BMW i8 — BrandWiki

BMW i8

Overview

BMW i8 (I12/I15)

motor
manufacturer	BMW
production	April 2014 – June 2020 (20,465 units)
assembly	Germany: Saxony, Leipzig (BMW Group Plant Leipzig)
predecessor	BMW Vision EfficientDynamics (Concept) BMW ActiveE
successor	BMW 8 Series (G15) BMW M8
class	Sports car (S)
body style	2-door coupé 2-door roadster
layout	Transverse mid-engine, all-wheel-drive

The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW. The i8 was part of BMW's electrified fleet and was marketed under the BMW i sub-brand. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was released in Germany in June 2014. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. began in August 2014. A roadster variant was launched in May 2018. Production ended in June 2020.[7]

The 2015 BMW i8 accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds[8][9] and had an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.[1] The 2015 model year i8 had a 7.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivered an all-electric range of 37 km under the New European Driving Cycle. Under the U.S. EPA cycle, the range in EV mode was 15 mi. The battery capacity of both the BMW i8 Roadster and the i8 Coupe was increased to 11.6 kWh in 2018, allowing the NEDC electric range to rise to 55 km for the coupé and 53 km for the roadster.

engine	B38K15T0 1.5L turbocharged I3 engine gasoline

battery	7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery‡R1R‡ 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery for 2018–2020 model years

transmission	Aisin F21-360 FT EOP Transverse 6-Speed Automatic Transmission

drivetrain	Plug-in hybrid

wheelbase	2800 mm‡R2R‡

length	4689 mm‡R2R‡

width	1942 mm‡R2R‡

height	1298 mm‡R2R‡

weight	3394 lb‡R3R‡

range	500 km in Comfort mode (NEDC) 600 km in Eco Pro mode (NEDC) 330 mi (EPA)

electric range	37 km (NEDC)‡R1R‡ 15 mi (EPA) 53 – 55 km (NEDC) for 2018 – 2020 model years 18 mi (EPA) for 2019 – 2020 model years

related	BMW i3

designer	Vision EfficientDynamics‡R4R‡ Benoit Jacob (production i8)‡R5R‡ Richard Kim (2011 i8 Concept)‡R6R‡

doors	Butterfly doors

powerout	369 hp

model years	2014–2020

History

The second car introduced as the Concept Vision EfficientDynamics, the i8 was part of BMW's "Project i" and was marketed as a new brand, BMW i, sold separately from BMW or Mini. The BMW i3, launched for customers in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2013, was the first model of the i brand available in the market, and it was followed by the i8, released in Germany in June 2014 as a 2015 model year. Other i models were expected to follow.[10][11]

The initial turbodiesel concept car was unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany,[12] In 2010, BMW announced the mass production of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept in Leipzig beginning in 2013 as the BMW i8. The BMW i8 gasoline-powered concept car destined for production was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.[13] The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 International Motor Show Germany.[14] The following are the concept and pre-production models developed by BMW that preceded the production version. When BMW i sponsored the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, they announced that they would provide support vehicles; the i8 operated as the official safety car.

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics (2009)

The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics was a plug-in hybrid concept car with a 1.5L three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine.[12] Additionally, there were two electric motors with 139 hp. It allowed an acceleration to 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h.

According to BMW, the average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle (KV01) was 3.76 L/100km, with a carbon dioxide emission rating of 99 grams per kilometer (1,3 L/100 km and 33g /kabelham; EU-PHEV ECE-R101). The estimated all-electric range was 50 km, and the 24-liter petrol tank extended the total vehicle range to up to 700 km.[15] The lightweight chassis was made mainly from aluminum. The windshield, top, doors, and fenders were made from polycarbonate glass, with the body having a drag coefficient of 0.22.[16][17]

Production version

The production BMW i8 was designed by Benoit Jacob.[5] The production version was unveiled at the 2013 International Motor Show Germany,[40] followed by 2013 Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez.[41] Its design was heavily influenced by the BMW M1 Homage concept car, which in turn pays homage to BMW's last production mid-engined sports car prior to the i8: the BMW M1.[42][43]

The BMW i8 featured butterfly doors, head-up display, rear-view cameras and partially false engine noise.[44] Series production of customer vehicles began in April 2014.[1] The electric two-speed drivetrain was developed and produced by GKN.[45][46][47] It was the first production car with laser headlights, reaching farther than LED lights.[48]

The i8 had a vehicle weight of 1,485 kg (DIN kerb weight) and a low drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.26. In all-electric mode, the BMW i8 had a top speed of 120 km/h. In Sport mode, the i8 delivered a mid-range acceleration from 80 to 120 km/h in 2.6 seconds. The electronically controlled top speed was 250 kph.[1]

The 20,000th i8 was produced in December 2019, one of the limited Ultimate Sophisto Edition models. The last i8 rolled off the production line on 11 June 2020.[49] In total, there were 20,465 units produced: 16,581 coupés and 3,884 roadsters.[50]

Range and fuel economy

The production i8 had a 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a usable capacity of 5.2 kWh and intelligent energy management that delivered an all-electric range of 37 km under the NEDC cycle. Under the EPA cycle, the range in EV mode was 15 mi, and the total range was 330 mi.

