Born Electric: The BMW i3

            Ganley BMW is ready for the electric revolution, are you? As of last week, Ganley BMW in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, is the proud host of three electric vehicle charging stations, one of which is free public charging station. All of this is done in anxious anticipation for the arrival of the all-new BMW i3, BMW's first production electric vehicle. Some of you might be thinking, "i3? Do you mean that goofy looking thing with the bicycle tires? Is it really that revolutionary?" Not only can those questions be answered with a resounding YES, but it is my pleasure to do so. The BMW i3, the vehicle that is on its way to dealerships across North America, is as real as it gets, and so is the change that will follow it.

            Born Electric. This is the phrase that BMW uses to describe its new "i" brand, and it is a phrase rooted in true vision and idealism. BMW designed the i3 from a clean slate, keeping the technology-driven world that we live in constantly in mind, and after years of painstaking research and development, the i3 was born. Everything about the vehicle is designed with conservation and sustainability in mind. There are two parts to the i3, the Drive Module, which consists of the aluminum sub-frame and the components that power the vehicle, and the Life Module, which houses the cabin and its occupants. The i3 is one of the first mass-produced vehicles to use carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) which makes up the main structure of the Life Module, and this was made possible by BMW's stakes in a carbon-fiber plant in Lake Moses, Washington. The company that produces the carbon-fiber, SGL, uses a factory that runs completely off of hydro-electric power. When the carbon-fiber is ready for production, it is sent to Leipzig, Germany, to be fabricated into the i3 in a plant that is run off of four wind turbines. The interior materials are mostly recyclable and made from readily available and sustainable components like kenaf fibers, recycled plastics, and eucalyptus; even the leather is tanned naturally using olive leaves. The result is a comfortable, sensible space that brings in a new, holistic and sustainable idea of style to the automobile industry, a place normally marked by consumption.

            Equally as impressive as the CFRP-housed cabin is the Drive Module, the power and momentum behind the i3. Keeping in line with BMW's history of performance, this sophisticated system moves away from the racing side of performance to draw its inspiration from a different notion: efficiency. It is a strange idea, efficiency as performance, but it makes all the sense in the world. To make a vehicle as efficient as the i3 takes quite a bit of ingenuity and an enormous amount of head scratching. Since the plans for the vehicle were started from scratch, BMW engineers had a chance to completely rethink how a vehicle should operate, specifically an electric vehicle. The main goal with the construction of the i3 was to save weight, and this is especially prevalent when we look at the Drive Module. The main frame of the Drive Module is constructed of aluminum to reduce as much weight as possible but still retain rigidity, which is necessary because of the hefty battery pack used to power the vehicle. Inside the battery pack we find eight individual cells, so were anything to go wrong, the cells can be easily replaced and the rest of the pack will go unharmed. The bicycle tires that were mentioned earlier do an excellent job reducing the vehicle weight and aerodynamic drag, yet still manage to retain an equal contact patch with the ground that a more familiar BMW would have. Since the tires have a larger diameter than most, it creates an added effect with the battery pack that adds much to the vehicle's handling capabilities by placing the heaviest part of the vehicle, the battery pack, below the axles. This delivers a very low center of gravity and helps to give the i3 its status as the best in urban mobility.

            Whether or not you are a fan of the unique styling of the vehicle, a test drive is warranted before a final opinion can be made. The torque from the non-combustion engine in the i3 is (I apologize) absolutely electrifying. Since the engine does not need to be in a certain rev range to achieve maximum power, all of the power is available from the moment the accelerator pedal is depressed. The result: a zero to thirty time of three-and-a-half seconds (zero to sixty in seven seconds). While that may not seem too impressive to some, videos exist on YouTube of the i3 drag racing a BMW M3, and the i3 definitely proves a point: electric motors are no joke. Even hardcore racing enthusiasts will get a kick out of the incredibly agile i3. Because the vehicle was designed primarily for urban mobility, it shines the brightest when put through the typical trials of the concrete jungle. With a turning circle of only thirty-two and a half feet, the i3 can maneuver its way through any parking garage, parallel-park into the puniest of spaces, and avoid congested city accidents, all with the grace and style that is so familiar to BMW. In addition to all of these great capabilities, a new method of driving known as "One Pedal Driving" is introduced. When the accelerator pedal is released, a switch is flipped on the electric engine to turn it into a generator that uses the momentum of the vehicle to assist in charging the battery. This new type of engine braking almost relieves the traditional brake pedal of its use, and were it not for unpredictable situations, one could possibly drive the entire lifetime of the vehicle without using the brakes! While it sounds a little zany, the effect feels incredibly natural and adds a new element to the driving experience that is more than welcome.

            The mental landscape is changing. People are now looking to different solutions for age-old problems, and it is quite a refreshing feeling. With less reliance on previous forms of support and infrastructure, we can finally realize our individual worth and help propel our society into the millennium that we have dreamed of providing, not only for ourselves but those that will follow us. The BMW i3 is, in ways, a perfect embodiment of what that life could be. Sustainable. Natural. Alive. These are the words that describe the BMW i3, and these are the ideals of the future that we will all share. So, plug in, feel the power. Be Born Electric.