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The first electric vehicle to launch under the new BMW i sub-brand was once again spied during cold weather testing. BMW i3 will make its official debut in 2013, but a concept version is expected to be unveiled later this year.

At launch, Megacity will be offered in a two-door, four-seat configuration. The car will measure around 157 inches. In the future, the MCV sub-brand will include two additional models.
First one due in 2015 and dubbed ICV, short Intracity Vehicle, will be a two-door, two-seat car. In 2017, UCV – Urban Commuter Vehicle -will extend the length of the initial MCV and has four doors while hosting five people.

BMW Megacity is powered by a lithium-ion battery with 35 kWh of capacity placed below the vehicle’s floor. Rear-wheels approach remains in BMW’s philosophy and the power is sent to the rear wheels through a rear-mounted 150-hp electric motor. Driving range is expected to top at 100 miles and top speed at 95 mph.

The price of the i3 is not yet decided, but BMW sources mentioned in the past that the i3 will be above 40,000 euros in Europe.

BMW also said is looking at different channels to put these cars on the street, one of them is the Zipcar-like approach, a car sharing process more and more popular around the world.

Here are the first spyshots of the BMW i8, flagship of the new BMW i sub-brand, conducting cold weather testing. According to Scott26, it’s undergoing drivetrain testing and some details on the car seen here will still be subject to change.

The i8 was previously intended to be powered by a The combination of a 3-cylinder turbo diesel with a hybrid synchronous motor at the front axle and a full engine at the rear axle to enable an overall system output of 241 kW/328 bhp. But, according to R&D chief Klaus Draeger, the diesel motor will now be replaced by a traditional gasoline engine in order to appeal to the widest potential sales market.

Tom Cruise will drive the electric/diesel hybrid i8 in new Mission Impossible film The Ghost Protocol.

Celebs have been driving hybrids for years, and now that some of the luxury brands are going electric, BMW’s chic new i8 plug-in hybrid has been given a new role: movie star.

The electric hybrid will serve as Tom Cruise‘s car in the new Mission Impossible film installment, The Ghost Protocol. And if you’re agent Ethan Hunt (played by Cruise), this is a car you’d definitely want on your side. The BMW i8 promises to go from 0-60 mph in five seconds, is powered by a 328-horsepower diesel-electric drivetrain, has a top speed of 155 mph, and fuel efficiency of 62.5 miles per gallon— in other words, the perfect getaway car.

Action films like the Mission Impossible franchise tend to make cars a vital part of the film, so it’s great to see that this latest movie will be promoting and showcasing an eco-friendly one.

Granted, the i8 is estimated to cost you upwards of $160k, so the average movie watcher won’t be able to run out and invest in one themselves. But part of the stigma surrounding electric cars is that they simply aren’t as capable as a regular car, and hopefully a film like this can dispel that!

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Ferrari, Audi, Mercedes, BMW

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Rolls Royce

 

At the Geneva Auto Show this year, German manufacturer BMW will be bringing a new interpretation of the Vision concept shown in 2009 in Frankfurt. This time, however, the concept has been created not as an extension of a power train, but as an extension of the drivers themselves.

To be used as a show-and-tell platform for BMW's finest technologies in terms of “current and future methods of mobile networking,” packed with eye-catching, mind-blowing infotainment systems, the car will also benefit from a very special unveiling during the Geneva event.

Among the technologies developed by BMW for the concept, one of the most important is the new interpretation of the Head-Up Display (HUD). Build to render the information in 3D, it is capable of projecting information about the route precisely onto the location of a possible turn-off - in relation to the actual field of view.

Working in conjunction with the display is the freely programmable instrument cluster, which is used to complement the projections generated by the HUD. Also built to render the information in 3D, the cluster is said to be able to enhance the impact of the data relayed to the driver by means of graphics.

In the Vision ConnectedDrive concept, the passenger too can feel he is part of the car. The Passenger Information Display can be used by the wannabe co-pilot to evaluate information or address details for the navigation system. The funny side of the ride is insured by means of an Emotional Browser, which can gather data about the surroundings, including people, mood or location.

On the outside of the car, an array of sensors embedded into the headlights and the rear lights is used to monitor the traffic situation and the environment. The outside mirrors have been replaced by antennas, which are used as transmission-reception hubs for the data transmitted from or to the vehicle.

The 2011 Geneva Motor Show will see the world premier of the BMW ActiveE. Based on the current BMW 1 Series Coupé, the BMW ActiveE is the second electric test vehicle to be created by the BMW Group.

