The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW. The i8 was part of BMW's electrified fleet and was marketed under the BMW i sub-brand. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was released in Germany in June 2014. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. began in August 2014. A roadster variant was launched in May 2018. Production ended in June 2020.
The 2015 i8 could accelerate from 0 to in 4.4 seconds and had an electronically limited top speed of . The 2015 model year i8 had a 7.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivered an all-electric range of under the New European Driving Cycle. Under the U.S. EPA cycle, the range in EV mode was . The battery capacity of both the BMW i8 Roadster and the i8 Coupe was increased to 11.6 kWh in 2018, allowing the NEDC electric range to rise to for the coupé and for the roadster.
The i8 coupé had a fuel efficiency of under the NEDC test with carbon emissions of 49 g/km. The EPA rated the i8 combined fuel economy at 76 MPGe (2.1 L gasoline-equivalent/100 km; 91 mpg-imp gasoline-equivalent) and 29 miles per gallon (6.7L/100 km) when running in pure gasoline mode.
History
Previewed by the Vision EfficientDynamics concept car, the i8 was part of BMW's "Project i" and was marketed as a new brand, BMW i, sold separately from BMW or Mini. The BMW i3, launched for customers in Europe in the fourth quarter of 2013, was the first model of the i brand available in the market, and it was followed by the i8, released in Germany in June 2014 as a 2015 model year. Other i models were expected to follow.
The turbodiesel concept car was unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany, In 2010, BMW announced the mass production of the Vision EfficientDynamics concept in Leipzig beginning in 2013 as the BMW i8. The BMW i8 gasoline-powered concept car destined for production was unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 International Motor Show Germany. The following are the concept and pre-production models developed by BMW that preceded the production version. When BMW i sponsored the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, they announced that they would provide support vehicles; the i8 operated as the official safety car.
BMW Vision EfficientDynamics (2009)
The BMW Vision EfficientDynamics was a plug-in hybrid concept car with a 1.5L three-cylinder turbo-diesel engine. Additionally, there were two electric motors with . It allowed for acceleration from 0 to in 4.8 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of .
According to BMW, the average fuel consumption in the EU test cycle (KV01) was , with a carbon dioxide emission rating of 99 grams per kilometer (1,3 L/100 km and 33g /kabelham; EU-PHEV ECE-R101). The estimated all-electric range was , and the 24-liter petrol tank extended the total vehicle range to up to . The lightweight chassis was made mainly from aluminum. The windshield, top, doors, and fenders were made from polycarbonate glass, with the body having a drag coefficient of 0.22.
The designers of the BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concept were Mario Majdandzic for the exterior and Jochen Paesen (lead interior design), Markus Speck (interior design), and Felix Staudacher former Baerlin (detail design) for the interior. While Jochen Paesen took care of the main interior theme, Markus Speck was in charge of the seats, all the visible structure, and some details. Felix Baerlin supported Jochen Paesen on details including the steering wheel and center console.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2009 International Motor Show Germany, followed by Auto China 2010.
BMW i8 Concept (2011)
The BMW i8 Concept plug-in hybrid electric vehicle included an electric motor located in the front axle powering the front wheels rated at and , a turbocharged 1.5-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine driving rear wheels rated at and of torque, with a combined output of and , a lithium-ion battery pack that allowed an all-electric range of . All four wheels provided regenerative braking. The location of the battery pack in the energy tunnel gave the vehicle a low centre of gravity, enhancing its dynamics. Its top speed was electronically limited to and was expected to go from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in 4.6 seconds. Under normal driving conditions the i8 was expected to deliver under the European cycle. A full charge of the battery would take less than two hours at 220 V. The positioning of the motor and engine over the axles resulted in 50/50 weight distribution.
The vehicle was unveiled at the 2011 International Motor Show Germany, followed by CENTER 548 in New York City, 42nd Tokyo Motor Show 2011, 82nd Geneva Motor Show 2012, BMW i Born Electric Tour at the Palazzo Delle Esposizioni at Via Nazionale 194 in Rome, and Auto Shanghai 2013.
This concept car was featured in the film Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
BMW i8 Concept Spyder (2012)
The BMW i8 Concept Spyder included a slightly shorter wheelbase and overall length compared to the BMW i8 Concept, carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) Life module, drive modules made primarily from aluminum components, interlocking of surfaces and lines, screen display, off-white outer layer, and orange-toned naturally tanned leather upholstery.
The vehicle was unveiled at Auto China 2012 in Beijing where it won Concept Car of the Year, followed by the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show 2013.BMW at the 83rd Geneva International Motor Show 2013. The designer of the BMW i8 Concept Spyder was Richard Kim.
BMW i8 coupe prototype (2013) The design of the BMW i8 coupe prototype was based on the BMW i8 Concept. The BMW i8 prototype had an average fuel efficiency of less than under the New European Driving Cycle with carbon emissions of less than 59 g/km. The i8 with its carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) passenger cell, lightweight, aerodynamically optimized body, and BMW eDrive technology offered an expected sprint time of less than 4.5 seconds using both power sources. The plug-in hybrid system of the BMW i8 comprised a three-cylinder, 1.5-liter BMW TwinPower Turbo gasoline engine combined with BMW eDrive technology used in the BMW i3 and developed maximum power of . The BMW i8 was the first BMW production model to be powered by a three-cylinder gasoline engine and the resulting specific output of per liter of displacement was the highest of any engine produced by the BMW Group.
