Not your father’s BMW

The German car manufacturers seem to be quite a bit behind in the hybrid/electric car business. The Chevy Volt, the Ford CMAX, Focus Electric, and Fusion Hybrid, and of course the Toyota Prius (now 16 years old) have been great successes. And, oh by the way, there’s an American car called the Tesla that is a wonder of technology and is selling very well. Where are the engineering specialists Germans? Now, BWM has introduced the i8.

There are a few amazing facts about this automobile. Let’s see, (1) it does 0 to 60 in 3.8 seconds, (2) it has a rear-mounted three cylinder 1.5 liter engine.

It also has a 129 hp/184 lb-ft front mounted electric motor using an 7.1 KWh lithium-ion battery. The turbo-charged gasoline engine develops 228 hp/236 ft-lbs and drives the rear wheels through a conventional 6-speed automatic. Without lots of processing power and a multitude of sensors the balance between the two motors on two axles could never be maintained.  There is also an 11 hp belt driven motor-generator that charges the battery, when needed.

As you can probably see, it is a gorgeous car. It even has a back seat – suitable for small children only. The chassis has a carbon-fiber occupant protection cage and an aluminum frame. Curb weight is 3,380 lbs (the Tesla S weighs 4,647 lbs and has a 60 kWh lithium-ion battery).

I can’t find any word on availability in the U.S. but the price will be $136,625. Yes, this does seem like a lot of money for a three cylinder, doesn’t it.

An article in the July issue of Road & Track says to expect 40 mpg. Also note that BMW the recently introduced the i3 compact hatchback plug-in electric vehicle – which should be on showroom floors soon and will cost about $46,000.