Launching on 3 Continents today: "The price for the BMW car “looks lower than we had expected,” said Philippe Houchois, an analyst at UBS in London. “We are pleased to see that the gap between conventional and electric cars is coming down.” " "The 230-kilogram (507-pound) lithium-ion battery -- 20 percent of the car’s total weight -- is positioned beneath the passengers and between the wheels, raising the seating position and improving handling by giving the car a low center of gravity." "The 170-horsepower electric motor, which makes almost no noise, accelerates to 100 kilometers (62 miles) per hour in 7.2 seconds, beating the 10.7 seconds for the base version of the 3-Series. Like other electric vehicles, the i3 doesn’t have a transmission, so acceleration is uninterrupted by gear changes. Energy recuperation from the car’s momentum starts as soon as a driver takes her foot off the gas, so hitting the brakes in normal city driving is almost unnecessary." "To gain extra range, the car features an ECO PRO mode, which reduces the rate of acceleration and limits the top speed to 120 km/h from 150 km/h. ECO PRO+ shuts off the flow of energy to the radio, heating and all other functions not needed for driving, extending the range 30 percent to about 200 km." "Hemp Doors The focus on efficiency extends to the design of the interior. The use of natural materials like hemp fibers in door panels and a contoured wood shelf in the dashboard helps give the car the feel of “a small loft on wheels,” Benoit Jacob, the i3’s designer, said after a test drive. The style differs intentionally from the sporty character of BMW’s conventional models and is intended to encourage a more economical driving style, he said." "The i3, which goes on sale this fall, will start at $41,350 in the U.S., versus $32,550 for the base version of the 3-Series sedan. It hits U.S. dealers in the second quarter of 2014. By comparison, Nissan Motor Co. (7201)’s Leaf, the best-selling electric car, is cheaper at $28,800, yet costs more than twice as much as the comparable Versa sedan." businessweek/news/2013-07-28/bmw-electric-offered-with-spare-suv-to-ease-range-anxiety-cars Excerpts: Bloomberg News BMW Electric Offered With Spare SUV to Ease Range Anxiety By Chris Reiter and Angela Maier | July 28, 2013 Companies Mentioned TSLA Tesla Motors Inc $129.39 USD +5.32 +4.11% GM General Motors Co $36.67 USD -0.41 -1.12% Market data is delayed at least 15 minutes. To avoid the fate of other slow-selling electric vehicles, Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) will offer the new i3 -- a battery-powered compact car -- with a unique option: the use of a sport-utility vehicle. Customers of BMW’s first electric model can book a conventional auto like the full-sized X5 SUV for several weeks a year for family trips or as a backup. The “add-on mobility” feature, for which BMW hasn’t yet revealed pricing, is part of the manufacturer’s effort to overcome a major concern about electric vehicles, namely getting stuck on the side of the road with a dead battery. Other efforts to ease so-called range anxiety include an optional combustion engine to generate electricity on board, roadside assistance if the battery does lose charge during a trip, and a navigation system that shows charging stations. Those offerings are flanked by special training for dealers and a sales force that makes house calls for test drives. The point is to avoid a high-profile flop as the company today unveils the i3 at events on three continents. The prestige project has cost BMW more than 2 billion euros ($2.65 billion), according to the Center of Automotive Management in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. Horsepower-Focused “The i3 is important in terms of image for BMW because it keeps alive the message that the company is daring,” said Carlos Da Silva, an analyst with IHS Automotive in Paris. BMW, the world’s largest maker of luxury vehicles, is beating its chief rivals to electrics aimed at their core customers. Volkswagen AG (VOW)’s Audi, the No. 2, will introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the A3 compact next year after halting plans for an electric-powered R8 sports car. Daimler AG (DAI)’s Mercedes-Benz will sell an electric version of the B-Class compact in 2014. BMW’s push into electric cars started five years ago after Chief Executive Officer Norbert Reithofer, who will be in New York for the debut, set about shaking up the company’s horsepower-focused culture. He invited former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and one-time left-wing radical and German foreign minister Joschka Fischer to speak to company executives about challenges the world faces, including increasingly crowded cities, dwindling natural resources and pollution. These were all major issues for a company that builds performance-oriented cars engineered for German autobahns. Mission: Impossible To confront the risks, Reithofer created a small team in 2008 led by Ulrich Kranz, the developer of the original BMW Mini, to look at what growing megacities might mean for the company. The effort was dubbed Project i and has since evolved into the BMW i sub-brand, the environmental counterpart to a high-performance line called BMW M. The i3 -- a four-seat urban compact with a squat front end and plastic exterior -- is the first car for the sub-brand. Next will be the i8 hybrid supercar, which featured in the latest Mission: Impossible movie and will go on sale next year. More models may be on the way. BMW has trademarked i1 through i9, according to Ian Robertson, BMW’s sales chief. “We are not building something that comes to an end,” Robertson said in a media presentation at a test facility near Munich. By developing the i3 from scratch rather than converting an existing model, BMW’s approach to electric vehicles contrasts with other conventional automakers. A focus on reducing battery size -- and therefore costs -- led to the use of lightweight carbon-fiber components for the passenger compartment, magnesium supports for the dashboard and aluminum for the chassis. [ Full Article: businessweek/news/2013-07-28/bmw-electric-offered-with-spare-suv-to-ease-range-anxiety-cars ]
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:38:21 +0000
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