The Evolution of Automotive Industry
As we step into the 2020s, the era of fossil fuel-powered cars seems to be coming to an end, as electric vehicles (EVs) are asserting themselves with their powerful impact and expansion in the mobility industry. In fact, they have already reserved their place in the future of transportation.
Compared to traditional combustion engine models, EVs represent a new species that seeks to make improvements in all aspects of the automobile, from smart connectivity to autonomous driving to owners’ lifestyle. Both new players and traditional car manufacturers are striving towards this direction.
“Blue sky and white clouds” BMW from Bavaria shares this vision. Being the most experienced in handling, this luxury brand aims to give consumers cleaner energy, smarter mobility, a fresher life, and most importantly, keep alive the driving pleasure that enthralls customers in the new era. Thus, BMW i3 was born.
Continuation of the Soul
If a BMW 3 series is an indispensable part of life, will the BMW i3 become the irreplaceable EV of people’s lives in the electrification era?
This idea seems natural as the platform for the 3 series, the CLAR rear-wheel drive platform, has an interesting characteristic. It is not only a platform that can produce gasoline-based cars but also EVs and hybrid cars.
Yes, it is a “fuel-and-electricity-compatible” platform.When the CLAR platform was developed and launched with the current 7 Series in 2015, BMW was already preparing for electrification transformation. At the same time, the platform’s lightweight and rear-wheel drive features ensure that BMW’s electrified models can correspondingly reduce weight on traditional components when carrying batteries and “increasing” hundreds of kilograms, and can continue to ensure excellent front and rear weight balance using rear-wheel drive characteristics.
This is also the sincerity of the BMW i3. Under the “oil-electricity compatibility” platform, it can continue to have the high-tech and luxury enjoyment that BMW has built in the internal combustion engine era, and also has the soul of performance, letting the “blue sky and white clouds” follow along when the motor rotates.
Innovation in Experience
The first thing is to have a cockpit closely related to the keywords “luxury” and “technology”. BMW defines it as a “digital luxury experience.”
The interior layout retains the layout of the 3 Series, which is a more mature and widely recognized design.
Considering its electric car identity, the BMW i3 adopts the same integrated floating curved screen as the BMW i4 and BMW iX, integrating a 14.9-inch central touch display and a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel. Coupled with BMW’s “driver-centered” design concept and a 6-degree tilt angle to ensure that the dashboard layout is easy to operate and allows drivers to quickly and easily find the information they need.
The brand-new iDrive operating system 8.0 provides a wide variety of applications for personalized and interactive human-machine interaction, enabling drivers to complete various operations smoothly during their journeys. Even novices who are using the system for the first time can quickly get started with the familiar and mature UI design.
For intelligent driving, one can rest assured to rely on the Pro autonomous driving assistance system, which covers the functions that those new vehicle manufacturers who emphasize intelligence are proud of, such as collision warning, lane change assistance, parking assistance, and 50 meters reverse tracking.
The blue sky and white clouds of the electric era
However, this is not all. What truly amazes you is the dream of blue sky and white clouds in the field of electric vehicles, which is continued on the i3.
This is also why I highly recommend BMW. In the face of new vehicle manufacturing concepts and new demands, it embraces those new things thoroughly while providing the same driving experience as always.
Its drag coefficient can be as low as 0.24Cd, adopting the 5th generation BMW eDrive electric drive technology and excitation synchronous motor with a maximum power of 210 kW and a maximum torque of 400 Nm. The acceleration is 6.2 seconds per 100 kilometers. For “driving experience enthusiasts”, driving this car will give you a familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.
The unfamiliar feeling comes from its motor output, exhaust sound and the blood-tingling sensation when shifting gears vanished. What’s familiar is the instant push when you deeply press down the accelerator pedal. When you turn the steering wheel in bends, the inertia that your eyes and body feels, as well as the force needed according to the driving route, all tell you that the car is still like every gasoline car produced by BMW – it will never drag or hesitate and can travel with the fastest response and the most elegant posture.
Unlike the 3 Series, the i3 has a lower center of gravity by 44mm and wider front and rear wheel tracks. In extreme operations, the DSC dynamic stability control system including the ARB anti-slip stability control unit can bring better traction and grip, and the turning posture is more stable. Another small detail is that the flat chassis can also allow better air circulation below the vehicle, which has a positive effect on the vehicle’s dynamic performance.
Actually, this is also the advantage of the platform, with the core of it being the word “reduction in weight.” The BMW i3 is equipped with only a 70 kWh high nickel ternary lithium battery pack, but its CLTC standard mileage can reach 526 kilometers. This is a reflection of the high efficiency of the BMW 5th-generation electric drive system. In addition, the development of lightweight, compact and integrated concepts, as well as the compatibility of the platform with hybrid products allow the chassis to accommodate adaptive air suspension.
The front and rear suspensions of the BMW i3 utilize HRS hydraulic recoil shock absorption technology. The back of the vehicle also has a rear anti-roll bar, and the engine compartment is equipped with front shock absorber top pull rods. The core selling point is the adaptive air suspension system, which is also a standard for the first time in this product category. It can calmly improve the supportability, and automatically adjust the body to a level height when driving on different road surfaces with precise control.
Green travel is the theme of the electric driving era. The entire life cycle of the BMW i3 realizes carbon reduction. The self-developed permanent magnet synchronous motor does not use rare earth materials, and even performs better. The most critical battery part can rely on the battery code traceability management system built by Huachen BMW, from production to scrap recycling life cycle tracking, adding a touch of green to the “digital luxury experience” you can enjoy.
A BMW car is something one cannot avoid in life. As early as the 1972 Munich Olympics, BMW launched its first pure electric vehicle, the 1602e. In the following years, it prepared every aspect such as platform architecture, battery, motor, material, intelligence, and environmental protection early, and introduced it with multiple products in the acceleration of the electrification process. Among them, there will be up to 15 mass-produced and trial-produced pure electric vehicle models within 2022. By the end of 2025, it plans to deliver 2 million pure electric vehicles worldwide.
To advance the landing of transformation with determination and to demonstrate sincerity to the market with technology, what BMW i3 pursues is the best experience in intelligence, luxury, performance, handling, and safety that it can offer to consumers. These will be the decisive factors for BMW in the era of electric driving.
! imageIt uses design, interaction between cab, interaction between human and car, interaction between car and road to convey the brand’s persistent adherence and evolution to “blue sky and white cloud”. It has a balanced comprehensiveness and notable strengths – handling, giving BMW’s pure electric models a completely different feeling from other brands’ products. BMW i3 will still be the BMW car with leading luxury experience, and the fun it demonstrates will definitely make you not regret your choice, choosing the electric car that you cannot bypass in your life.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.