BMW Teams Up With Solarwatt to Offer Solar Carports

As someone that have been driving an electric vehicle and charging it with renewable energy from my rooftop solar array for more than three years now, I can certainly appreciate this concept. BMW just announced a partnership with German based Solarwatt to provide solar carports for their i brand customers. It's unclear if these products will be available to customers here in the US as well as Europe, but I'd bet if that's not the case then there will be a similar arrangement with a US vendor also.  

For BMW's ActiveE customers like myself, BMW partnered with Real Goods Solar  last year to offer a discounted rate for any ActiveE lessee that wanted to have solar installed at their home and many took advantage of the offer. It's clear the synergy of EV + PV makes both technologies even better and manufacturers like BMW realize this and want to capitalize on the opportunity as well as make the path to using renewable energy for their customers easier.

My 8.775kW solar array powers my car and nearly all of my household electric needs.

 

BMW i3 Exclusive New Color: Solar Orange Metallic

Autoevolution scored some spy photos of a BMW i3 with a new color exposed. It's evidently a new color for BMW that will be exclusive to the i3 and it's called Solar Orange Metallic. BMW describes the new color as: "a warm shade bursting with energy that was created especially for the BMW i3." Autoevolution also said "For contrast, the bonnet and part of the boot lid will be gloss black" which would indicate the hood of the i3 will not be the painted the color of the rest of the car, but instead will be gloss black.

This was true for both of the concept i3's that BMW has shown but I think most people just assumed they had the two tone color scheme for dramatic car show effect. It's interesting to me because the hood & roof are CFRP, while the majority of the body is plastic panels that are bolted onto the CFRP frame. So if Autoevolution is right it would appear all the exposed CFRP will be simply gloss black regardless of the color of the rest of the car. And the tidbits of info keep coming...

BMW Slowly Undressing the i3

The most recent spy shots of the BMW i3 show more of the car than ever before, continuing the trend BMW has set of slowly exposing more and more of the car as we approach its official unveiling at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

A production-looking nose is spotted

When the very first spy shots were captured two years ago, the car looked very boxy and was completely covered in the blue and white swirly camouflage. It was also clear that BMW had even added fake panels under the "camo" to further obfuscate the real look. As time progressed the fake body panels were slowly dropped and now we are seeing what looks to be pre-production i3's during testing with parts of the body exposed as some of the camouflage has been removed. There was even one picture of what looks like the nose of a full production version i3 which was taken during a photo shoot in California recently.

BMW is still holding back on releasing much information on the car but we have learned a few things recently:

1) BMW will offer gas loaners for customers who need to drive further than their i3 will conveniently take them. The full details haven't been released like how many times per year you are offered the loaner or if there is any fee, time or mileage restriction. Can you take the loaner for a two week vacation on a 1,000 mile trip? Answers to these important questions are still unknown.

2) The optional range extender will not operate like Chevy Volt, allowing the driver to continue driving for hundreds of miles after the battery is exhausted without any noticeable difference. The details are still very unclear, but BMW had said the i3 will have reduced performance when in range extender mode. While BMW is quick to say the car will not be in any kind of "limp home" mode while utilizing the REx, it is not meant to extend your range on a daily basis. In fact Herbert Diess BMW�s global R&D chief was quoted saying �The range extender is not intended for daily use. It�s for situations when the driver needs to extend the range of the vehicle to reach the next charging station,� said Diess. �Therefore, the i3 probably won�t be the choice for customers with a need for an extended range.�

3) The i3 will first go on sale in Europe (November 16th has been rumored to be the launch date) and come to the US in late December. The first batch of i3's that do make it to the US will have the range extender option, as BMW expects the majority of the initial sales to have the option included. Although some i3's will arrive in late December, the speculation is that the official US launch will occur in early January when the car becomes widely available. 

World's First BMW's i3 Test Drive: I Get The Honor!

It may not be the color I'd choose, but I can say I'm the first person outside of BMW to drive an i3!

It had to be somebody. There can only be one person who gets to be the first person to do something. BMW's first production electric vehicle, the highly anticipated 2014 i3 has had a couple of journalist "ride alongs" where they were passengers in test mule cars, but nobody outside of BMW had been given the keys to a pre-production i3 and been allowed to drive it. Until yesterday.

