The BMW I3 Concept is the vehicle conceived to be consequently sustainable in urban traffic. Being a car that only has an electric motor and tailored to sustainable mobility and exempt from emissions, it represents the smartest way to move in urban and extra -urban environments.
It is a vehicle with a coherent integral concept. Every detail has been conceived and optimized depending on its subsequent use in the car. The BMW I3 Concept is light, safe, spacious and dynamic thanks to the innovative Lifedrive architecture. Innovative materials and intelligent use of light materials not only achieve great autonomy and high impact resistance, but also contribute to great dynamism behavior. The electric motor that applies its strength on the rear axle has a power of 125 kW (170 hp) and a considerable engine of 250 nm. To this is added a very small rotation radius. Thanks to these two qualities, the behavior of the BMW I3 is extremely agile. The BMW I3 Concept is able to stop the chrono in less than four seconds by accelerating from 0 to 60 km/h, and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h needs less than eight seconds.
The so-called Life-Modul allows the cabin to be very wide, the result of an exclusive design not based on the adaptation of existing platforms. The careful selection of the materials allows to create an open and diaphanous environment in the cabin, in which it is possible to feel very comfortable from the first moment. In the cabin mainly components manufactured with renewable raw materials are used, so the sustainable character of the car is obvious. Parts of the instrument board and the coatings of the doors are of visible natural fibers. The natural skin of the upholstery of the seats gives the cabin an environment that radiates comfort. The BMW I3 Concept is a very appropriate car for daily use, since it has four comfortable seats, doors that open in the opposite and angle direction, have a trunk with a volume of approximately 200 liters and has an additional functional space to store objects in the front.
Innovative connectivity functions manage to create a network that includes the BMW I3 Concept in the world that determines the customer's lifestyle. Using the remote functions that are accessed with a smartphone, it is possible to locate the car, obtain information on the closest recharge stations, load and condition the energy accumulator in advance simply by pressing a button and receive data related to the current state of the vehicle. The driver has the help of various intelligent assistance systems in adverse driving situations, such as traffic jams or accidents, so that he can reach his destination more relaxed and safely.
The LIFDRIVE architecture of the BMW I3 Concept,
unlike the conversion strategy applied until today, which provides for the integration of electrical components into cars that were originally designed for combustion engines, the innovative LIFDRive architecture applied in BMW I cars specifically considers the requirements posed by the electric motor. In this way it is possible to mount the electric motor and the energy accumulator in optimal places. This advantage adds to the intelligent use of light and innovative materials.
Both the BMW I3 Concept and the BMW I8 Concept have a Lifedrive architecture. However, the two models differ by the geometric implementation of the concept, in both cases adapted to the specific purpose of each car. In the case of BMW I3 Concept, the Lifedrive concept has a markedly horizontal division.
The Drive module of this model constitutes the basis for the Life module, which means that this part of the structure is simply mounted on top of the first. This functional composition of Lifedrive architecture is explained by the large size of the accumulator. The BMW I3 Concept accumulator has especially large dimensions to ensure that the autonomy of electrical conduction is greater. The battery cells are fully integrated in the low of the car, optimally taking advantage of the available space. In addition, its assembly below the total central surface of the Drive module provides advantages for the dynamic behavior of the car. Thanks to this assembly position, the distribution of the weight between the axes is optimal and the center of gravity of the car is very low.
The accumulator is surrounded by a profiled aluminum structure that protects it against abroad impacts. In front and behind the accumulator are two programmed deformation structures, capable of absorbing the energy of a frontal crash or on the back of the car. Considering that the electric propeller set is much more compact than a comparable combustion engine, it has been possible to mount the electric motor, the reducer and functional electronics in a very small space just above the posterior motor axis, thanks to extremely ingenious solutions. The BMW I3 Concept represents the optimal configuration of Lifedrive architecture for a vehicle propelled only with an electric motor.
Since all the components of the propeller set are included in the Drive module, in the cabin there is no central tunnel that until now was necessary to transmit the force of the front engine to the rear wheels. Therefore, the BMW I3 Concept has a much more spacious cabin than other vehicles with the same wheelbase and, in addition, allows to apply solutions that are optimal for urban mobility, such as seats of seats without central interruption.
The BMW I3 Concept offers enough space for four adults to be comfortably seat. Its trunk of approximately 200 liters allows you to store a sufficient amount of luggage.
The BMW i3 concept chassis was also especially conceived for use in the city. The reduced rotation radius and the direction of direct reactions result in extraordinary agility, especially in low-speed driving.
Purely electric: The BMW I3 Concept
The BMW I3 Concept electric motor has been especially conceived for use in the city. This engine has a power of 125 kW/170 hp and its torque is 250 nm. As is typical in electric motors, the torque is immediately available, which means that it does not have to be generated through the increase in revolutions as in a combustion engine. Therefore, the BMW I3 Concept is extremely agile and its acceleration capacity is impressive: the BMW I3 Concept is able to stop the chrono in less than four seconds by accelerating from 0 to 60 km/h, and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h needs less than eight seconds.
In addition, the high torque is available throughout a wide margin of revolutions, so the delivery of the power is very homogeneous. The single -relationship box transmits the power optimally to the posterior wheels. With this box, the BMW I3 can reach a speed of up to 150 km/H accelerating without interrupting the transmission of the force.
In addition, the electric motor allows the car using the accelerator pedal. At the time the driver removes the foot from the accelerator, the electric motor acts as an alternator, which feeds the car battery braking energy. At the same time, a moment of braking is generated sufficient to considerably the car considerably. This driving with a single pedal ("One-Pedal-Feeling"), that is, the possibility of accelerating and braking with a single pedal, manages to accentuate that typical feeling of an electric car to be "floating" on the track. When the driver removes the foot from the pedal, it "unresses" by regulating the zero moment of the electric motor, taking advantage of the kinetic energy itself as a propulsion force. In these circumstances, the BMW I3 Concept seems to be planning on the asphalt, without consuming energy.
Compact and powerful: the electric motor
The BMW I3 concept is not only characterized by its pleasant operation. The innovative character of the electric motor is especially revealed through the relationship between its power and the space it occupies. Thanks to the studied development work, the BMW I3 Concept electric motor occupies a 40 percent space than the MINI E engine. The compact and powerful engine, functional electronics and the reducer included in the differential are mounted on the posterior axis and the set does not invade the cabin.
The power supply to the electric motor and all other consumption units are in charge of ion-lithium cells specially developed for that purpose. The BMW I3 Concept accumulator has also been optimized in all its details, so that external influences affect much less on the availability of electrical power. In addition, the intelligent heating and cooling system is responsible for energy accumulators always have an optimal operating temperature, so the performance and useful life of cells increases. Once the accumulator is connected to the current, it is completely charged in six hours. Using the fast charging mode, 80 percent of the total load elapsed one hour is reached.
Range Extender for greater autonomy
as evidenced by the tests performed with the mini e, the autonomy of this model was able to meet 90 percent of the mobility needs of the people who integrated the test group. But considering that some clients demand a higher autonomy and a maximum level of flexibility, the Range Extender (REX) system that increases the autonomy of the car is included in the BMW I3 Concept. Rex is a small gasoline engine of very silent operation that starts an alternator in order to keep the battery charge level constant, so that the car can continue working for longer with the electric motor.
