I know, I can’t stop talking about the BMW i3, and that may confuse you a bit. Why won’t this guy just shut up about this little city car? Well, it’s because ever since I first drove an i3 a year and a half ago, I’ve known one thing for sure: This car is special. I’ve driven hundreds of cars in my life, and something about the i3 stands out among all of them. And now there’s a little validation that I haven’t gone completely crazy: The world is starting to show appreciation for the Carbon Fiber Wonder from Leipzig.
To be clear, the prices are still going nowhere but down, and that’s not surprising since it’s very much a niche car for a niche buyer.
But I’m not talking about values when I say the world is starting to appreciate the i3: I’m talking about this:
What you’re looking at in the top photo and the image above is a new exhibit in the Petersen Automotive Museum titled “Alternating Currents: The Fall And Rise of Electric Vehicles.” Not only does the exhibit show a completely stripped-down BMW i3 chassis, but the whole exhibit is, in a way, a celebration of the i3. And that’s crazy when you think about it: Can you think of any other 10 year-old car that you can buy for $11,000 that would be shown so prominently in a huge museum exhibit?
You see, the exhibit not only showcases the i3, but also its predecessors and siblings. Here’s the i3’s spiritual predecessor, the E2:
Here’s the Mini E, which came after the E2 but before the i3; it was actually just a conversion done by the newly-minted “i team” at BMW tasked with EV innovation:
Then there’s the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics, which would go on to become the BMW i8, the i3’s sibling:
You can see details of BMW’s electric lineage in this extremely well-done video by The Petersen:
That video is hosted by head of BMW Group Classic Thomas Plucinsky, who does a fantastic job presenting his company’s electric history in a very non-PR-ish way.
He begins by introducing the BMW 1602 all-electric coupe; it was basically a 2002 converted to electric with a front motor and front-mounted lead-acid batteries; it was showcased at the 1972 olympics:
Next, Plucinsky mentions the BMW E2 design mule and its running prototype predecessor, the E1. The E2, BMW mentions, was actually designed here in California and first shown at the 1991 LA Auto Show:
Here’s a look at an engineering drawing of the E1 running prototype:
Then the video mentions the beginning of BMW’s “i Division,” named after “innovation.” Per the Plucinsky, the it all began in 2009 when BMW put together a team to really crank up EV development. The first vehicle that came out of that group was the Mini E:
If you don’t recall having seen one of these first-gen Mini Coopers in EV form, it’s because BMW worked with AC Propulsion to convert just 500 cars to electric power. The vehicles were leased to customers to figure out how drivers use their EVs. “All this data we wanted back to feed into the next program,” Plucinsky mentions.
Incidentally, my college capstone project, a totaled VW Jetta converted into a rear-wheel drive convertible EV, utilized both power electronics from a decommissioned Mini E as well as the 35 kWh battery pack from that car (you can see the pack behind the front seats in the Mini above). Below are some images of my college capstone project:
Here’s a quote from my thesis:
To power the car, we went with lithium‐ion battery packs. The pack that we ended up receiving is a partially used pack from a Mini E. More specifically, the battery modules are EV Grid 53P2S, which contain Panasonic 18650 batteries. Each battery module is wired in series.
Therefore to reach the correct operating voltage of the motor there must be very close to the optimal number of modules. Each of the EV Grid battery packs is 7.2V. The desired motor voltage is 360V, thus the goal was to fit 50 modules into the car, but we ended up only being able to package 48.
Anyway, the next-generation of the BMW “i” division was the BMW ActiveE, which was basically just an electrified BMW 1 Series:
The ActiveE was important because it was the testbed for the technology later used in the BMW Vision Efficient Dynamics and the BMW i3 production car, of which BMW made a quarter million between 2013 and 2022.
Here’s a look at the i3 at the Petersen:
The truth is that there are lots of other amazing early electric cars at the exhibit beyond BMWs; here’s a description from The Petersen:
Electricity has been used to power automobiles since the 1830s, when Scottish inventor Robert Anderson built a rudimentary electric carriage. At the turn of the 20th century, it was the most popular means of motor vehicle propulsion; it was clean, quiet, reliable, and especially well-liked by wealthy women who appreciated—and could afford—the autonomy that electric cars offered. However, electric vehicles were also heavy, expensive, limited in range, and required a great deal of time to recharge, and these drawbacks could not be easily addressed with then-available technologies.
Inexpensive oil and the wide adoption of the electric self-starter during the mid-1910s ultimately enabled petroleum-powered vehicles to dominate the market. Still, automakers continued experimenting with electric power over the next century, and with the limits of internal combustion engineering now becoming ever more apparent, new interest in electric power has prompted the automobile industry to reintroduce electric vehicles as part of their mainstream marketing mix. Today, the demand for EVs is so strong that manufacturers who do not offer them are more the exception than the rule.