BMW's North American Headquarters

I spent most of last week at the NY Auto Show and a good deal of the time there at the BMW display. I had the opportunity to speak with many of the top BMW executives as well as many of the BMW i program managers. It's no secret that BMW's US headquarters in Woodcliff Lake, NJ has had half a dozen pre-production i3's for a few months now. In fact, BMW recently announced they have made a few hundred pre-production i3's rfor final validation. While at the show, I had been asking every person I spoke to one question: "So when do I get to drive an i3?" I think I must have asked that 20 times. My persistence paid off big time. On Thursday Jacob Harb the Head of Electric Vehicle Operations and Strategy for BMW of North America came up and and asked me, "What are you doing Sunday?" "Sunday? Sunday's Easter so I'll be at my parents' house with the rest of my family, but...aaa... what do you have in mind?" I replied. He then went on to tell me if I wanted to drive a pre-production i3, I could. The only thing is I had to do it 8:00am Sunday morning. The entire BMW campus in Woodcliff Lake would be closed and no employees would be there so they could control the whole event. I would have one half hour to drive the car all over the campus (which is very large with huge empty parking lots) and could drive the car as spirited as I wanted to. Needless to say, I accepted!

My security badge

My parents live in Fairfield, NJ which is only about 25 minutes from the Woodcliff Lake Campus so this was easy to arrange and really didn't impact any family plans because it was so early. The rules were I would be allowed to take one picture of me with the car and it couldn't show any of the interior which was completely production-ready. I was given a one day security badge to allow my access to the campus and there would be one employee there to ride along with me. I had to sign some documents that would restrict me from revealing very specific functions and details, but other than that I was free to write or say whatever I wanted to. The Woodcliff Lake Campus is really perfect for this as it's in a rural area surrounded by trees and security booths at all the entrances. Nobody could see what we were doing or take pictures of us.

I arrived at the campus at 7:45am and followed the directions to the technical center where the car was to be. When I arrived there was a familiar face waiting for me. It was Dave Mustac, the technical coordinator for the ActiveE and Electric Vehicle Aftersales Specialist. I kind of felt bad that he had to come here for this on Easter Sunday, but he said he lived close and really didn't mind. I hope that was the case. The car was inside so we had to go in and get it. When we got to the room where it was, I was stunned to see six i3's all gathered together in there. Three of them had the blue swirly camouflage that we've been seeing and three others were painted bright yellow. Not exactly the color I would choose, but for this I didn't care what color it was. I assumed I would be regulated to one of the camouflaged ones, but the first car in line was a yellow one and Dave walked over to it as I followed.  The bright yellow color kind of reminded me of a crash test car, but these obviously aren't being used for that.

It was a BEV i3 although there were three with the range extender option also. He handed me the keys and smiled saying, "I know you've waited for this for a while now," and he was right. I pulled out and the first thing I did was drive on the main road that circles the campus. There were long straight-aways and I could really see how much punch it had. It didn't disappoint! It's definitely much faster than the ActiveE, obviously the result of it having the same power while being nearly 1,300lbs lighter. After circling the campus I pulled off into one of the large parking lots which was completely empty and I did some autocross-like maneuvers. It has remarkable poise even with the thin tires on 20" non-production wheels. They held tight on even the tightest turns and barely even squealed as I pushed the car to the limit. 

After about 40 minutes Dave reminded me we did have to wrap things up. I noticed I used 30% of the charge but didn't look at the mileage when I started (I was too excited) so that's not much help with the expected range. The instruments - which I can't really talk about were very impressive and I think will be well received. Please ask questions below and I'll answer whatever I can but remember there are a lot of things I can't comment about. Special thanks to Dave for taking time out of his Easter Sunday to come and make sure I didn't leave the campus with it! I can't wait till I get the next opportunity to take one for a longer (and maybe unsupervised) drive!

UPDATE: For those that haven't figured it yet, this was an April Fools joke. Unfortunately I haven't had the privilege to test drive an i3...yet. Hopefully I'll get to be one of the first that does, but we'll have to wait to see... Special thanks to follower Chris Llana who did the photoshop work for the picture above. I know he spent a while on it and it definitely tricked a good amount of people. I even got emails from some people asking if I could tell them info on the car!

The i3 Concept Coupe Stars in Geneva

Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management, BMW AG, addresses the media in front of the i3 concept coupe'

There has been a lot of prognosticating on the interwebs lately in regards to what BMW will have to say about the upcoming i3 at the Geneva Motor Show. Some have speculated they will unveil the actual production i3 while others have guessed BMW will simply offer a little more information, just enough to keep us interested without disclosing too much.

