2021 i8 has a single powertrain that combines a 1.5-liter three-cylinder gas engine that has been turbocharged with an 11.6-kWh battery and two electric motors. The three engines work together to provide 369 horsepower, which can drive all four wheels.
Is the BMW i8 a hybrid or all-electric car?
Let’s start with the design, which hasn’t altered but probably didn’t need to because the i8 is still startlingly stunning when it’s stopped and even more impressive when the dihedral doors are opened upward.
Although the i8 blends this interior design with the typical levels of BMW functionality, the cabin also offers a sense of the future. It even includes two tiny rear seats for kids since it is a 2+2. In addition, there is a luggage compartment located behind the engine, however it is somewhat small due to the storage of two charging wires.
The outside is stunning, and the interior is also really remarkable. However, the really intriguing technology is hidden behind the skin.
A plug-in hybrid is the i8. This implies that it has a gasoline engine that is linked to a six-speed Steptronic transmission and an electric motor that is driven by a lithium-ion battery and has a two-speed automatic gearbox. The lithium-ion battery’s energy capacity has increased from 20Ah to 34Ah in the most recent model of the i8, and the electric motor’s maximum power has improved by 12hp to 143hp.
You could assume that the ‘traditional portion’ of the i8’s powertrain is similar to a BMW 6-cylinder, 3-liter gasoline engine based on the vehicle’s appearance. But instead, a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder petrol engine that came from a MINI is sat behind the passengers. a supercar powered by a 1.5-liter, 3-cylinder gasoline engine? Really? But keep in mind that the 231 horsepower of the gasoline engine is complemented by a 143 horsepower electric motor, giving the system a total power output of 374 horsepower. Now that you mention it, it makes more sense. It’s also important to note that the gasoline engine now has a particle filter.
The i8’s ability to transfer its power to the road is another concern. The front wheels receive power from the electric motor while the rear wheels receive it from the mid-mounted gasoline engine. All-wheel drive is created when these two propulsion methods are combined.
The i8 features two powertrains but only 1,535 kg of total weight thanks to its carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell.
Why did BMW discontinue the i8?
On Thursday, the final i8 to be produced rolled out of the Leipzig BMW facility. Actually, the PHEV’s manufacturing was scheduled to stop in the middle of April. However, because of the factory’s closure due to the coronavirus outbreak, manufacturing was delayed until June.
Since manufacturing on the i8 began six years ago, exactly 20,448 vehicles have been sent from the factory. According to a press release from BMW, the final vehicle was an i8 Roadster in “Portimao Blue” and it was sold to a buyer in Germany.
The i8 was the first plug-in hybrid vehicle in the whole BMW Group when it made its debut in 2014. The hybrid sports car was never successful outside of its specialized market due to its intricate carbon body and six-figure base price. The i8 “embodies the departure into electric mobility like no other car,” according to Hans-Peter Kemser, head of the BMW plant in Leipzig. The model served as the inspiration for the current variety of plug-in hybrid vehicles.
Currently, one shift of production for the Leipzig-based BMW i3 produces 116 units per day. Hans-Peter Kemser, the plant manager, claims that if demand for e-cars in Germany increases, production of the i3 might be expanded to two shifts and thus boosted to 250 units per day.
There won’t be a straight replacement for the i8. In the interim, there have been rumors that the 2019 Vision M Next concept car may be produced in large quantities. The BMW board of directors reportedly decided against the 441 kW sports car, also against the backdrop of the Corona crisis, primarily due to “costs and the volume,” according to media reports. However, the hybrid sports car (this time with a four-cylinder petrol engine instead of the three-cylinder in the i8) did not get beyond the planning stage.
The 2020 i8 is it entirely electric?
The i8 Coupe (and the newer Roadster) are finishing their product life cycles with the 2020 model year, six years after its market debut. Both all-wheel-drive variants are propelled by a hybrid 1.5-liter three-cylinder gas engine with 228 horsepower and a hybrid synchronous electric motor from BMW. While the electric motor drives the front wheels with a two-speed automatic gearbox, the power from the engine is sent to the rear wheels via a six-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. In the end, a hybrid-specific AWD system is produced. In comparison to the i8 Roadster, the i8 Coupe can reach 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds. The top speed of both variants is 250 km/h. For the i8 Coupe and i8 Roadster, the electric range is 55 km and 53 km, respectively. The aerodynamically enhanced bodywork of the two-seat Roadster has model-specific gullwing doors and a soft-top roof. The open sky or an all-season fabric soft top with enhanced soundproofing are both options for passengers inside. While the car is moving at up to 50 km/h, the electrically controlled convertible top opens and closes in less than 16 seconds.
In a BMW i8, how many batteries are there?
The 2015 BMW i8 plug-in hybrid sports vehicle has finally been driven by us, and we were really impressed. But one thing stood out: the size of the automobile. The i8’s footprint is not an accident, it turns out. The BMW i8’s battery pack, which is roughly the size and form of a grandfather clock turned upside down, is literally designed around it. BMW builds 96 prismatic lithium-ion battery cells from Samsung into a 57.5 x 14.4 x 13.0-inch die-cast aluminum box to give the i8 its intended 22-mile electric driving range.
Although the battery pack has a 7.1 kWh total energy capacity, normal consumption is only allowed to reach 5.2 kWh in order to maintain a reasonable service life. The 216-pound pack, together with its aluminum box, runs longitudinally down the middle of the car to protect it from crash damage and make it easily accessible for maintenance. It had to be quite long in order to deliver the needed energy capacity and preserve enough room for people because it could only be so wide and tall without overwhelming the interior.
The 110.2-inch wheelbase produced by adding a motor (one gas, one electric) to either end of the box is only somewhat shorter than that of the BMW 4-series coupe. The i8 is lanky for a sports car because to the distance between its axles; hence, calling it a “2+2” and adding two back seats helps to rationalize its excessive size.
The battery box has no significant structural purpose; if it were tightly fastened to the surrounding construction, it would be difficult to remove for maintenance. As a result, the molded carbon fiber central body must have high, thick sills and structural reinforcements made of formed aluminum throughout to give the necessary bending and torsional strength. The total width is 76.5 inches, which is more than five inches wider than the width of a Porsche 911. This is achieved by adding the 13.0-inch width of the battery box, enough room for two front passengers, and the girthy sills.
The stylishly low roof (the i8 is in the Corvette and 911 range in terms of total height) and the high sills limit the entry aperture’s vertical size, therefore the opening must be wide to allow access to the back seats. The only feasible way to open such a long door without utilizing extra-wide disabled parking spaces is to use unorthodox hinging, but a lengthy aperture necessitates uncomfortably long doors. Options like scissors and gullwing are awkward. The solution used by BMW, which hinges the doors off the sharply sloped A-pillars, is the best compromise.
However, when an i8 pulls up to a fancy bar and the drama doors swoosh open, locals anticipate seeing James Bond or Emma Stone emerge. That is the cost when cutting-edge technology and high fashion combine in the sports-car lane.
OpenWeb was used to import this content. At their website, you might be able to discover the same material in a different format or more details.