I plan to be at the exhibit opening this evening. I will be driving my 2021 i3S Rex Giga World.
I’ll conclude this article with another bit of proof that the i3 is “having a moment,” as my headline claims. Not only is arguably the greatest car museum in the world showcasing the car in a new exhibit, but the greatest automotive benchmarking company in the world (and YouTube powerhouse) Munro and Associates just put together a 42-minute homage to the i3. Check it out above.
Again, all this love for a 10-year-old small electric city car. If that’s not a testament to the car’s incredible engineering, I don’t know what is.
All images via The Petersen Automotive Museum or Tiziano Niero
Everyone I’ve known who has or had an i3 absolutely loved it. I know of very few cars I can say that about. Incidentally, the original battery-powered BMW 1602 will be coming to the Petersen at some point in the near future.
I know CF has reparability issues, but I will never understand why we aren’t using it more to reduce weight. Cars are already barely repairable.
With all the sensors, cameras and other safety gizmos they get totaled so easily these days. Why not build them out of a stronger, lighter material and get back some of the weight gain? Makes sense to me.
Pretty straight forward eh?
OEMs are just caught up in shareholder value and CEO bonuses algined to metrics that don’t matter. Wow way to go! You built a car…..the EXACT SAME WAY you have for 50 years! So good. Much awards.
I imagine cost is a huge factor. Its far more expensive a material to build out of than steel as far as I understand.
Probably. But it’s also hard to make it cheaper if it’s never used in anything but in race cars and $1M+ “production” cars.
That’s not how it works. Steel panels can be stamped out in seconds. There’s no process for using carbon fiber that can get down to that level of efficiency. Read the i3 deep dive piece I linked elsewhere in the comments.
A lot of things start out that way. We didn’t use to be able to stamp out steel panels in seconds either. (Not suggesting cabon fiber can be stamped.)
I’m one part luddite and one part never satisfied with where we are at in technology in terms of benefits for the consumer.
There’s a misconception that everything has the same advancement scale that we have seen in silicon chips over the last sixty or so years. Carbon fiber is never likely to be suitable for mass production, it’s just not in the nature of the material.
At a high level I am hopeful people smarter than me can make cars significantly lighter for the sake of efficiency. 🙂
Otherwise, is battery density really going to progress where it needs to? Will progress fast enough? Despite it’s significantly lower power density, is it actually a hydrogen future? Or what?
Speaking of hydrogen, Engineering Explained did a fantastic video on the problems of hydrogen. It’s fascinating!
This surge in i3 popularity (single-handedly due to DT’s efforts) has propelled sales of BMW’s favorite carbon fiber compact to a whopping 24 through the first half of 2024 despite the notable handicap of BMW not making them for the last 2 years.
https://insideevs.com/news/729014/bmw-i3-i8-sales-2024-first-half/
I wonder about an alternate timeline in which BMW launched an i5 in 2015, built to the same format/methods as the i3 and i8 but sedan-shaped (or fastback/GranCoupe-shaped for aero). That could’ve been BMW’s Model S moment that convinced buyers and even the industry to go its way. The i8 was a supercar that didn’t go or sound like one, and the i3’s upright and narrow proportions are very efficient but make it look dorky to the casual consumer (same issue as the Audi A2). But lowering and elongating the i3 into an i5 (or making a LWB, front-engine 4dr i8) could’ve been the last piece in the puzzle that’s as clever as the 3&8 but a more mainstream-palatable shape.
Instead, the cold reception gave BMW cold feet and it threw innovation in the bin to just take the same lazy, wasteful, more-is-more approach as everyone else to engineering EVs.They could’ve led instead of following for the past decade or so.
Seven (7) full page Samsung ads each independently freezing up my tablet for at least 5 counts plus, one appearing every few paragraphs in so short of an entry. WTF? I pay and log in, yet this site is practically unreadable.
Using Chrome on a Tab A8, no issues except when reading here.
No problems using Edge. Chrome isn’t great. If you don’t like Edge there’s also Opera and DuckDuckGo.
I’m confused by this; the two first digits in the 02 series were related to displacement. If this was originally a 2002, why would it have become a 1602 once the engine was removed?
I think its just because the 2002 is the well known one. Many people do not know there was also a 1600 series of that chassis, so by using the more common name, its understood by a broader audience.
Oh ok, maybe it’s an editorial choice. I was taking it literally, as if BMW took aside a 2002 to create the 1602 electric.
