There may be disquiet about its gentle rate of climb, but the electric car has – at last, once and for always – taken off.
Its presence can no longer be ignored. Experts are already predicting the year when EVs will account for a million registrations around the world.
Some say that it’ll take a decade; others that it’ll happen sooner. Some can even see the day when 'plug-in' cars will account for one in every 10 sold.
A roll call of a few of the big introductions of 2013 shows what’s behind the breakthrough. The Renault Zoe proved that EVs can be cheap, the Tesla Model S that they can be grand and the Porsche 918 Spyder that they can be supercars. It’s as if every new example represents a significant step forward for the breed.
And here comes another one: the i3, the first battery-powered series production BMW. It is the battery car done with evident freedom, imagination and commitment and then draped in European premium-brand allure.
BMW has not dabbled in mass-production electric cars before the i3 (and its sister car, the hybrid i8). However, the programme that spawned these models – Project i – does provide direct antecedents.
The first phase included the Mini E, which offered a remarkably similar range and performance to the i3 and began field testing in 2009. This was succeeded in the second phase by the ActiveE, a 1 Series that previewed the i3's electric motor and entered two years of global testing in 2012 with a fleet of 1100 cars.
BMW's i3, then, represents the sum total of all that was learned in that lengthy and studious process. Two versions are offered. The first version a pure electric version with a range of between 80 and 100 miles, has been superceded in 2016 by one with a heady range of 195 miles between recharges - in the real world it is more like 124 miles.
The second is the BMW i3 Range Extender, which offers the same all-electric powertrain but with the addition of an on-board petrol-powered generator. So, when the battery becomes depleted, the generator fires up to ensure that you can continue your journey.
Could there be a better invitation than the BMW i3 to take the plunge on zero-emissions motoring? You’re about to find out.
