With BMW’s i3, the switching hour has struck. This innovative and compact electric car combines expressive design, impressive engineering, exceptional efficiency and persuasive practicality with a good deal of driver appeal.
Both admirable and desirable, the i3 is the car that signals, loud and clear, electric propulsion’s readiness for the road ahead.
For its far-sighted clarity of vision and unswerving execution, the i3 is Wheels Car of the Year 2014. It is the first electric car and the first BMW ever to win our award.
Efficiency is the obvious strong suit of the i3. Its underfloor lithium-ion battery pack stores the electric equivalent of just two litres of unleaded, but it’s enough to endow the i3 with a 100km-plus pure electric driving range. Easily more than the 40km the average Australian drives every day.
When recharged using renewable energy – and it’s hard to imagine anyone who buys an i3 wanting to use anything else – this urban warrior delivers practically emission-free mobility.
Range anxiety, however, remains an electric car reality. BMW offers a cure for the condition. The Range Extender version adds immensely to the BMW’s flexibility. It brings the freedom to make unplanned trips as well as longer journeys.
The i3 doesn’t only shine in comparison with fossil fuel power. It’s also more efficient than other electric cars.
