On Again, Off Again BMW i5 Off The Table — Again

Few concept cars have gotten as much press attention as the long rumored BMW i5. The German luxury car maker burst upon the electric car scene in 2011 with two highly innovative models that married electric powertrains with advanced carbon fiber manufacturing techniques. The i3 sedan, with its funky styling, became a cult darling, but suffered from modest range. The plug-in hybrid i8 sports car coupled an electric motor for the front wheels with a turbocharged 3 cylinder engine driving the rears.

It was widely assumed an i car would come along eventually to fill in the model range. In fact BMW often suggested it was working diligently on an i5. But somewhere along the line, BMW lost the thread of the conversation. Here are just a few of the Gas2 titles about the i5 unearthed from the archives: BMW i5 Under Consideration As Tesla Model S Competitor (2013), BMW i5 Could Be Powered By Toyota Hydrogen Tech (2015), Rumor: BMW i5 Will Be An SUV Arriving In 2021 (2016). Whew! That’s a lot of news for a product that never materialized.

Now, the well respected BMWBlog says the whole i5 idea has gotten the kibosh from management. In a blog post dated May 23, it wrote, “According to several sources, BMW has scrapped their i5 plans and will focus on electrification of other series models — like the X3 and 4 Series GT — and on the high-tech iNEXT model. This move will leave the i sub-brand with two models, i3 and i8 this year before the i8 Spyder is being added to the lineup.” The iNEXT is the all singing, all dancing BMW concept car the company wants to be its signature vehicle as it moves into its second century as an automaker.

BMWBlog says the carbon fiber chassis used in the i3 and i8 is not flexible enough to accommodate the large variety of automobiles in its product lineup. Instead, it will focus its energy on cars that can be powered by a variety of powertrains —  both electric and plug-in hybrids. BMW is following the example of Korean companies Kia and Hyundai, both of which now offer customers new models that can be had with their choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric powertrains.

The future of the automobile is murky at best. It’s OK for Tesla to be a battery electric only car company, but the rest of the industry is trying to remain as nimble as possible so it can build the tens of millions of cars each year the world craves that are not pure electrics.

“The all-electric MINI and the all-electric BMW X3 will mark the beginning of the second wave of electrification for the BMW Group, benefitting from the ongoing technological progress we are making in this area,” said BMW CEO  Harald Krüger last week. “i NEXT sets out our strategic course for further electrification and the direction of project i over the coming decade. We will incorporate all-electric, battery-powered mobility into our core brands, as we have already done successfully with our plug-in hybrid vehicles. By using highly flexible architectures we can avoid duplicate investments in plant and equipment and will be able to adapt our range of electric and conventional vehicles to changing demand both quickly and efficiently.”

Source: BMWBlog  Image credit: Autocar

BMW i5 Will Be A Hydrogen-Powered Crossover - BMWBlog

Rumors are strange things. Some are just silly, like the rumor that Michael and Janet Jackson were the same person. Others are more substantive. The key to whether you should believe one or not is the source. When that source is BMWBlog, the likelihood that the rumor is true goes up. Way up.

BMWBlog says the BMW i5 won’t arrive until 2020 and, when it gets here, it will be a hydrogen-powered crossover SUV. Didn’t see that one coming, did you? We know that BMW R&D chief Klaus Froehlich has said that, whatever the BMW i5 is, it won’t arrive until 2020, so that part agrees with the BMWBlog folks. The rumor mill says the i5 production model will be just as spectacular in design as its i3 and i8 brothers, but without the i8’s butterfly doors. It will have an attractive appearance but not sacrifice the comfort of its passengers.

The thinking is that electric cars like the BMW i3 are perfect for the daily needs of urbanites and suburbanites, but that a hydrogen-powered fuel cell car would be better suited to long-distance travel with minimal time for refueling required. [Note: On the whole, the competitiveness and purpose of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is highly questionable.]

BMW is known to have tested a fuel cell powered 5 Series sedan in July. It is sharing some development duties with Toyota as the two companies plan a new sports car for both. Surely that means BMW has access to most if not all of the Toyota fuel cell technology embodied in its hydrogen-powered Mirai, doesn’t it?

The big question is, what about hydrogen refueling infrastructure? Who will pay for it and when will it be available? BMW is working at creating an electric charging network to rival that of Tesla, but at the moment, there are a total of 3 commercial hydrogen stations in the US, and 2 of them are located in southern California. BMW and Mercedes (and others) are hedging their bets on electric cars and fuel cell technology. Elon Musk may call them “fool cells,” but a lot of smart people are investing time and money in fuel cell technology — just in case.

It the BMWBlog rumor true? We don’t know. Parts of it agree with what is well known. But would BMW really crawl out on the fuel cell limb? Only if it thinks it can make money doing so, right?

Image Credit: BMWBlog

BMW i5/i7 Plug-In Hybrid Coming In 2018

There must be a lot of interesting conversations happening in BMW’s Munich, Germany headquarters these days. First there’s the technology alliance with Toyota, which could give birth to a hydrogen-powered Bimmer as well as a hybrid sports car, and there’s been at least some kind of informal discussions with Tesla’s Elon Musk. And of course, there’s BMW’s own successful plug-in cars, the i3 and i8.

According to the UK’s Car Magazine, the rumored BMW i5/i7 will continue in the tradition of the i3 and i8, but boasting two electric motors and a zero-emissions range of up to 80 miles per charge. The setup will be similar to the drivetrain of the i8, with no mechanical connection between the front and rear wheels, though in this case with an electric motor situated on each axle.

The front motor will be good for about 245 horsepower, and the rear motor about 95 ponies, with a 245 horsepower four-cylinder range extender bringing total output to about 545 horsepower. The gas engine will assist at speeds above 40 MPH, though the i5/i7 is being designed to operate primarily on battery power. The plug-in hybrid can operate using either the front or rear electric motors alone, together, or in conjunction with the range extender, which from the sounds of it will also help in the motivation.

While Car Magazine calls this a Tesla competitor, I have to disagree; this is a fancier version of the Chevy Volt, a four-door Cadillac ELR done right if you will. The 80 miles of electric range is as much as the BMW i3 offers, and about four times as far as the i8 can go on electrons, but it’s just 30 miles more range than the Volt, for somewhere between $60,000 and $125,000. In terms of price, the BMW may be compared to the Tesla, but if it has a combustion engine, it’s still in a totally different class if you ask me.

Porsche, meanwhile, is ditching combustion engines entirely for its upcoming Pajun electric sedan, and Mercedes is reportedly working on an electric car to compete with the Model S. BMW is reportedly planning to remake the 3-series sedan as plug-in hybrids only, so the i5/7 could be serving as a stepping stone to the eventual electrification of BMW’s best-selling vehicle (by far). But an all-electric BMW, besides the i3, seems to be out of the question for the moment.

But if this report is true, than the i5/i7 is no Tesla competitor, but it’s also not something to be dismissed.