Nah, not really. How many articles have we had about Hardigree’s damned Subaru? And that thing wasn’t even interesting. 🙂
At least each of the snoozebaru articles was about a different aspect. I found them interesting, but I’m also in the auto repair business.
You know, this is a real convoluted way to advertise a car for sale.
lol I guess I’ve been advertising it for sale since the day I bought it!
I’d buy it, if I could afford it.
The best advertisement is the one that makes you want to keep what you’re selling.
The i3 was garbage and deserves to forgotten, not celebrated. The best thing about leaving the BMW dealership as a technician is never having to work on one again.
Username checks out.
Just like your old man when he went to get milk.
Thanks for saying exactly what I was thinking.
Small economy cars with ‘exotic’ chassis materials are cool. i3 is cool!
First gen honda insight is cooler and way more undervalued.
1800lbs; Aluminum chassis built right next to the NSX in the same factory. S2000-esque gauges, S2000 steering wheel, bolstered seats, and the world’s first hybrid system with a friggin manual transmission, that still works well today as long as you have a grid charger and do a deep discharge once a year to rebalance the pack.
I paid $3000 for mine in 2013, and I’ve put over 100k on it, averaging 52mpg with snow tires, and 57-65mpg with summer tires, cruising at around 80mph most of the time. Honda lost money on every single one they made. I’ve driven mine from Madison, WI, out to Denver, CO, went skiing 3 days off I70, and drove it back…. for under $100 in gas. The thing has saved me so much money in fuel costs, it has paid for itself several times over, and currently had 300k miles, everything still works. I seriously cannot fathom a car with lower operating costs than a first gen honda insight, in over 100k I’ve needed two control arms ($120) and a temp sensor ($8).
I appreciate the i3, but I think a lot of the love it gets is related to the badge; the BMW fanboiism is definitely a thing, and they were not the real innovators; they let japan put the insight and the prius into production basically a decade before they dipped their toes into electrification/hybrids. Honda and Toyota had already proven they could do it, and only then was BMW willing to try to create something like this.
I LOVE the Insight! I don’t agree about the “BMW fanboiism” since most of the folks I know who love i3s aren’t BMW people (myself included!) but yeah, the Insight rules.
Pity you never got the Audi A2 in the USA. I was in the mountains near Wanaka NZ late 1990s and I saw a fleet of these were being tested for winter conditions and they’ve always seemed to me to be a forebear in concept at least of the i3 with the aluminum body and service port etc.
I rode shotgun in my friend’s A2 for a long time, lovely little car with an unexpectedly roomy interior and amazing comfort for such a small car. Also a very cool design.
100% with you on the Insight. Not so much on reason for the i3 fandom. Not a single BMW guy I know likes the i3 – much to the contrary, they actively disparage it, along with the i8. I don’t think brand name is what attracts people to it. Lots of people who don’t care for BMWs love the i3, myself included.
I too had a first gen insight, didn’t drive 80 and got way higher MPG as a result (lifetime 72 MPG US, and some trips over 100, used a grid charger too) and now I have an i3. The lack of the back seat keeps the insight too niche. As the family grows the back seat is needed. I had an insight and a rarely driven MDX, needing to have 2 cars for me, commute vs family (and one for me wife) didn’t make sense. Also when you go EV you can’t argue with the cost savings even when you do drive it hard. It felt wrong driving the insight and watching the MPG go down and having more fun just to return to the pump twice in the week vs with an EV it just adds a few cents cost to the charge the next night.
So, David Tracy porn.
If that isn’t porn to you, why are you here?
For the articles, of course!
Love the Autopian.
But I’m taking a break from i3 content.
As I skimmed down though, imagine my surprise that there was some interesting content on the history of BMW EVs.
And buried in there is a subtle note that the Petersen exhibit is actually not about BMW, but about the history of EVs in general. I almost missed that.
To bad everything was hidden under a title and front-matter that referred only to the i3.
Just curious, since I don’t live near the Petersen museum, and will never be there … how would an Autopian writer have approached all of the great content in the Petersen EV exhibit, and written that up, if they didn’t have a focus only on the i3? I think that would have been an interesting and informative article.
Yeah, DTs content lately has been…I don’t want to say bad because it’s not badly written or anything, but definitely exhausting and frankly boring. I get that a lot of his journalism cred has come from writing about the cars he’s into but at some point enough is enough. It really started for me with the obligatory mention of his new partner in every article for a few months and then when he stopped that he started writing about the i3 as if that was his new partner now for a few months.
It’s good that the gang here writes about their personal experiences, that gives this site a personability and relatability that other places seemingly lack. But there is a fine line between giving character to the site and turning the site into your own personal livejournal blog.
