BMW i3 - The Beginning to The End

[Music] this is our BMW I3 we call him Rex he's a daily driver and still gets a lot of stairs 10 years after the first one rolled off the line the I3 is a fascinating look at what BMW thought the future of the automobile was a decade ago and is still a cult classic car with immense appeal to many owners let's explore why this car is so loved what BMW got right and why the I3 is no longer in production welcome to the fleet let's go back to 2007 in the United States George W Bush was still president in the UK Tony Blair then Gordon Brown were the prime minister first iPhone was introduced R.I.P Steve Jobs in 2007 BMW launched project I a group within the company whose mission was to develop sustainable and Visionary concepts for Mobility with an assignment to develop new and Trend setting products born out of this effort was the Mega City Vehicle concept which then became the I3 we all know and love one thing to appreciate is how many things from the early Concepts actually made it to production things like the rear hinge rear doors seamless glass tailgate open front foot Wells and even the steering wheel and dashboard design project I brought a Fresh Approach to what a BMW could be and was very different from other BMWs and EVS of the era a lot of money was invested in new technologies facilities and process development to make the I3 a reality and Propel BMW forward as concept cars began making the rounds at Auto shows it was very clear that BMW was heading in a New Direction with the i3 whether you love it or hate it the I3 is uniquely styled and still stands out after 10 years on the road but you don't have to take my word for it let's hear more about the I3 from its exterior designer Richard Kim so this has been an amazing opportunity this is a dream project we were able to build and design a car from scratch a blank sheet of paper we're able to have all the best of the best stuff and all the most creative ideas we've Incorporated that into uh one very nice package for the i3 I think BMW nailed it with the i3's design it has a healthy dose of futurism while still remaining approachable the exterior design is purposeful and shares some concepts with BMW's mini brand with two-tone color schemes Wheels pushed to the corners and short front and rear overhangs your choice of Wheels have a huge impact on how the car looks there's a nice selection of big wheels starting at 19 inches and Topping out at 20s from the factory true to its original Mega City Vehicle concept name the I3 is a dream to drive in urban environments even with the optional 20-inch wheels the ride is well damped and comfortable with the low center of gravity ample torque low weight direct steering and rear wheel drive it's fun to zoom around in while not feeling like a total Appliance just don't take Corners too fast because the tall body and skinny tires cause more leaning and sliding than you'd like driving is one thing but house parking with a tight turning radius excellent visibility and small exterior Dimensions the I3 can work its way through traffic and park pretty much anywhere it's even easier if you have the parking assistance package this technology has been around for a while but it's still super cool to see it in action perfect for those who hate parallel parking and curved Wheels let's go from parking to practicality there's plenty of room in the back for your shopping and a little bit more in the front the I3 might be a small car but it's amazing how much we've been able to pack in there yep even a full-size adult bicycle with the front tire still attached I see you in the front Olive there's a ton of room inside for the driver and front passenger as well with thoughtful material choices and a premium Vibe it's really nice to have a small car with high-end features and finishes because most manufacturers put their fancy things in their larger cars entering the I3 is like entering a sea of sustainability BMW went all in on lowering the car's carbon footprint let's check out a few of these environmentally friendly features features such as the leather trim cfrp roof seat and door Fabrics dashboard cover natural wood trim and plastic body panels we of course want to combine the idea of sustainability responsibility together with the idea of emotion nothing gets me more emotional than good engineering so let's talk about the I3 Special Sauce cfrp carbon fiber reinforced plastic it's responsible for a huge part of what makes the I3 so special well the benefits of carbon are that it's a very light material it has a weight advantage of over 50 percent versus steel and still over 30 percent compared with aluminum it's really a precondition that uh followed from our premises in in project I and that we said we wanted to really change the production of the vehicle and the entire value chain to lower the CO2 footprint as much as possible cfrp's benefits include low weight high strength and rigidity greater Energy Efficiency and no rust or corrosion the I3 was the first mass-market car made largely from cfrp to put this in perspective the Bev I3 at lodge weighed 2860 pounds an equivalent Nissan Leaf was 3 326 pounds and the extra weight expends more energy and makes the car slower the I3 was designed on a unique platform not shared with any gas or petrol models the base was the drive module made from aluminum and containing the drivetrain components and batteries on top of that sat the cfrp life module or passenger cabin structure attached to the life module where non-structural plastic body panels put together the sum of the parts was light strong and safe foreign of the I3 started in 2012 and stopped in 2022 with no plans for a follow-up the leadership and strategy changed at BMW and they wanted to do things differently and blow things up while the I3 and I8 were very different from their stablemates the current crop of electric BMWs shares many similarities with the gas versions it reduces cost complexity and supply chain issues but also erases many of the benefits of the bespoke engineering another thing is the insatiable demand for SUVs especially in the United States [Music] finally the price and range at launch didn't do the I3 any favors used it's a great deal but the one we have was over fifty four thousand dollars new that's a hard sell for a compact City car some people saw the electric range figures and wrote the car off even though many studies showed that the mileage was workable for the majority of drivers especially with the range extender or bigger battery models the team that made the I3 has since been scattered throughout the Auto industry but they were incredibly proud of what they had created the opportunity to design the BMW i cars was probably something that you probably once in a lifetime will ever experience if you ask me my personal feeling regarding now this completed car the production I3 it would probably take me a whole day to tell you all the things I really love on this car what I essentially love is the general idea of the car let's get one thing cleared up even though it has the name the Asian market I3 is nothing like the real one the I3 as we know it is gone but this quote sums it up best I feel fulfilled to this statement like this is a car which is unique for very unique people it is a unique Car the I3 was something new and refreshing from BMW it's not for everyone but it's not every day that you get to drive a car that's so close to the original concept it's fun to drive looks like nothing else on the road and the materials and Engineering that went into it are amazing I3 will see you on the road subscribe for more and Olive and I will see you next time thanks for watching it offers you many other possibilities or an additional Freedom the way you could for example sit in this car for example while waiting it happens to me sometime to Simply grab a book while waiting in the car if I need to and basically like I can also sit for example like that lie on the door panel which is also designed in a way that you can also lean on that so this is also one of the many ideas that we have in the interior of the I3 which basically depict the idea of next premium but also qualifies on the aspect and how clean is it how clever it is and also how premium it is

Channel: The Fleet

Views: 20,376

Keywords: car, ev, electric, bmw, i3

Id: e1Y41UeB8KU

Length: 10min 46sec (646 seconds)

Published: Wed Jul 26 2023