BMW will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and it looks like the 2016 BMW i8 is one terrific centennial gift for their customers. BMW's hybrid 2016 i8 is probably one of the advanced gas/electric cars on the market, and this is what is known about the release date, price, and specs. In a related story about BMW's products, there is news that the company will be paying i3 owners to charge their cars at non-peak hours.
There are a lot of good things to see about this car as it has a shark-nose grill and supercar stance. The i8 also has the same paint and glossy finish that the i Series is known for, like the signature split-grill bound in blue and covered with gloss plates. There are also some roofline arches and it falls rapidly, leaving a large rear window with thick pillars behind it.
The driver enters in through swan wing doors that open diagonally, and the interior can be summarized with one word: futuristic, according to Car Price News. It has a cockpit-like feeling for the driver, with display screens that come up out of the dashboard. Then there are some safety features that come standard like city collision warning, surround view and side view camera with object detection.
According to 2016 Electric Cars, the engine of the 2016 BMW i8 is a small 1.5 liter turbocharged three cylinder job that can produce 231 hp to the rear wheels. This engine is aided by the electric motor that produces 131 hp and is supplied from a Lithium Ion battery pack. This makes the total power of the system 357 horsepower with 420 lb-ft of torque. It also has a top speed of 155 mph and can go from 0 to 60 in 4.4 seconds. It also features an 11.9 kWh lithium-ion battery for about 23 miles of electric range with some high fuel efficiency figures.
In fact, it looks like the 2016 BMW i8 is so good that it received 5 out of 5 stars on Car and Driver. Of course, this type of quality costs, and the MSRP is about $137, 495. As for the release date, deliveries should start during the fall of this year for selected markets while the wider availability is expected at the beginning of next year.
In a story related to BMW, Engadget reports that BMW is going to pay i3 owners to charge their cars at non-peak times. The problem is mass adoption of electric cars: if millions charge their cars every night, power grids might not be able to keep up.
BMW is teaming up with California utility company PG&E in order to compensate drivers in an attempt to curb consumption. These 100 BMW i3 drivers that are a part of the "BMW iChargeForward" program will receive a $1,000 gift card up front and a second worth $540.
