BMW i8

All-electric BMW i8 in the works

High-tech sports car could ditch its 1.5-litre three-pot hybrid powertrain for an electric system; but first the current car will get more power and a facelift

...The plan is for the electric-powered i8 — which may be pressed into action as a successor to the current i8-based Formula E safety car next year — to be based around the carbonfibre structure developed for the BMW i division’s fuel cell prototype, revealed last year. In order to house a series of cylindrical tanks used to stow hydrogen, it features a wider centre tunnel than the structure employed by the standard i8.

“The idea is to use the space within the widened centre tunnel to house the battery instead of the hydrogen tanks,” an official privy to the proposal currently in front of BMW’s development boss, Klaus Fröhlich, revealed to Autocar...

Despite the inclusion of a larger battery, sources suggest the proposed i8 prototype will not weigh more than the production version of the current i8, which tips the scales at 1485kg and possess a range of more than 249 miles....

Power for the new fourwheel-drive i8 prototype will come from three new brushless electric motors...

In standard guise, the i8 has an overall system output of 357bhp. BMW remains tightlipped on the proposed output of the all-electric prototype, but insiders say the new motors are capable of delivering up to 268bhp each...

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