BMW i3 will have a motorcycle engine as range extender

BMWwill launch during this year, in the fourth quarter to be more precise, the newi3 electric vehicle. The compact car will also have a long-range version, onwhich, BMW will offer a two-cylinder motorcycle engine and a generator.

HerbertDiess, BMW's head of research and development department, said the package willbe offered as an option on the i3, but did not say how much it will cost.

Thei3 has a range of 60 to 90 miles,on a single electrical charge. Dies said thata two-cylinder gasoline engine, derived from a BMW motorcycle, extends therange to about 250 miles on a tank of gasoline. The engine is housed in thetrunk and connected to a generator that recharges the battery. BMW ensured theclients that its combustion engine doesn't transmit mechanical power directlyto the wheels.

BMW i3 will have a motorcycle engine as range extender Photos

"Iimagine many buyers will order the range extender to cure their range anxiety,discovering later they need it very seldom," Diess told AutomotiveNews.

Heexpects the order rate for the option could exceed 50 percent with earlybuyers, then stabilize at about 20 percent.

Tags: bmw, bmw i3, bmw i3 engine, bmw motorcycle

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Source: BMW