The all-electric i3 next year will weigh as little as 2,756 pounds comparing very favorably to other electrified cars weighing somewhere midway between 3,000 and 4,000 pounds.

Last week writer Greg Kable of Autoweek caught up with BMW product developers in Sweden who were testing near-production ready versions of it and the i8 and he said the car proved entertaining indeed.

Comparing the i3 to a Mini Cooper, the BMW is 4.7 inches longer and 5.2 inches higher, and boasts a 0-62 mph time of 7.2 seconds thanks to a rear-mounted electric motor with 168 horsepower and 184 pounds-feet of torque via a fixed-gear transmission to the rear wheels. Its 50-75 mph is said to be 6.0 seconds, top speed limited to 93 mph.

All-electric range is said to be a real-world 80-100 miles, and the range-extended version can push this to 186.

The tall car uses narrow low rolling resistance tires on 19-inch wheels to provide some extra ground clearance for the flat-floor with lithium-ion batteries packaged inside and 20-inch wheels are optional.

This is from a car ostensibly intended for such scintillating duties as city driving in gridlock traffic, parallel parking in sardine-can sized spaces, and mixing it up with buses, taxis, other cars and various motor powered and human-powered two-wheelers.

The writer described its handling dynamics shown off a bit by Patrick Mueller, BMW i drivetrain development chief, who thrashed the i3 around a skidpad “with an armful of opposite lock and oversteer without ever backing off.”

This is still a BMW, Mueller said with a grin, and so BMW felt it necessary to bake in a healthy dose of fun-to-drive factor.

The i3’s regenerative braking is also said to be aggressive to the point that BMW has programmed the red brake lights in back to illuminate when the driver merely lifts off the accelerator and prior to actually touching the brakes.

It’s set up to regain as much kinetic energy as possible, and Mueller said “[This] will set our cars apart from the electric-car competition.”

Today Automotive News reported the i3 will start at around $40,000, according to Ludwig Willisch, CEO of BMW of North America. Actual pricing won’t be announced until the Frankfurt auto show this fall. And no doubt options – including possibly the range extender from a C650 GT step-through motorcycle – will add to the potential outlay.

It will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax credit in all-electric form, and BMW is discussing with the federal government whether the range-extended version will as well.

Most of BMW’s 338 dealers are expected to offer the i3 and i8 next spring, and have until June to opt out. BMW does not however expect it to be a volume seller, Willisch said, considering the yet-small size of the electric vehicle market.

Autoweek, Automotive News

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Kymco is an existing BMW motorcycle division supplier with main operations in Taiwan, three factories in China and one in Indonesia. In 2008 it was chosen to assemble BMW’s G450X Enduro motorcycle engines and now it will apparently supply its electrified new car.

Prices for the range extender and its specifications were not given by the publication just-auto.com which reported the story yesterday after speaking with BMW sales and marketing head, Ian Robertson.

What is divulged is a small fuel tank will be used. On electric power alone, the i3 may have around 75-93 miles (120-150 km) on EV power and this could be stretched to 217 miles (350 km) with the small petrol range extender.

As previously reported, the thinking is this is a “range extender” in a stricter sense than found in the Chevy Volt, which in fact has dual power sources, and can run indefinitely on gasoline generator power alone, without ever needing to plug into electricity.

BMW’s range extender is more akin to a true backup, like a spare gas can, or even, if you’ll pardon the analogy, training wheels. Tests with prototype Minis and 1-Series have shown the range extender is only there to build confidence in budding EV drivers learning new habits.

Once they get a feel for their actual range, and learn not to run the batteries out, they do not need the gas backup so much, and learn to plug in as needed. Reports have that it existing EV test drivers are so in the groove already, they do not even plug in every night between daily commutes meaning their EVs have sufficient range for the limited duties they are called to do.

Robertson echoed previous BMW statements that early i3 sales will see more range-extended versions chosen, but this will taper off as the car becomes familiar in the marketplace. Fewer people will want the range extender in time, it is believed.

Kymco started life as a part of Honda, but went on in 1963 to become an independent motorcycle part supplier to Honda, and in 1970 it began designing and building its own range of scooters.

just-auto via TTAC

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These include a hybrid concept vehicle, the BMW Concept Active Tourer; as well as BMW Night Vision, a driver assistance system part of the BMW ConnectedDrive suite of products.

BMW Concept Active Tourer

The BMW Concept Active Tourer’s role is to give an initial glimpse of further innovations in store for BMWs in the premium compact segment.

With this study, BMW said it will showcase a raft of pioneering solutions for the interior as well as in its drive concept. Comfort and functionality are resourcefully combined with dynamics and style, while a plug-in hybrid drive guarantees highest levels of efficiency.