Well, BMW didn't reveal the production i3 (which is looking more and more likely to happen in Frankfurt in September) but the chairman of the Board of Management, Dr. Norbert Reithofer, did have this to say to the media today as he addressed the media in front of the i3 Concept Coupe':


Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to the BMW Group!

This is what individual mobility of tomorrow looks like and we will bring it to the road � as early as this year. This stands to show that we don�t just talk the talk. We walk the walk � because we are convinced that e-mobility is the technology of the future. We all know how the world is changing. In megacities, the car can only have a future if we take the right steps to lead it from low-emission to zero-emission technologies today. We strongly believe that sheer driving pleasure will also work without emissions.

The BMW i range offers a broad range of possibilities. What you can see here in Geneva is a variant of the BMW i3 � the BMW i3 Concept Coupe.

And I can tell you this much: Many of the components used for this Coupe are close to the series vehicle. This model highlights the great dynamics of the fully-electric BMW eDrive technology. Just like the BMW i3, the Coupe offers a maximum output of 125 kW or 170 hp. This e-drive is an in-house development � which is what customers expect from a company called Bayerische Motoren Werke AG. The underbody is fitted with lithium-ion batteries that provide the power to the e-drive.

We believe that customers will decide to buy an e-car if they receive compelling offers. Still, success is not guaranteed. But I am an engineer, and as such I know that technical progress and pioneering work require a daring approach. At the BMW Group, we have tackled the issue of e-mobility from a holistic perspective, and let me add: more so than any other automaker.

This means:

A completely new vehicle concept, consisting of Life and Drive modules.
New materials such as CFRP.
Sustainable production.

The media will have the opportunity to test-drive the BMW i3 this fall. I have already driven it quite a few times, and let me tell you: Cruising the city in this agile and noiseless sprinter is, without a doubt, sheer driving pleasure. Unfortunately, our stage is too small; otherwise, I would be happy to give you a little demonstration on the spot. Thank you very much to the BMW i3 Concept Coupe!

The BMW i range is one example of the foresight that we have at the BMW Group. We aim to provide our customers once and again with innovative solutions and attractive services, which meet their individual demands and offer them additional benefits. Proof of this is the vehicle we would like to present to you next.

So now I think we have a more defined timeline. Here is how I think it will proceed:

-Between now and the Frankfurt Auto Show in September we will continue to get little bits and pieces of i3 information, just enough to keep everyone interested and media satisfied. An occasional journalist will get to drive in one, but not for a comprehensive review.

-The production i3 is introduced in Frankfurt including specifications and pricing. 

-The media will get full access to drive and review them in October.

-European sales begin in November and US sales start in January. 

Do you agree? Post your thoughts below in the comment section.

BMW Allows The First Journalists Ever To Take A Ride In An i3

An i3 test car going through cold weather testing in Sweden.     Photo: Autocar

For the first time ever BMW has allowed a few journalists take a ride in i3's. One of the test rides took place in Sweden where a small fleet of i3's is finishing up their final cold weather testing. BMW has actually been conducting cold weather testing of the i3's there for over two years now, as the conditions there are perfect for this kind of validation. The other drive happened in Ismaning, Germany at another of BMW's test facilities.

Kacher poses as BMW's Kranz looks on. Photo: Car Magazine

In the past two days Autocar and Car Magazine have published articles on their impression of the experience. It appears nobody was allowed to actually drive the i3, they were passengers. Autocar writer Greg Kable had Patrick Mueller, head of BMW i drivetrain development as his pilot and Georg Kacher of Car Magazine had the privilege of being chauffeured by non other than Uli Kranz, the project leader of BMW i. You can click on the above links to read the full reports and I'll summarize the revelations that I believe are most important here:

1) The i3 is faster than what we thought. Until now BMW had said two things about the speed of the i3. In one instance they said the concept i3 will go 0-100km (62mph) in 7.9 seconds. Then in most recent marketing venues we were told the "Concept i3 goes 0-60mph in under 8 seconds". It's important to note they always referenced the "Concept i3" not the production car. Now for the first time journalists have quoted 0-60 times. Kable from Autocar said the i3 will do 0-60 in 7.2 seconds and Kacher said it will do it in 7.3. The i3 is clearly going to be a quick car. My MINI-E did 0-60 in about 8 seconds and it was a blast to drive. The ActiveE is no slouch either, but it takes a little over 9 seconds to hit 60mph. Cutting two seconds off the ActiveE time will certainly make for a spirited drive. 

