Gadgetory

I don't think any car company out there has a brand more kind of at odds with electric cars than BMW I mean they're so strongly known for something else for the gas engine world the turbocharged world the track engineered vehicle the ultimate driving machine those are the attributes we don't associate with electric cars we think of them as green and wimpy and kind of super digital high-tech so for this company to make a shift to the iSeries is gonna be a big one coming in late 2013 early 2014 but this is probably not the one you're going to buy when they hit the market more than likely the i3 would be the electric BMW it's gonna fit your budget here it is in a concept coupe version we've seen a four-door before and that by the way is what will be coming out first in late 2013 not too far away but this coupes taking us into a little sexier direction of what is clearly a city car all electric now it's a BMW so it's rear-wheel drive this was part of their DNA 170 horse on an 84 foot-pounds of torque the other thing you'll notice about this car you can't see it's the aluminum underpinnings of it the chassis but underneath here and you can see in the door jambs and such a lot of carbon-fiber infuse in these plastic panels so this is a car that is very light and very rigid throughout one of the benefits is one that is very near and dear to my heart thin pillars you know how pillars have been getting like this big lately because of crash were all over standards this lightweight very strong material means you can finally Finley's out and get a nice greenhouse again let's take a look inside now look at this cabin very spacious flat floor between those two front seats because the entire lithium-ion battery pack lives in the belly of the vehicle BMW says that's a unique benefit they've got because these eye vehicles were designed from the ground up to be either electric or hybrid electric they didn't have to shoehorn all that apparatus into an existing platform also notice too generous screens a six point five in front of the driver and an eight point eight big widescreen over there which BMW is known for in the middle everything here basically is handled via LCD screen you got a few controllers and of course the latest sort of envisioning of their iDrive controller there in the middle range on this car is being guesstimated around 100 miles that's like every other compact electric car coming out right so that's pretty straightforward interesting wildcard could be charging time we don't know yet what that will be and what BMW might have up their sleeve for a fast charge strategy there's only so much you can do within the laws of physics but car makers are beginning to get a little better at bending them at least these ice series cars are more than just a technological shift for BMW but this company known so much for traditional engineering the ultimate driving machine gas engine cars this is a big philosophical shift as well