BMW designed the interior of the Concept Active Tourer with a raised seating position, generous space for driver and passengers, as well as a flexibly extendable luggage compartment.

According to BMW, the drive system comprises a three-cylinder gas engine and a synchronous electric motor producing a combined output of 140 kilowatt / 190 horsepower to propel the BMW Concept Active Tourer from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in less than eight seconds.

BMW expects the concept to have an average fuel consumption of less than 2.5 liters per 100 kilometers (over 113 mpg imp) and CO2 emissions below 60 grams per kilometer.

BMW Night Vision

BMW Night Vision is a driver assistance system part of the BMW ConnectedDrive suit of products.

BMW states Night Vision will make a significant contribution to accident avoidance after dark with the help of a sub-system called BMW Dynamic Light Spot.

Available starting in the summer 2013, BMW Night Vision will also feature a specific animal recognition system that extends beyond the reach of the main headlights beam. An infrared thermal imaging camera mounted in the BMW kidney grille is able to detect heat-emitting objects from a distance of 100 meters (328 feet), while distinguishing between humans and animals by the level of heat.

If BMW Night Vision anticipates a potential collision with an animal, the Dynamic Light Spots start to flash at the animal in a targeted manner. The instrument display simultaneously flags up the symbol of a deer. In the event of acute danger, the on-board system will additionally emits an acoustic warning.

BMW i3 with range-extending solutions

Additionally, the BMW i3 Concept Coupe will mark its European premiere in Geneva, while the BMW i8 Concept Spyder will also makes an appearance.

Vehicle range and charging infrastructure are a frequent subject of discussion as key factors in electric mobility. BMW states that with its eDrive powertrain, the BMW i3 is designed to require a battery recharge just once every two to three days in typical commuting use. That equates to a range of between 130 and 160 kilometers (80 to 100 miles).

The drive system and all other vehicle functions in the BMW i3 are powered by a high-voltage lithium-iron battery, a hallmark of which is that its energy output – and thus the vehicle’s range – is less vulnerable to temperature fluctuations than is generally the case with such batteries today.

Another priority when it came to designing the BMW i3, said BMW, was to reduce the energy consumption of electrical components in the car, while the use of various driving modes can boost the range by up to 25 per cent.

With BMW saying that the BMW i3 is also the world’s first fully networked electric vehicle, drivers are repeatedly updated with realistic estimates of the car’s range. If desired, they can also ask the system to display charging stations in the vicinity of the destination, with a further press of a button sufficing to reserve a slot.

The system also informs the driver how long it will take to charge the vehicle for the return journey or to travel to a further destination.

An optional range extender is also available, increasing the driving range to approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles).

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The vehicle is now on display in Detroit and the configuration is akin to that of the Chevy Volt and more closely to the Fisker Karma, as the gas-powered engine is used only to turn a generator, and is not attached to the drivetrain.

According to Automotive News, BMW’s head of R&D, Herbert Diess says the series hybrid version will be made available the fourth quarter this year when global sales begin. He did not specify price, but said BMW expects to sell them to buyers unsure about their range requirements.

“I imagine many buyers will order the range extender to cure their range anxiety, discovering later they need it very seldom,” Diess said.

BMW is estimating an initial run of as many as 50 percent of all versions will be requested with the range extender. After some time on the market, and buyer expectations are tempered with experience, the demand may drop to around 20 percent, Diess said.

Automotive News

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Last week BMW announced partnerships with Schneider Electric and the electric mobility service provider The Mobility House (TMH) that BMW says will provide future owners of a BMW i3 or BMW i8 to hook up their vehicle safely and quickly recharge it while at home or in the office.

The partnership agreement includes checking the electrical installation in customers’ homes, supplying and assembling the wallbox charging point, as well as maintenance and other services.

A leading objective behind the partnerships, says BMW, is to follow through on the company’s goals of making charging the i3 as efficient, and user-friendly as possible.

“With BMW i, we are adopting an all-embracing approach to electric mobility, meaning that we will be offering more than just the purchase of the BMW i3,” says Alexander Efthimiou, head of BMW product management for Electric Powertrain Modular Systems and After-Sales.

“Over the course of the numerous pilot tests we staged worldwide with electric vehicles, we listened to our customers very carefully, and will be able to offer them a ‘360° Electric’ concept as soon as the i3 is launched, comprising solutions that cater to all the requirements of future electric motorists,” says Efthimiou.

Philippe Delorme of Schneider Electric says that joining with BMW will offer “customers an efficient, customer-friendly and lasting infrastructure for charging.”

CEO and founder of The Mobility House, Thomas Raffeiner, says that the three-way partnership will give i3 customers a tailor-made “one-stop shop” for electric mobility solutions.

The i3 electric car is set to launch late this year according to BMW.

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