US i3 Orders To Begin in November

Photo Credit: The Car Addict

InsideEvs.com recently reported that Jacob Harb, BMW's North American Manager for Electric Vehicles, told them that i3 orders for US customers will begin in November. That means we'll soon get information like pricing for options, warranty details and hopefully what leasing deals will be offered.

BMW has reported strong demand for the i3 in Europe with over 8,000 pre-orders already and the car won't even be available for another month there. Here in the States we'll have to wait a little longer. All BMW has officially said is that the i3 will launch here in the second quarter of 2014, and recent rumors have been pegging the launch for April or May which would mean early to mid Q2.

Photos courtesy bmwblog

California dealers have also been telling their customers that they will be getting i3'\s for display and even test drives, and that there will be as many as 50 i3s at the LA Auto Show in late November for driving events. That would make a lot of sense since the LA Auto Show is one of the big auto shows in the US and California is the number one market for plug in vehicles. 

One factor that can influence the i3's popularity in the US is its EPA range rating which hasn't yet been announced. I have maintained for a long time now that I would be very disappointed if that number comes in lower than 90 miles per charge. Unfortunately judging from the early test drive reports from some reporters like John Voelcker of High Gear Media, it may in fact be lower than 90, and may even be substantially lower than 90 miles per charge. I'm not going to go into this too much just yet because it would just be conjecture. Once the EPA rating is announced I will have a detailed post up within a day, I promise because it is a very important topic to discuss.

BMW i3 Press Release

BMW NA sent out a press release today titled " The Ultimate Driving Machine in a new era of mobility" It's a pretty comprehensive press release and a bit long to post in its entirety here so I'll provide the link HERE and let you read it direct. 

Some notable highlights:
~0-60mph in approximately 7 seconds (woo hoo!)
~The range extender has no effect on luggage capacity.
~Navigation system will be optional.
~The high-voltage battery consists of eight modules (each with 12 individual cells), which together produce a rated voltage of 360 volts.
~It achieved a .21 kilowatt hours per mile rating on the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). This cycle is less strenuous than the EPA test. 
~The 22kWh battery weighs about 450lbs
~When plugged into a public DC fast-charging station (50 kW) it only takes about 20 minutes for the battery to reach 80 percent capacity.