BMW i8: Tomorrow’s Concept Today

……to design, one must be a visionary & a forecaster, both of which are BMW

BMW promised another “8” series……is it embodied as the BMW i8? Is this the Twenty-first Century rendition of the 12-cylinder BMW 850i series produced from 1989-1999? The 850 series was the V12-grand tourer with a drag coefficient of 0.29. It was the first V12 engine mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox on a road car. Base price for the 850i series in the early 1990s started at $70,000. BMW “hinted” at 850i styling cues with the Pininfarina Gran Lusso Concept Coupe…….even the BMW M1 Concept looks as though it could be an “8”series…..the revered “8”series….introducing the first purely electric-powered vehicle to go into series production…..the futuristic BMW i8. It is a quantum leap for BMW….

”The Ultimate Driving Machine” has done it again. The BMW i8 was introduced at the Frankfurt International Motor Show in September, 2013. It is the world’s most forward-looking supercar, first in class to be the first purely electric-powered vehicle. The all-new BMW i8 features a passenger shell made from the CFRP Technology. With BMW eDrive it is driven solely with electric power alone…..

The BMW M1 Concept……………

The BMW 850i V12 grand tourer

The Alloy V12 powering the 850i series

The futuristic i8 is a 2+2 seat rolling sculpture of BMW Technology. It is the next generation of the luxury super sports car. World class technology meets automotive art. An in-line three cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbocharged gasoline engine with a 6-speed automatic gearbox and BMW eDrive in the form of an electric hybrid synchronous electric motor makes up the i8’s drive train. The BMW i8 was conceived from the ground up as a plug-in hybrid sports car boasting agile performance attributes and extraordinary efficiency. Its LifeDrive architecture – developed specifically for BMW i – offers the ideal platform for a weight-minimizing construction, low center of gravity and even weight distribution.

The exterior of the BMW i8 is most definitely Twenty-first Century. They have always been an innovator introducing technology ahead of its time. Like the BMW 850i series for example, it was a 12-cylinder super coupe with futuristic styling at the time…..the sleek aero-wedge with its pop-up headlamps and bodywork sweeping back into the signature Hofmeister Kink was advanced for its time.

The iconic BMW 850i series with V12 power……….

The aluminium in the car’s architecture is gained through recycling or produced using renewable energy. Even its carbon-fibre components use energy to manufacture it at Moses Lake that is provided by locally sourced renewable hydro-power making it 100% CO2-free. BMW has always been an exemplary example of partnership in the Business Community being Eco-friendly

Safety has always been foremost with BMW. CFRP possess impressive rigidity and torsional strength. It is able to absorb an enormous amount of energy. Impact at high speeds barely displays deformation. The patented LifeDrive architecture is a real life saver. The BMW i8 incorporates the latest knowledge from safety and accident research and the requirements of international crash test procedures. After sustaining a structurally debilitating offset front crash with an impact speed of 40 mph the extremely rigid material of the passenger cell remains intact. The i8 has impact absorbing crash-activated aluminium structures front and rear that accordion at a controlled rate.

Despite the heavy concentrated forces the material barely sustains a dent. CFRP is perfect for use in side panels. If forces go beyond the limits of the material strength it breaks up into its individual components in a controlled process. In the Euro NCAP Side impact test, a pole strikes the side of the vehicle dead-center at 20 mph leaving negligible deformation. 

Its battery is protected by crash-active aluminium structures front and rear. The battery is mounted centrally in the under body where the area absorbs the least energy in a crash and the area barely shows any deformation. The high-voltage battery is disconnected from the system and the components discharge when the passenger restraint systems are triggered. The battery is designed to last the life of the vehicle; the customer receives a warranty for eight years or 62,000 miles.

BMW i grants customers highly reliable access to the public charging infrastructure. The BMW I assists the link between the driver and the vehicle, the navigation system displays available charging stations. A transparent payment method through the use of the “ChargeNow card” enables access to charging poles operated by various providers offering a means of cashless payment.

This is the tease called the BMW Gran Lusso Concept by Pininfarina…..

I could see this as an “8” Series Beemer

Collaboration with Pininfarina of Italy created the Gran Lusso Coupe Concept (850i ?)

This is the first mass-produced electric hybrid supercar!

ok…this is the dream sequence….I try to always give you a dream sequence…….

The sweeping roofline ends in the Hofmeister Kink…………the 850i V12

The all-new electric-hybrid from “The Ultimate Driving Machine!” The BMW i8………