My personal theory is that David is navigating the rather large transition from grease monkey writer to site founder who no longer has time to wrench as much. Live blogging his wrenching misadventures was very entertaining. The same doesn’t necessarily apply to what he’s doing now.
To his credit, I’ve seen him experimenting with some different approaches to writing, but I’m not sure he’s found his new niche yet. And given the excellent job he’s done herding the literal and metaphorical cats on this site, I’m kind of okay with that. Even if I end up not reading his individual articles as much, what he’s helped build here is so much bigger than any single blog post.
Larry David beat y’all to the punch. The man knows.
For more background, I did a design deep dive on the i3 a while back:
https://www.theautopian.com/the-bmw-i3-was-a-design-success-even-if-it-was-a-failure/
I’ll link to this eventually, Adrian. I promise!
The electric one series in its latest iteration was very close to the i3 regarding power electronics, batteries and motor. Think of it as some kind of testing mule for i3 development. There were at least dozens, if not a three digit number around in the city here (Leipzig) since many engineers from BMW had to drive them as daily drivers to iron out issues.
Oh you’re based in Leipzig? Awesome!
Welcome!
Would have liked to have seen those make it into production over the i3.
Oh boy. Calm down now. It ain’t no Vibe 😉
I really like these, mostly because of David’s articles. And I understand paying up for what you consider to be the perfect car for your lifestyle. I totally endorse that. But, wow, the low mileage versions of the last few years of i3 production are not that cheap. There’s so many other cars in that price range that also have fine attributes, albeit not those of the i3.
“There’s so many other cars in that price range that also have fine attributes”
What catches your eye?
Certainly nothing with a carbon fiber body, suicide doors, a rear-mounted motorcycle engine-generator, and an interior like that.
Absolutely agree. The i3 has a cool factor others don’t.
Isn’t AC Propulsion the company that would later become Tesla? Crazy how their influence laid the groundwork for EVs from many of the major OEMs these days.
Yeah, some of their tech went to the EV-1, and then they made the T-Zero which Elon liked, and then there was a split, some wanted to make Scion XBs electric, others wanted Tesla Roadsters.
I imagine the EV World, and particularly for AC motors instead of DC, was much smaller back then.
It’s such a marvelously radical car from a major manufacturer. I love its looks inside and out, and I’d be tempted by one with a range extender. Alas, I have nowhere to charge it, but on the plus side I love my current car.
I guess I missed it, why is it so special? I know about the light weight construction but I’m not sure how that translates to it being special to experiance/own. Is it good to drive? Quirky to drive? Or is it just the styling, and interior?
I think it’s like the Audi A2—a combination of space-age materials, out-of-the-box interior design, and city car form factor from a German company more known for their executives. That it went into production at all is almost more a proof-of-concept than an actual market segment that BMW intended to occupy, and that’s proven by the fact that it has no successor.
The same things that make any car special:
Design
Materials
Driving experience
The way it makes you feel
i3 is so incredibly good in so many ways. The most remarkable trait, in my opinion, is how the i3 resonates with a wide variety of owners. Sporty drivers, cargo drivers, commuters, early careerists, grandparents, urban, rural, personal, commercial. It has something for everyone.
And what it promised too. I mean if these material technologies and the carbon tub would have ended up in 3 and 5 series, it would have been something. Think 300kg lighter 5 series.
Also atleast the s model was really nice to drive, very mini-esque. It was actually fun.
Can I bring my BMW C Evolution electric scooter?
“Can you think of any other 10 year-old car that you can buy for $11,000”
You CAN pay $11k if you want. Or you could pay less:
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/santa-clara-2014-bmw-i3-with-range/7763663161.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/d/san-jose-2015-bmw-i3/7770374067.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/petaluma-2014-bmw-i3-with-range/7769042705.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/cto/d/san-mateo-2014-bmw-i3-range-extender/7771865600.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/scz/cto/d/watsonville-2015-bmw-i3-range-extender/7766556638.html
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/corte-madera-bmw-electric-with-range/7764308428.html
No new battery in any of these though.
I’ve always been fascinated by the i3. Honda’s G1 Insight seems to be having a similar moment.
I really wish New CEO hadn’t come in with Not My Leadership fever and a next generation i3 had been developed.
A fully EV i3 with current technology would be a contender.
I suspect even a similar mid-range EV with range extender option, updated for modern tech, would have been quite well received. Maybe with stamped aluminium chassis issues of carbon… Just for cost savings.
150 mile range with extender is entirely reasonable for these. Just need to manage that cost factor.
I agree, it’s a pretty amazing vehicle with a few Achilles heels. The challenge will be keeping them on the road, in 10-15 years.