BMW Will Be Official Car Of Formula E

Formula One fans are accustomed to seeing Mercedes cars used at every race for the pace car, medical car, staff cars and go for pizza cars. It’s good marketing for the three-star brand. Now BMW will do the same thing in Formula E, showcasing its entire line of advanced electric and hybrid cars at every Formula E event.

The already-iconic BMW i8 will be the pace car, while the i3 will be available to staff and VIPs. Selected race fans will also get a chance to see, touch, and possibly drive the cars as well.

Says Jörg Reimann, Vice President BMW Brand Experience:

“We have watched with great interest the continued growth of the new FIA Formula E Championship and the potential it has to significantly increase the interest in sustainable mobility. As a global manufacturer at the forefront of innovation and technology, BMW regards Formula E as a great platform in which to showcase our range of fully-electric and hybrid vehicles and to align our common goals. We are working on an agreement to finalise this partnership.”

With BMW entering Formula E as a sponsor, their commitment to electric vehicles continues to grow. How long before we see a BMW Formula E racer hitting the track as well?

Source: BMW.

Rimac Secures Investors To Build Concept_One Electric Supercar

Two high-profile investors put their money behind the 1,088 horsepower Rimac Concept_One electric supercar, bringing this quiet riot closer to production. Want one? All you’ll need is a million bucks and a place on the growing waiting list.

Better hurry though, as production of the Concept_One will be limited to just 88 examples, and you can bet investor Frank Kanayet Yepes has already signed on to get his. Yepes, a South American businessman with Croation origins, has also invested in the all-electric Formula E Championship despite making his millions in the oil and gas industry. Maybe this is his way of making up for a lifetime of working for Big Oil?

Nah. The owner of an uber-rare Ferrari 599XX (1 of 33, not even street legal!) probably just really loves fast, cool, high-tech cars, and there are few cars cooler than this Ferrari-crushing EV.

The other investor is Sinocop Resources, a minerals and metals company listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange. Sinocop has reportedly signed a non-binding agreement to take a 10% stake in Rimac, which is more than just one electric supercar. Founder Mate Rimac has built what he claims is the world’s quickest electric car, a custom BMW M3, and the Rimac-designed Greyp is an electric bicycle with grand ambitions of its own. As for the Concept_One, production is slated to begin next year…and it looks like it might actually happen.

With this newfound investment, Rimac plans to double the development team by the end of the year, though the company will go beyond million-dollar supercars and glossy electric bikes. Rimac wants to build and sell proprietary electric power systems in the burgeoning EV market, though building a dedicated line of electric vehicles remains priority one.

Could this be the beginnings of a Croatian Tesla?

Source: Tech EU via Motor Authority