From launch, 46 sales agents across the UK will offer the BMW i range.

Each will have specialist technical capabilities allowing them to carry out repairs to the vehicles’ high voltage batteries.

A wider service network is planned to offer extended coverage for the general service, maintenance and repair of BMW i vehicles.

Initially, two BMW i cars have been confirmed for production, the fully-electric BMW i3 megacity vehicle and the plug-in hybrid BMW i8 sports car.

The BMW i3 is BMW’s first fully-electric production car and is due to go on sale in the UK in late 2013. Like the i8, the BMW i3 features an all-aluminum chassis combined with a passenger cell made entirely from lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic.

BMW Group UK Managing Director, Tim Abbott said customer enquiries about BMW i are already “extremely high” with more than 6000 people registering their interest in the i brand.

“With the announcement of our BMW i retail network we are open for business and taking deposits on the i3 and i8,” he said. “Our BMW i dealerships are located in the areas of the UK with the highest concentrations of population.”

Potential UK customers can now register their interest with one of the BMW i agents or online at www.bmw-i.co.uk.

As well as the vehicles themselves, BMW i will encompass a range of premium services for mobility aimed at optimizing the use of parking spaces, recharging infrastructure, ‘smart’ navigation systems, intermodal route planning and access to other BMW vehicles on an ‘on-demand’ basis.

BMW said it is the first premium vehicle manufacturer to offer such a comprehensive ownership package surrounding electric mobility.

The post First Group Of UK Dealers Confirmed For BMW i EVs appeared first on HybridCars.com.

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.

The post BMW Partners With Charging Equipment Supply Companies For Upcoming i3 and i8 appeared first on HybridCars.com.