Genius Corner - Pick of the Week: 2015 BMW i3
This week’s top pick is one for the books. Never since the inception of the first BMW has there been such a brave departure from engineering and styling as this car. In fact, calling this a car is almost an insult. It’s the future. Welcome to the BMW i3.
This gorgeous example is currently at our showroom at BMW of Westlake, so you can get a good look at the future of mobility. It’s electric. It’s sustainable. But most importantly, it’s what we need. Regardless of what side of the argument you are on regarding global warming and human impact, we can all agree that pumping the ozone full of unnecessary carbon gasses is not ideal. Now you can go out and buy any electric car, but there are a few key distinctions that set the BMW i3 far, far ahead of the competition.
First and foremost, the i3’s driving dynamics. “What?! It’s an electric car! The batteries make it heavy and sloppy!” Well…not true. In fact, the i3 without the optional range extender only weighs 2,799 lbs. The lightest 3 series you can buy still weighs 3,320 lbs. That’s over 500 lbs lighter than the industry benchmark for performance and luxury! This is accomplished by extensive use of CFRP or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics and aluminum. That in conjunction with having the batteries underneath the floor of the i3 keep the center of gravity nice and low. This allows you to push it further than you might expect from a car like this.
The second thing that makes the i3 stand out is the sustainability of the car. Everyone who drives an electric car can feel good about not using gasoline, but that isn’t the whole story. The fuels used to make the car are just as important as the fuels used to propel it. This is why BMW made a conscious effort to reduce the total carbon footprint of this car. 100% of the energy used in assembly is renewable (wind/hydro/solar). They use 70% less water in the paint process, 50% less energy overall in production, and 95% of the car is recyclable. Even the batteries are reused in storing energy for the power grid. Even the way in which they stamp out the parts is in order to reduce the quantity of scrap (less scrap means less energy used to refine for future use).
Another interesting engineering design of the i3 is the battery pack itself. A typical battery pack is one unit. When that unit fails or dies, the whole pack must be replaced. However, the i3’s battery pack is different. It is made up of 8 separate modules. If there is a particular problem with the pack, only 1 module has to be replaced making it more reliable and cheaper to replace if needed. You shouldn’t worry about that ever becoming an issue with our warranty anyhow. Each individual module is warrantied for 8 years/100,000mi. to at least hold 80% the initial charge. The i3 can be charged using level 1, 2, or DC fast charging (level 3). This means whether you’re out and about or going on a trip, you can still charge your car. The motor in the car also allows the i3 to accelerate to 60 in 7 seconds flat. None of our competition can come close to that.
Another departure from the competition is the interior. Don’t worry, it’s still a BMW. The layout of the interior is vastly different than our current cars except where it matters. Seat adjustments, steering wheel buttons, climate controls, programmable memory keys, and iDrive are all in the same place, but slightly revamped with the electric car mindset in play. The ride quality is quite BMW with rear wheel drive, five-link rear, and aluminum single-joint MacPherson spring strut with anti-dive front suspension.
The real magic of this is when you get to the price. You can have all of this at a starting price of $42,400. This plus applicable tax incentives are able to drive the bottom line number WAY down for financing or leasing. Never has driving been so responsible. This i3 is every bit BMW and every bit new. Stop in to BMW of Westlake to see how the i3 can fit into your lifestyle with a test drive today!
This week’s top pick is one for the books. Never since the inception of the first BMW has there been such a brave departure from engineering and styling as this car. In fact, calling this a car is almost an insult. It’s the future. Welcome to the BMW i3.
This gorgeous example is currently at our showroom at BMW of Westlake, so you can get a good look at the future of mobility. It’s electric. It’s sustainable. But most importantly, it’s what we need. Regardless of what side of the argument you are on regarding global warming and human impact, we can all agree that pumping the ozone full of unnecessary carbon gasses is not ideal. Now you can go out and buy any electric car, but there are a few key distinctions that set the BMW i3 far, far ahead of the competition.
First and foremost, the i3’s driving dynamics. “What?! It’s an electric car! The batteries make it heavy and sloppy!” Well…not true. In fact, the i3 without the optional range extender only weighs 2,799 lbs. The lightest 3 series you can buy still weighs 3,320 lbs. That’s over 500 lbs lighter than the industry benchmark for performance and luxury! This is accomplished by extensive use of CFRP or Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics and aluminum. That in conjunction with having the batteries underneath the floor of the i3 keep the center of gravity nice and low. This allows you to push it further than you might expect from a car like this.
The second thing that makes the i3 stand out is the sustainability of the car. Everyone who drives an electric car can feel good about not using gasoline, but that isn’t the whole story. The fuels used to make the car are just as important as the fuels used to propel it. This is why BMW made a conscious effort to reduce the total carbon footprint of this car. 100% of the energy used in assembly is renewable (wind/hydro/solar). They use 70% less water in the paint process, 50% less energy overall in production, and 95% of the car is recyclable. Even the batteries are reused in storing energy for the power grid. Even the way in which they stamp out the parts is in order to reduce the quantity of scrap (less scrap means less energy used to refine for future use).
Another interesting engineering design of the i3 is the battery pack itself. A typical battery pack is one unit. When that unit fails or dies, the whole pack must be replaced. However, the i3’s battery pack is different. It is made up of 8 separate modules. If there is a particular problem with the pack, only 1 module has to be replaced making it more reliable and cheaper to replace if needed. You shouldn’t worry about that ever becoming an issue with our warranty anyhow. Each individual module is warrantied for 8 years/100,000mi. to at least hold 80% the initial charge. The i3 can be charged using level 1, 2, or DC fast charging (level 3). This means whether you’re out and about or going on a trip, you can still charge your car. The motor in the car also allows the i3 to accelerate to 60 in 7 seconds flat. None of our competition can come close to that.
Another departure from the competition is the interior. Don’t worry, it’s still a BMW. The layout of the interior is vastly different than our current cars except where it matters. Seat adjustments, steering wheel buttons, climate controls, programmable memory keys, and iDrive are all in the same place, but slightly revamped with the electric car mindset in play. The ride quality is quite BMW with rear wheel drive, five-link rear, and aluminum single-joint MacPherson spring strut with anti-dive front suspension.
The real magic of this is when you get to the price. You can have all of this at a starting price of $42,400. This plus applicable tax incentives are able to drive the bottom line number WAY down for financing or leasing. Never has driving been so responsible. This i3 is every bit BMW and every bit new. Stop in to BMW of Westlake to see how the i3 can fit into your lifestyle with a test drive today!
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