Reporters crowd the new BMWi3 electric vehicle (EV) at its unveiling on Monday, July 29, 2013 in New York. The unveiling marks BMW's official entry into the EV market with an electrically driven city car designed from the ground up to be as eco-friendly as possible. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
BMW AG is showing off the production model of its new i3 electric compact that uses carbon-fiber materials to keep the weight down and improve driving performance.
CEO Norbert Reithofer stressed at a New York unveiling that the car was designed as an electric from the ground up. The i3 is "born electric," he said.
The company says the i3, built in Leipzig, Germany, will go from zero to 100kph (zero to 62 mph) in 7.2 seconds. Its range is billed as 130-160 kilometers (80-100 miles). Models with an optional range extender gas engine can go as far as 300 kilometers (200 miles.)
The car goes on sale in November in Germany and other European markets starting at 34,950 euros ($46,000) and reaches the U.S., Japan and China next year.
This April 4, 2013 file photo shows a BMW i3 electric compact car in Stuttgart, Germany. BMW AG is showing off Monday, July, 29, 2013, the production model of its new i3 electric compact aimed at people in megacities where exhaust emissions are a concern. The company used carbon fiber in the vehicle's construction to keep weight down and help improve driving performance and range. CEO Norbert Reithofer stressed that the car was designed as an electric from the ground up. He said "the i3 was born electric." (AP Photo/dpa, Marijan Murat)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and Norbert Reithofer, BMW CEO, review the new BMWi3 electric vehicle (EV) at its unveiling on Monday, July 29, 2013 in New York. The unveiling marks BMW's official entry into the EV market with an electrically driven city car designed from the ground up to be as eco-friendly as possible. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, left, and Norbert Reithofer, BMW CEO, review the new BMWi3 electric vehicle (EV) at its unveiling on Monday, July 29, 2013 in New York. The unveiling marks BMW's official entry into the EV market with an electrically driven city car designed from the ground up to be as eco-friendly as possible. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
In this photo provided by BMW, the new four-seat electric BMW i3 is shown, Sunday, July 28, 2013 in New York. BMW's new electric has a lightweight carbon fiber reinforced plastic body and can travel 80 to 100 miles between charging. (AP Photo/Tom Kirkpatrick,BMW)
Reporters review the new BMWi3 electric vehicle (EV) at its unveiling on Monday, July 29, 2013 in New York. The unveiling marks BMW's official entry into the EV market with an electrically driven city car designed from the ground up to be as eco-friendly as possible. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Citation:
BMW pulls wraps off i3 electric car (Update) (2013, July 29)
retrieved 19 April 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2013-07-bmw-i3-electric-car.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no
part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
![BMW pulls wraps off i3 electric car](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2013/6-bmwpullswrap.jpg "This April 4, 2013 file photo shows a BMW i3 electric compact car in Stuttgart, Germany. BMW AG is showing off Monday, July, 29, 2013, the production model of its new i3 electric compact aimed at people in megacities where exhaust emissions are a concern. The company used carbon fiber in the vehicle's construction to keep weight down and help improve driving performance and range. CEO Norbert Reithofer stressed that the car was designed as an electric from the ground up. He said "the i3 was born electric." (AP Photo/dpa, Marijan Murat)")
