The BMW i8 and i3 cars are now sure of getting a mate. Henrick Wenders, the BMW iproduct line boss confirmed that the i5 will officially enter the market. However, the full details of the yet to be released i5 have not been fully confirmed yet. Just like the i3, the BMW i5 is set to have a combustion engine with an extended electric range. This clearly means that the i5 is a range-extended version of the electric car and not a hybrid. The i5 drive unit is shown here.
The range will be a key limiting factor as well as an anxiety source for green cars in the coming years. Green cars will be fully adopted once they have a range that is similar or comparable to that in an internal-combustion engine. For this reason, BMW plans to go on offering range-extenders even in its future cars. This will be offered as an option to address various needs of its customers. Wenders insinuated that consumers opted for a range-extender for their i3 REx so as to address range anxiety. Most of those purchasers found out they actually did not need to use the extender that often. Wenders expects that the i5 will be a popular car among consumers because of the range-extender provision.
Wenders admitted to having held numerous internal discussions, and his attempts to always represent customers. For this reason, he has often advocated for maximum range. However, from an engineering outlook, it is vital to be extremely careful. The automaker has to provide consumers with a battery that has a high longevity. The drive-train and battery should also make sense in terms of carbon dioxide investment. Just like the i3, there will be small upgrades for the i5 over time, following the continual development of battery technology. Wenders confirmed that the carbon footprint will play a huge role for the i5 as well as other future models of the i class.
BMW is aware of its inherent rivalry with Tesla. To address the issue, Wenders said that he was highly subjective and was convinced that there was an emotional connection between BMW and its audience. He further added that the automaker is not focused on building a different brand with a different portfolio. This would be like talking about a different company, which might be seen as an autonomous competitor of Tesla. Wenders said that they are a sub-brand and a section of a thriving quality automaker. He concluded with the statement that BMW’s strength is its innovation and its ability to come up with new designs using new materials.