Second-Gen BMW i8 Will Possess 750 Horsepower & 300-Mile Range (… In 2022)

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BMW i8 Sarasota Florida 6The second generation of the BMW i8 (not the refreshed i8 due in 2017, it should be noted) will possess 750 horsepower and an all-electric range of 300 miles per full charge, according to recent reports.

It’s not clear if the 300 miles relates to the unrealistic and lax European testing cycle or the US EPA’s more accurate test ratings system, but even 200 miles would be a big step forward for the sports car. Notably, the second-generation BMW i8 isn’t actually due for release until 2022 (or later), so it seems the company isn’t that serious about it, and 200–300 miles of electric range will be commonplace by then.

Considering that the BMW i8 refresh due in 2017 will “only” possess 420 horsepower, and a very limited all-electric range, the next-generation i8 will seemingly represent a substantial performance improvement. The current BMW i8 possesses 357 horsepower.

Autoblog provides more, stating that, “while each of the motors on BMW’s prototype pump out 268 horsepower — which would add to a total of 804 — Automobile claims the production-spec i8 will get by with 750 hp, and it should be noted that power is not always directly additive in electric and hybrid systems.”

The setup was previously reported to be one electric motor on the front axle and two electric motors on the rear axle. “But Automobile goes a step further and claims that not only will the i8 send power to all four wheels, but will use each for steering, too — rear-axle steering, the latest sports car trend item, will be added. Torque vectoring will help put power down in the bends, and help a little more with the steering, while an advanced active suspension will scan the road ahead and adjust the dampers accordingly. Kind of like Mercedes-Benz’s Magic Body Control.”

Sounds interesting, but 2022 is quite a long time from now. The auto industry as a whole is likely to be very different by that point, leaving the value of such an offering at that point an open question. If BMW does release it 6 years from now, I wonder how it will sell.


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James Ayre

James Ayre's background is predominantly in geopolitics and history, but he has an obsessive interest in pretty much everything. After an early life spent in the Imperial Free City of Dortmund, James followed the river Ruhr to Cofbuokheim, where he attended the University of Astnide. And where he also briefly considered entering the coal mining business. He currently writes for a living, on a broad variety of subjects, ranging from science, to politics, to military history, to renewable energy.

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