BMW has officially announced the 2014 i3 extended range electric vehicle went into production in Leipzig, Germany.
At the Leipzig plant alone, some €400 million has been invested in new structures and machinery for i3 production and 800 new jobs have been created. Overall, the German carmaker has invested a total of around €600 million in the "i" production network and generated over 1,500 jobs. The first BMW i3 off the line will be recruited as the lead car for the International Berlin Marathon on September 29.
The BMW i3 is powered by an electric motor that produces 170 hp and 250 Nm of torque. It is mated to a single-speed transmission which allows the rear-wheel drive car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 7.2 seconds, hit a top speed of 150 km/h and travel 130-160 km on a single charge. It is also available with a range-extender, which maintains the charge of the lithium-ion battery at a constant level enroute, as soon as it falls below a specified value. This is performed by a two-cylinder gasoline engine with 34 hp, mounted adjacent to the electric motor above the rear axle. The range extender increases the maximum range to around 300 km.
Deliveries of the i3 to customers in Germany and other European countries will begin in November, while the United States and China will have to wait until the beginning of 2014. Pricing starts at €34,950 in Germany, £25,680 in the UK (including £5,000 government grant) and $41,350 in the United States (excluding $925 destination and handling fees).