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The 2011 Geneva Motor Show will see the world premier of the BMW ActiveE. Based on the current BMW 1 Series Coupé, the BMW ActiveE is the second electric test vehicle to be created by the BMW Group.

With four seats and a luggage compartment of 200 litres, the BMW ActiveE is the first electric vehicle from the BMW Group to combine the space and comfort of a traditionally powered BMW with a fully electric drivetrain. Intelligent packaging ensures that the driver and all three passengers have the same head, leg and shoulder room as they would in a standard BMW 1 Series Coupé.

At the heart of the BMW ActiveE is a powerful electric synchronous motor which propels the car from zero to 60mph in just nine seconds, delivering 168hp and maximum torque of 250Nm, from a standing start. While its top speed is electronically limited to 90mph. The BMW ActiveE maintains the dynamic driving style that is typical of a BMW, with a low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight distribution to enhance traction and power transfer of the high torque.

Replacing the engine block, transmission and fuel tank are three large energy storage units containing lithium-ion cells, developed in conjunction with SB LiMotive. These modules are protected by a steel-plate battery housing with integrated liquid cooling system, to keep the batteries at optimum operating temperature helping to increase the range. These housings also help to ensure that the BMW ActiveE meets the same stringent safety standards as the BMW 1 Series Coupé, meeting and exceeding the levels legislated.

The BMW ActiveE is engineered so that when the driver takes his foot off the accelerator pedal the motor becomes a generator and feeds the electricity created from kinetic energy back into the vehicle battery, while at the same time braking torque is created, slowing the vehicle down. This recuperation of energy can increase the range by up to 20 per cent.

For the first time in a BMW Group electric vehicle the BMW ActiveE features an ‘intermediate position’ for the accelerator pedal that results in the car’s own kinetic energy being used to move forward, without consuming energy from the batteries. In essence it is a ‘gliding’ mode. With previous electric vehicles when the accelerator lifts the car automatically starts to brake. To further increase the range of the BMW ActiveE ECO PRO Mode can be selected whereby the drive configuration and comfort functions are modified to use less energy and facilitate a more efficient driving style. In ECO PRO mode the heating and air conditioning system are programmed to use less energy and the accelerator demands less power with the same travel.

The BMW ActiveE retains the dynamic looks of the traditionally powered BMW 1 Series Coupé but with circuit inspired graphics, a scoop in the bonnet and a closed rear apron, with no exhaust pipes, to distinguish it. Inside Pearl Grey Dakota leather seats with Blue contrasting seams, along with a revised instrument cluster are the main indicators of the electric drivetrain. Instead of the traditional fuel gauge and rev counters the dials show the level of charge left in the battery and the amount of energy being used and recuperated.

The BMW ActiveE is not dependent on a specific energy source and so can be charged using 32-ampere wallbox in five hours, or overnight from a conventional domestic socket. This allows greater flexibility allowing the car to be charged wherever there is an electricity supply.

Starting in 2011, a test fleet of over 1,000 BMW ActiveE vehicles will be trialed in the USA, Europe and China and will provide valuable insights into the everyday use of the electric vehicle. The knowledge and insights gained from the field trials of the BMW ActiveE will be fed back for the future development of the Megacity Vehicle, due to go into production in 2013. BMW UK will be leasing BMW ActiveEs to select customers. Further details will be announced in due course.

BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroen are setting up a joint venture to develop and produce hybrid- power components and software in an effort to cut supply costs.

The 50-50 partnership, to be named BMW Peugeot Citroen Electrification, will begin operating in the second quarter and provide parts for both manufacturers’ vehicles starting in 2014, the companies said today in a joint statement. The project will be run by Wolfgang Guellich, BMW’s head of purchasing strategy, and Jean Leflour, chief of customer satisfaction at Peugeot.

“This cooperative venture will enable us to achieve significant economies of scale in the field of electrification,” BMW Chief Executive Officer Norbert Reithofer said in the statement. “It also represents an important step on the road to sustainable mobility.”

BMW, which has its headquarters in Munich, has cooperated since 2006 on engines with Paris-based Peugeot, Europe’s second- biggest carmaker. In February 2010, the manufacturers said they would develop 4-cylinder gasoline engines that conform with the latest European Union environmental rules. The venture announced today follows a memorandum of understanding on hybrid-power technology development signed in October.

BMW Peugeot Citroen Electrification will involve suppliers in the development process and may sell products to other manufacturers, the carmakers said.