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BMW Created the Most Efficient Electric Car In the US

Posted by timothy on from the turning-the-shaft dept.

cartechboy (2660665) writes "You think of efficient electric car and you probably think of the Tesla Model S, right? Well, you'd be wrong as the Model S is only rated at 89 MPGe. As of today, BMW now has the most efficient electric car sold in the U.S., the 2014 i3. The ratings were just posted to the Internet via a window sticker, and at 124 MPGe combined (138 MPGe city, 111 MPGe highway), the i3 is currently king of the efficiency race. The nearest competitor? The 2013 Scion iQ-EV with a 38 mile range and 121 MPGe rating, but it's not even available to the general public. Other competitors are mostly compliance cars such as the Chevrolet Spark EV and Fiat 500e. So where does that leave us? Well, BMW just won the race, for now. But how long until a competitor takes away that top spot?"

5 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Range is the issue by stewsters · · Score: 5, Informative

    Most of the power is going to hauling a battery around.

    Tesla s has 265 mile range
    i3 has 81 mile range
    Scion iQ-EV has 38 mile range

    I would be curious to see how the numbers hold up if they all were designed for the same range.

    1. Re:Range is the issue by timeOday · · Score: 4, Informative
      The Tesla is a much larger car all around, not just the battery.

      A better comparison to the BMW i3 might be the Fiat 500e (sold only in California). It's even a bit smaller than the BMW, and gets "only" 122/108 MPGe vs the 138/111 for the BMW. So, I do find the BMW impressive. However the Fiat starts at $32K which almost $10K less than the BMW. Making a car light without other sacrifices does require more expensive materials, so I would expect more from the BMW than the Fiat, and evidently it delivers.

  2. Re:Efficiency doesn't matter... by fnj · · Score: 5, Informative

    Efficiency doesn't matter for an electric car that can be powered for FREE by the sun

    Completely naive fail. Apparatus to convert that sunlight to electric power costs money and has to be depreciated. Not only is photovoltaic power not free; its cost ($130 / MWh) is higher than natural gas ($64 to $128 / MWh), coal ($96 / MWh) or advanced nuclear ($96 / MWh). Those estimates for systems coming on line in 2019, so they are not based on obsolete data. Solar thermal is even worse ($243 / nMWh).

  3. Re:What is MPGe supposed to mean? by Noah+Haders · · Score: 5, Informative

    The exact opposite of true. It's just a measure of energy. 33.7 kWh is about 120mj, which is the same as a gallon if gas.

  4. More importantly... by timeOday · · Score: 4, Informative
    The BMW didn't win by chance, but because it is based on a totally different construction method to makes it lighter:

    What makes the i3 different from every other car on the market is under the skin - it's almost entirely made out of plastic. This is no ordinary plastic, mind you - it's carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. It's basically the same stuff used to make Formula One cars and stealth bombers. What's remarkable about the i3 is that it's the first mass-market car made out of carbon fiber. There's no metal in the car's body - all the bumpers, doors and skins are plastic as well. The only major metal parts are the drive unit and suspension components. The result is a four-seat, four-door city car that weighs only about 2,700 pounds - or nearly 500 pounds less than a BMW 1 Series.

    This actually quite a bold and innovative new product. It's a shame they made it so ugly. I'm really curious to see crash test results.