In the industry-wide race to go electric without
compromising performance, BMW is undoubtedly at the front of the pack. Revealed
as a concept in 2009, and as a production model this year, the i8 and i3 are
some of the most interesting vehicles to come out of BMW for quite some time.
The i3 is meant for the urban commuter looking for
efficiency. The i3 sports a liquid-cooled lithium ion battery which pumps
around 170 horsepower, in this case 125 KW to the rear wheels, propelling the compact
SUV from 0-60 in less than 8 seconds. Not bad at all.
To get even sportier, we’d have to take a trip in the i8. It’s
been a while since a plug-in hybrid car caught my attention, but the i8 has
truly won me over. Upon first glance, you know you’re looking at a fast car.
What you don’t know is what planet it came from. BMW managed to bring sleek and aggressive
together in perfect harmony with efficient and dramatic. It's only rational that they chose this car to star in the coming Mission Impossible movie.
The massive sheet of glass that makes up the windshield
spans across the entire car, right to the back seats. Yes, it’s a 4-seater
coupe with glass doors. I would hope there is some kind of a factory tint, just
for privacy’s sake. The i8 is powered by one of the most intricate systems in
the automotive industry. The i8 uses an electric motor to send power to the
front axle, coupled with a 3-cylinder turbo gasoline engine pushing 220
horsepower to the rear wheels. That equates to a 0-60 time of less than 5
seconds. Not bad for a car with a fuel mileage of roughly 94 mpg!