The BMW i8's second power source was a hybrid synchronous electric motor specially developed and produced by the BMW Group for BMW i. The electric motor developed a maximum power of and produced its maximum torque of around from a standstill. As well as providing a power boost to assist the gasoline engine during acceleration, the electric motor could also power the vehicle by itself. Top speed in electric mode was approximately , with a maximum driving range of up to . The model-specific version of the high-voltage 7.2 lithium-ion battery had a liquid cooling system.
The vehicle was unveiled in BMW Group's Miramas test track in France.
Production version
The production BMW i8 was designed by Benoit Jacob. The production version was unveiled at the 2013 International Motor Show Germany, followed by 2013 Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez. Its design was heavily influenced by the BMW M1 Homage concept car, which in turn pays homage to BMW's last production mid-engined sports car prior to the i8: the BMW M1.
The BMW i8 featured butterfly doors, head-up display, rear-view cameras and partially false engine noise.Ziegler, Chris. "THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: BMW i8 REVIEW" The Verge, 13 November 2014. Accessed: 17 November 2014. Series production of customer vehicles began in April 2014. The electric two-speed drivetrain was developed and produced by GKN. It was the first production car with laser headlights, reaching farther than LED lights.Bernth, Martin. "Ingeniøren-journalist blev blød i knæene over ny BMW-sportsvogn" English translation Ingeniøren, 27 November 2014. Accessed: 27 November 2014.
The i8 had a vehicle weight of (DIN kerb weight) and a low drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.26. In all-electric mode, the BMW i8 had a top speed of . In Sport mode, the i8 delivered a mid-range acceleration from in 2.6 seconds. The electronically controlled top speed was .
The 20,000th i8 was produced in December 2019, one of the limited Ultimate Sophisto Edition models. The last i8 rolled off the production line on 11 June 2020. In total, there were 20,465 units produced: 16,581 coupés and 3,884 roadsters.
Range and fuel economy
The production i8 had a 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a usable capacity of 5.2 kWh and intelligent energy management that delivered an all-electric range of under the NEDC cycle. Under the EPA cycle, the range in EV mode was , and the total range was .
The production version had a fuel efficiency of under the NEDC test with carbon emissions of 49 g/km. Under EPA cycle, the i8 combined fuel economy in EV mode was rated 76 equivalent (MPG-equivalent) (3.1 L gasoline equivalent/100 km; 91 mpg-imp gasoline equivalent), with an energy consumption of 43 kW-hrs/100 mi and gasoline consumption of 0.1 gal-US/100 mi. The combined fuel economy when running only with gasoline (after the battery was drained empty) was for city driving, and on the highway.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2014 edition of the Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends introduced utility factors for plug-in hybrids to represent the percentage of miles that would be driven using electricity by an average driver, in electric only or blended modes. The BMW i8 Coupé had an EV mode utility factor of 37%, compared with 83% for the BMW i3 REx, 66% for the Chevrolet Volt, 65% for the Cadillac ELR, 45% for the Ford Energi models, 43% for the McLaren P1, 39% for the Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid, and 29% for the Toyota Prius PHV. See Table 7.2 – MY 2014 Alternative Fuel Vehicle Powertrain and Range.
The battery capacity of both models launched in 2018, BMW i8 Roadster and the i8 Coupé, was increased to a gross energy content of 11.6 kWh. This, and other improvements, increased the all-electric range to for the BMW i8 Coupé and for the BMW i8 Roadster, both under the NEDC test. Under the U.S. EPA driving cycle, the range only increased from to .
The following are the BMW i8 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ratings for all-electric range and fuel economy for all variants of the i8 between 2014 and 2020 model years.
BMW i8 EPA ratingsModelYearmodelFuel/EV rangeCombinedCity/HighwayNotesBMW i8 CoupéBMW i8 Roadster 20192020 Electricity only 69 mpg-e(49 kW-hrs/100 mi) - Gasoline only 27 mpg 26 mpg/ 29 mpg BMW i8 2014201520162017 Electricity only 76 mpg-e(43 kW-hrs/100 mi) - Gasoline only28 mpg 28 mpg/ 29 mpg Notes:
Engines YearsType/code PowerTorque 2014–2018 I3 turbo B38K15T0 at 5800 rpm at 3700 rpmhybrid synchronous motor at 0 rpmCombined at 3700 rpm 2018–2020 I3 turbo B38K15T0 at 5800 rpm at 3700 rpmhybrid synchronous motor at 4800 rpm at 0 rpmCombined at 3700 rpm
Special edition
The special-edition BMW i8 Protonic Red Edition model was unveiled at the 2016 Geneva International Motor Show. The Protonic Red Edition was produced at BMW Plant Leipzig from July 2016. This special edition car sported a Protonic Red paint finish with accents in Frozen Grey metallic. The colour scheme was complemented by BMW W-spoke 470 light-alloy wheels painted in Orbit Grey metallic with hubs painted in Aluminium matte and mixed-size tires (front: 215/45 R20, rear: 245/40 R20). Inside, the car featured red double-stitching and applications in high-grade carbon fibre and ceramic trim.
Roadster