Car and Motorcycle

Styling

“It’s the sports car of the future, the way BMW imagines it.” That’s how Adrian van Hooydonk, director of BMW’s group design, described the BMW i8 plug-in hybrid supercar. The keyword here is: futuristic. It’s no surprise that the i8, first introduced in concept form in 2009, was featured as a whiz-bang piece of automotive techno-gear in the 2011 Tom Cruise movie, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.
BMW filtered its vision of a sports car through the lens of two forward-looking technologies: powertrain electrification and lightweight carbon fiber body construction (the type usually reserved for F1 racers). The chassis is made of rigid aluminum.
The car’s profile is characterized by a long wheel base, short overhang, and low-slung sweeping silhouette. The seating configuration is 2+2—theoretically meaning a four-seater. But for all intents and purposes, it’s a sporty coupe with a symbolic gesture toward a rear-seat option, rather than a practical space for another couple of passengers.
In its transformation from space-age concept to actual production vehicle, some of the exterior design flourishes—such as transparent doors—have been dropped. But one signature feature remains: the scissor (or butterfly) doors that raise up instead of out.
BMW said the doors, when fully lifted, barely exceed six feet tall—retaining the low-to-the-ground shape and making it practical for any garage. The door handles are hidden near the jamb, in a design move to retain the car’s rippling lines. Aerodynamics are stellar—matching or exceeding those of the Toyota Prius (depending on which numbers you believe.)
The cascading and overlapping visual elements are meant to convey a techno-hip vibe, and it mostly succeeds. But it can seem overwhelming at times. The desired effect is to portray this sports car as fast and exotic first, and to downplay its virtues as a super-efficient plug-in hybrid as a nice added bonus.

Performance

The i8’s technical design is novel. The car is powered in a one-two punch by a powerful 96-kilowatt (129-horsepower) electric motor driving the front wheels—and an efficient 230-horsepower 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine motivating the rear wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox. The two power sources, when combined, make 357 horsepower, providing an M3-level of acceleration. A spring from zero to 60 miles per hour takes about 4.3 seconds. The vehicle's top speed in blended mode is governed to 155 miles per hour.
This blending of old and new—electric in front and gas in the back—brings advantages for handling: a 50:50 weight distribution and all-wheel drive.
The i8’s ability to switch its persona from commuter to racer is allowed by a set of driver-selected modes: Comfort mode is all-electric up to about 35 miles per hour; Eco allows some internal combustion if it means greater efficiency; and eDrive (which works in conjunction with Comfort or Eco) to run purely on electric all the way to 75 miles per hour.
But we’re guessing most owners of this car will keep the car in Drive, and flip the Sport button to unleash the full power of the combined powertrains.

Efficiency/Range

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has not yet issued certified efficiency numbers for the BMW i8. Based on early European testing, and a comparison with other plug-in hybrids on the market, we’re guessing in the neighborhood of 80 MPGe for combined highway-city driving.
That’s not as high as the pack of existing PHEVs, which hover in the 100 MPGe range, but after all, the i8 is primarily a sports car.
The 7.1 kilowatt-hour lithium ion pack should yield about 20 to 25 miles of pure electric driving—although if not in eDrive mode, some gasoline is likely to be used even during those first miles. Total range, including gas, should exceed 300 miles. And of course, filling up at a gas station means quick refueling for longer trips.

Charging

With the purchase of the i8, BMW will install a 240-volt home charger (the “i” charging station) to allow a full charge to about two hours. Ideally, you should keep topping up throughout the day to keep electric reserves in the battery pack—allowing you to maximize performance and efficiency through the combined use of motor and engine. Like other plug-in hybrids with relatively small battery packs, you could get away with charging from a 120-volt source—although it will mean plugging in overnight for a full charge.

Passenger/Cargo Room

Driver and front passengers don’t sit in the low-slung i8, as much as they drop or fall into it. The small rear seats—more likely to be used for hand baggage than human beings—require even more athleticism for egress. That makes them questionable for long trips with four, but nice for short jaunts to show off your crazy-cool quasi-electric Bimmer sports machine to friends and co-workers.
The official number for cargo capacity is a tight 6.0 cubic feet.
The BMW i8's long list of features includes: heads-up display, BMW infotainment, real-time traffic, a suite of concierge services, and BMW’s 360º Electric program (access to MyCityWay and ParkatmyHouse, and a ChargeNow card for cash-free charging at public chargers.)
Many cockpit features will be familiar to BMW drivers, but designers added layers of colorful digital gauges and displays as a way to continue the futuristic theme. The colors change with the selection of different driving modes.

Safety

No official testing yet.

Price

The i8, by far the most expensive plug-in vehicle on the market, should be viewed as an expensive limited-run supercar—rather than any type of attempt to convert everyday drivers to battery power.
BMW’s luxury plug-in hybrid sports car sells for a base price of $136,725—including destination fee. For that price, you could buy an 85 kilowatt-hour Tesla Model S and a Nissan LEAF. Of course, the i8 is not about the money.
The closest similar vehicle—the Porsche Panamera Plug-in Hybrid—is about $35,000 cheaper. The Porsche, while also a plug-in hybrid that offers long distance driving and quick fill-ups at a gas station, is a variant of a gas car. That makes it seem positively practical and mainstream compared to the ultra-exotic carbon fiber i8.