Images courtesy of BMW Group
THE VEHICLES
hurt the car’s The range performance. Apparently that extender and motor a full gas tank little can produce energy to add a mere 450 enough maintain the same lbs and $3,850 acceleration and speed while to the equation. top in range-extended
mode. However, the addition of the extra weight does reduce the specs a bit, adding another seven tenths to the i3’s 0-62 mph time, and dropping electric range by 10%. Jose Guerrero explained why BMW chose to offer the range extender instead of a larger battery. “Ninety percent of Americans drive less than 30-35 miles a day. We know that from our Mini E studies. Why do people want bigger batteries? Because of range anxiety. What happens when
we add more batteries? More weight, more cost.” The range extender and a full gas tank add a mere 450 lbs and $3,850 to the equation. DC fast charging, which can deliver an 80% charge in 20 minutes, is another treatment for range anxiety, and Guerrero expects it to be a more popular option than the range extender. A majority of the electronauts that tested the ActiveE said they would rather have DC fast charging. LifeDrive The i3 uses a new architecture called LifeDrive, which is similar in principle to a body-on-frame design. The car consists of two horizontally separate modules: the aluminum Drive module (aka the chassis) incorporates the battery and drive system, while the Life module (aka the passenger compartment) is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). This high-tech material is a big part of the i’s lightweight design strategy.
SUBSCRIBE NOW www.chargedevs.com/subscribe
AUG 2013 51