BMW i3 Electric Car India Launch In 2014; Features An Electrifying Experience

BMW i3 Electric Car India Launch In 2014; Features An Electrifying Experience

Ankita Katdare

Administrator

Updated: Oct 22, 2024

Views: 1.5K

BMW has planned to launch its Electric Car - The BMW i3 in India in 2014. Developed and designed as a part of BMW's 'Project i', a program aimed to develop a light-weight eco-friendly urban electric car that tackles the issues related to mobility and sustainability of the people living in megacities. Powered by a 125 kw motor run by lithium-ion batteries, the BMW i3 features a range of about 150 km on a single charge. The vehicle is manufactured such that it does not need an internal combustion engine up front. In order to make it truly lightweight, the company has made the i3 bear the tag of being the first mass production car to have most of its internal structure and body being made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) sitting on an aluminium rolling chassis. The car weighs less than 1200 kg and has a top speed of 150 kmph.

The i3 allows the owner to charge the high-voltage battery from a conventional socket. The BMW i3 has a number of charging functions. For a Fast charge, with the use of the BMW i Wallbox Pure, AC fast charging can take less than 3 hours. The BMW i3 allows the driver to select the car energy consumption through three different drive modes: COMFORT, ECO PRO or ECO PRO+ mode. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 kmph in 7.9 seconds and as you can see from the images above the interiors are made out of natural fibres and wood that give you a plush look and make the car a sustainable model.

There's a lot more to the car and we are only now starting to read reviews of the 5-seater sedan. Check out the official launch video of the BMW i3 here if you already haven't -

Also interesting to see is the following video that shows the BMW i3 and an interview with Benoit Jacob, head of BMW i Design. Check it out -

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Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

Member • Oct 31, 2013

Ankita Katdare
The BMW i3 has a number of charging functions. For a Fast charge, with the use of the BMW i Wallbox Pure, AC fast charging can take less than 3 hours.
A small doubt sis,
Will it power the vehicle to the same distance achieved by normal charging or it's just for emergency periods.

Ankita Katdare
different drive modes: COMFORT, ECO PRO or ECO PRO+ mode.
What does these modes implies?
Is it about mileage or some other things/

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prahu mac

Member • Oct 31, 2013

may be BMW guys are planning some thing to push their market sales to a bit higher than they usually achieve!!!!!!

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Saandeep Sreerambatla

Member • Oct 31, 2013

This is awesome,I think these are the next steps in achieving engines without petrol or diesel., The benefits are no usage of petrol and diesel directly, and no pollution.. These cars infact use electric power again which is mostly generated through coal with is again a non renewable energy..

I think cars powered by electric motor, and can be charged by solar or some cheaper mode of power generation are in for future!

The price is listed as 20 Lakh, ex-showroom Delhi..and mileage is listed as 11.9 Km/hr!

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Oct 31, 2013

What does these modes implies?
Is it about mileage or some other things?
The ECO PRO mode increases the driving range by around 12% through a different accelerator pedal mapping which uses less power.

In ECO PRO+ mode, all settings are geared to achieving the maximum possible range, increasing the driving range by about 24% compared with COMFORT mode.

In this mode the maximum speed of the BMW i3 is limited to 90 km/h (56 mph) and electrical devices such as the heating and air conditioning are switched to energy-saving mode.

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Sarathkumar Chandrasekaran

Member • Oct 31, 2013

Saandeep Sreerambatla
This is awesome,I think these are the next steps in achieving engines without petrol or diesel., The benefits are no usage of petrol and diesel directly, and no pollution.. These cars infact use electric power again which is mostly generated through coal with is again a non renewable energy..

I think cars powered by electric motor, and can be charged by solar or some cheaper mode of power generation are in for future!

The price is listed as 20 Lakh, ex-showroom Delhi..and mileage is listed as 11.9 Km/hr!
Again we are making a mistake on the fuel selection process. I agree that is a so called "eco friendly" fuel with Zero emission but my concern is that where would be the source come from? Again wwe have to trap a similar kind of source for battery making.They are certainly solutions for present problems but what about the long run in future.
I would go for a alternate fuel like bio-fuels and biogas because we are RRR(recycle,reuse,).Should the companies make more research on other alternate fuels?

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Ankita Katdare

Administrator • Nov 1, 2013

I think that the only thing that can compete with the BMW i3 is the Nissan LEAF -
Japan allows the partially automated version of the same on public roads:
<a href="https://www.crazyengineers.com/threads/japan-allows-partially-automated-nissan-leaf-on-public-roads.70890">Japan Allows Partially Automated Nissan LEAF On Public Roads</a>

Available for Rs. 12 Lakh in India, the Nissan LEAF offers a top speed of 140 Km/h and has a Recharge time of 7 hours.

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Kamy

Member • Nov 18, 2013

Nice blog.
Do read mine on the same car here!
<Link snipped>

My blog talks bout the lack of policies towards the EV segment, which inhibits auto manufacturers to launch EVs in India.
I still dont see BMW launching this EV here anytime soon!

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