BMW i8 petrol-hybrid concept revealed!

BMW i8 petrol hybrid car

The BMW i8, the car that TeamICB went to checkout a few months back. Only two BMW Vision EfficientDynamics concepts are in existence as of now. One of them is a petrol hybrid while the other a diesel hybrid. The one that was in showcased in Delhi had a tiny diesel motor somewhere under the layers of carbonfibre reinforced plastic body structure. Along with the 1.5 litre diesel engine the car had two electric motors and a battery pack.

BMW i8 petrol hybrid concept

Now, the BMW i8 will be the flagship model among the i-brand cars from BMW. Just by looking at it, one does get a hint that this car is aimed at not just covering the miles on less fuel but also in the least possible time. This is a sports car with a performance that will even rival the conventional sports cars of today and as far as fuel economy is concerned, none stand a chance to beat the BMW i8.

The BMW VED concept with its 3 cylinder 1.5 litre diesel engine and electric motors can do 104 mpg that is, 44.21 kilometers in a litre of diesel fuel. The system puts out 356 bhp of power and 800 Nm of torque. BMW has scrapped diesel hybrid plans for the i8 and instead will go with a petrol hybrid layout. In place of the 1.5 litre diesel is a petrol engine with similar capacity. The direct injection petrol motor combined with the electric motors puts out 349 bhp and 405 torques.

BMW i8 petrol hybrid concept

The car can run purely on battery power for up to a distance of 20 miles and in front wheel drive mode while at higher speeds the petrol motor kicks-in and power now goes to all four wheels as well. Thanks to all this, the BMW i8 is faster than the BMW M3 coupe. The car does 0-100 kph in 4.5 sec and a top speed of 250 kph. Compared to the BMW i3, the i8 has a relatively smaller battery pack which uses liquid cooled lithium ion cells which can be recharged in 105 minutes.

Via Autocar

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