2) The i3 achieved an official 140 miles of range on the European test procedure. What does this mean? Well the 2011/2012 LEAF achieved a range of 107 miles on this same test and that translated into a 73 mile EPA rating. Translated to the i3 that would then give it an EPA rating of 95 miles per charge. I know you can't make that exact assumption, but if you simply roll the numbers and say the i3 achieved a range of 130%(140/107) that's what it converts to and it's all we have to go on at this time. I would be happy if that is the EPA range rating for the i3. I have contended all along that I would prefer a 100 mile EPA rating, but as long as it is over 90 miles per charge, then I believe it will do just fine. It will then have the highest EPA rating of any EV that doesn't have a Tesla powertrain.

The 20" wheels on the concept coupe

3) It will come standard with 19" wheels and 20" wheels will be optional. The concept cars had 20" wheels, but concept cars frequently have oversized wheels that don't make it to production. These wheels are huge for a car of this size. There isn't any production car anywhere that is this small and has 20" wheels! You usually only see 20" wheels on huge SUV's and trucks. The whole concept of these tall wheels and thin tires is to maximize efficiency by reducing rolling resistance and drag, while still providing great road holding for high performance driving. When questioned about how the thin tires can manage to give the car such great handling Kranz said: "It�s not rocket science. All that matters is the size of the contact patch. The 19-inch tires may be skinny, but their tall height generates the same contact patch as a low-section 16-inch MINI tire". Kacher was very impressed with the handling and he said: "The i3�s most awesome dynamic talent is its incredible grip. The made-to-measure tires are about as narrow as those of a 125cc motorbike, yet they hang on almost as tenaciously as BMW�s latest DTM racer."

This is the engine to be used for the REx

4) The range extender will be a 650cc two-cylinder gas engine borrowed from the BMW C650GT motorcycle. When used for the motorcycle it has a maximum of 60hp but on the i3 it will be highly optimized for efficiency, and will run at lower RPM's for a quiet, low vibration operation. This lowers the power output to 35bhp. It will be mounted close to the rear wheels and accompanied by a 2.3 gallon gas tank which will be positioned behind the front axle. This makes sense since the gas filler door is on the front passenger quarter panel. I imagine 35 hp will be enough to allow the i3 to continue at highway speeds of 65-70mph on flat surfaces, but I don't believe it will be enough to allow the car to climb steep grades at highway speeds. It's worth noting that BMW has hinted that the range extender is not meant for full time driving like a Chevy Volt. It's main purpose to to allow you to get you to your destination or the nearest charge point once you have exhausted the battery and allow you to do so without worry of being stranded, it's not designed for prolonged high speed driving. If you frequently need to drive more than 100 to 120 miles or so, perhaps the i3 with a range extender isn't the best plug-in choice for you, but let's wait for the official specifications before we conclude that for sure.

5) Kacher wrote: "BMW has tooled up initially to produce 30,000 cars a year, but this can be extended to 50,000 units if the i3 takes off". I had heard rumors of production estimates being 30,000/year initially but they were never really confirmed. If Kacher got this directly from Kranz then it's really the first time an official production goal was offered by BMW. It's a lofty goal. No other EV has even come close to selling that many in any year, let alone it's first year. One advantage the i3 does have though is it will be available in markets all over the world, unlike many of the other plug in cars that are available today. However the LEAF is available in many countries also and it hasn't hit the 30,000/year mark after more than two years and it's a much more affordable car then the i3 will be. It's difficult to gauge the plug in vehicle market. Government incentives play a big role and so does the proliferation of public charging infrastructure. However the i3 is the only EV in it's price class that will offer the performance and range that it does, as well as an optional range extender and the premium driving experience that is expected of a BMW so it will be interesting to watch how the sales figures progress.

Since I wasn't lucky enough to be one of the first outside BMW to hitch a ride in an i3 I'll just reprint Kacher's conclusion. He makes his thoughts on the car very clear:

"The i3 is shaping up to be a breakthrough electric car. It delivers dynamic thrills like no electric car before it. The steering seems highly involving, the drivetrain�s punch would flatten a Leaf, and the handling and road-holding seem up there with BMW�s best. Ulrich Kranz and his team appear to have succeeded in bringing pure driving pleasure to the environmentally friendly car. We�ll know for sure when we drive the car in summer 2013"

BMW i3 Concept Coupe Video

A new video of the BMW i3 Concept Coupe surfaced on YouTube today. Here it is for your viewing pleasure...