The production version had a fuel efficiency of 2.1 L/100 km under the NEDC test with carbon emissions of 49 g/km.[1] Under EPA cycle, the i8 combined fuel economy in EV mode was rated 76 equivalent (MPG-equivalent) (3.1 L gasoline equivalent/100 km; 91 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent), with an energy consumption of 43 kW-hrs/100 mi and gasoline consumption of 0.1 gal-US/100 mi. The combined fuel economy when running only with gasoline (after the battery was drained empty) was 28 mpgUS for city driving, and 29 mpgUS on the highway.[51][52]

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2014 edition of the Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends introduced utility factors for plug-in hybrids to represent the percentage of miles that would be driven using electricity by an average driver, in electric only or blended modes.

BMW i8 coupe prototype (2013)

The design of the BMW i8 coupe prototype was based on the BMW i8 Concept. The BMW i8 prototype had an average fuel efficiency of less than 2.5 L/100 km under the New European Driving Cycle with carbon emissions of less than 59 g/km. The i8 with its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell lightweight, aerodynamically optimized body, and BMW eDrive technology offered the dynamic performance of a sports car, with an expected 0–100 km/h sprint time of less than 4.5 seconds using both power sources. The plug-in hybrid system of the BMW i8 comprised a three-cylinder, 1.5-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine combined with BMW eDrive technology used in the BMW i3 and developed maximum power of 170 kW. The BMW i8 was the first BMW production model to be powered by a three-cylinder gasoline engine and the resulting specific output of 115 kW per liter of displacement was on par with high-performance sports car engines and was the highest of any engine produced by the BMW Group. The BMW i8's second power source was a hybrid synchronous electric motor specially developed and produced by the BMW Group for BMW i. The electric motor developed maximum power of 131 hp and produced its maximum torque of around 320 Nm from a standstill. Typical of an electric motor, responsive power was instantly available when starting and this continued into the higher load ranges. As well as providing a power boost to assist the gasoline engine during acceleration, the electric motor could also power the vehicle by itself. Top speed in electric mode was approximately 120 km/h, with a maximum driving range of up to 35 km. Linear acceleration was maintained even at higher speeds since the interplay between the two power sources efficiently absorbed any power flow interruptions when shifting gears. The model-specific version of the high-voltage 7.2 lithium-ion battery had a liquid cooling system and could be recharged at a conventional household power socket, at a BMW I Wallbox, or at a public charging station. In the US, a full recharge took approximately 3.5 hours from a conventional 120 V, 12 amp household circuit or approximately 1.5 hours from a 240 V Level 2 charger.[37]

The driver could select several driving modes: SPORT, COMFORT, and ECO PRO. Using the gear selector, the driver could either select position D for automated gear selection or could switch to SPORT mode. SPORT mode offered manual gear selection and at the same time switched to sporty drive and suspension settings. In SPORT mode, the engine and electric motor delivered extra performance, accelerator response was faster, and the power boost from the electric motor was maximized. And to keep the battery topped up, SPORT mode also activated maximum energy recuperation during overrun and braking as the electric motor's generator function, which recharged the battery using kinetic energy, switched to a more powerful setting. The Driving Experience Control switch on the center console offered a choice of two settings. On starting, COMFORT mode was activated, which offered a balance between performance and fuel efficiency, with unrestricted access to all convenience functions. Alternatively, the ECO PRO mode could be engaged, which, on the BMW i8 as on other models, supported an efficiency-optimized driving style. In this mode, the powertrain controller coordinated the cooperation between the gasoline engine and the electric motor for maximum fuel economy. On deceleration, the intelligent energy management system automatically decided, in line with the driving situation and vehicle status, whether to recuperate braking energy or to coast with the powertrain disengaged. At the same time, ECO PRO mode also programmed electrical convenience functions such as the air conditioning, seat heating, and heated mirrors to operate at minimum power consumption, but without compromising safety. The maximum driving range of the BMW i8 on a full fuel tank and with a fully charged battery was more than 500 km in COMFORT mode, which could be increased by up to 20% in ECO PRO mode. The BMW i8's ECO PRO mode could also be used during all-electric operation. The vehicle was then powered solely by the electric motor. Only if the battery charge dropped below a given level, or under sudden intense throttle application such as kick down, was the internal combustion engine automatically activated.

The vehicle was unveiled in BMW Group's Miramas test track in France.[38][39]

BMW i8

History

BMW Vision EfficientDynamics (2009)

Production version

Range and fuel economy

Sales and markets

Australia

China

Awards and recognition

Marketing

See also

External links

References

BMW i8 Concept (2011)

BMW i8 Concept Spyder (2012)

BMW i8 coupe prototype (2013)

Engines

Special edition

Roadster

India

Japan

Thailand

Indonesia

Europe

Mexico

United States

Sales figures

Sales figures