The BMW i3 is the car from the future that you can buy for yourself. Despite the fact that it’s out in a few other countries already, Aussies will have to wait before they can front up to buy one. Here’s how much it costs and when you can get it.
BMW announced today that the city hatchback would debut in two models in Australia: one is the fully-electric option priced at $63,990, and one with a petrol-powered range-extender that boots up to refill the batteries when required. That one will cost you $69,990.
That’s quite a premium when it comes to the US price: our Amerifriends only pay around $42,000 plus tax on their cars, while we’re left paying an extra $22,000. That’s almost VW Polo GTi money in the shortfall alone!
We’ll be getting the BMW i3 in November.
The i3 is a four-door hatchback which appears to borrow its shape from the new Mini. Under the hood is, well, nothing really. Under the car itself, rather is a 125kW all-electric motor which produces 250Nm of torque and propels this little tech-filled wonder to a top speed of 150km/h. It deals with 0-100km/h in 7.2 seconds, and can travel 190km before it needs to be rejuiced.
Charging is dealt with in 3 hours with a 7.4kW power supply, but dependent on the region (China for example), it may take twice as long due to lower voltage available. To keep you on the road longer, BMW will make available a DC charging kit which takes the battery up to 80 per cent in just 20 minutes.