BMW’s i8 eco sports car does 0-62 in 4.4 seconds and achieves 134 mpg … Impressed yet?

By Nick Jaynes Published March 11, 2014

BMW has announced it will begin deliveries on its plug-in hybrid sports car, the i8, in June for some European customers.

Along with the delivery date, Bimmer has also released the final efficiency numbers for the Porsche 911 Carrera S-fighting eco sports car.

For a refresher, the carbon fiber bodied i8 is powered by a twin-turbocharged three-cylinder gasoline engine, producing 231 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, and an electric motor good for 131 hp and 184 lb-ft. Combined, the shoebox-sized powerplants are good for 326 hp and a 0 to 62 mph time of 4.4 seconds.

Rather than wax philosophic about the supercar the i8 could have been, let’s just jump into its low carbon motoring characteristics, shall we?

BMW estimates the i8 to achieve – on the European drive cycle – 56 mpg around town and 35 mpg “at higher speeds.” Combined with an electric range of 23 miles, the i8 is rated at 134.5 mpg.

Those aren’t the only impressive numbers the i8 puts out. It’ll do up to 75 mph in all-electric mode, accelerate from 50 to 75 mph in 2.6 seconds, and hit an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

You can tell BMW is working its press department overtime. Look at the errant German word left in this sentence, “the BMW i8 engineers hat a particular focus on low fuel consumption in real life.” Germanglish!

BMW also brags the i8 is the first production car to feature laser headlights, which will illuminate the road ahead up to 600 meters. This would be a really cool selling feature for the car, if they were legal on U.S. roadways.

Itching for an i8 now more than ever? Well, even if you have the $135,000 lying around, orders for the i8 have already exceeded the production cap. So you can’t have one.

Former Automotive Editor

Nick Jaynes is the Automotive Editor for Digital Trends. He developed a passion for writing about cars working his way…

Topics

Photo Galleries

Cars

Tesla launches the six-seat Model Y Long Wheelbase in the US

The stretched electric SUV brings more space, more comfort, and up to 325 miles of range.

Tesla Model Y Long Wheelbase Featured

Tesla is giving the Model Y a little more breathing room. The company has officially launched the Model Y Long Wheelbase in the United States and Puerto Rico, introducing a stretched version of its best-selling electric SUV with a three-row, six-seat layout that's designed to make family road trips a lot more comfortable.

A bigger Model Y with a focus on comfort

Cars

A stolen Kia reveals the hidden limits of connected car technology

Kia can see where your stolen car is. GDPR means it won't share that in real time. That is the entire problem.

Kia EV3 design

If you’re buying a car with connected car technology, thinking it would help you to recover it in the event of theft, you might want to recalibrate your expectations.

A recent incident in the UK, in which a car owner had three tracking devices installed in his car and still couldn’t recover it, led the carmaker to state that connected-car technology isn’t a “certified security vehicle tracker” (via the BBC).

Cars

Cambrige experts find utterly simple fix for longer lasting EV batteries. Just put some pressure on it.

Scientists found a way to make EV batteries last longer without reinventing the battery

EV Charging

EV battery breakthroughs typically involve new chemistry, exotic materials, or faster charging/higher capacity. But a new study reveals that you can skip all the fancy stuff and go with a very simple solution, Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that putting the battery under the right amount of pressure actually helps.

The study was about how physical pressure affects lithium-ion battery life, which found that keeping cells under constant pressure could double their lifespan. The work was published in Nature Energy, and the team says the improvement came without changing the active materials, electrolyte, or basic battery chemistry.