It seems the automotive industry is moving towards alternative energies these days. The rise of hybrid electric cars tempts many motorists to ditch their existing cars for them! If you’re in the market for a powerful sports car, did you know you can even get hybrid electric models of them too?
One model that has taken the sports car world by storm is the BMW i8. On first reflection, you might think this car has a meaty V8 turbo engine under the bonnet. But, what it does have might shock you. There’s just a lowly 1.5-litre power plant!
The thing is: the BMW i8 is a hybrid electric car. That means the engine also gets linked to an electric powertrain. There’s no denying that BMW is setting the tone for greener performance motoring with the i8. So, what makes the world’s fastest 1.5-litre sports car so special? Let’s find out:
The engineering behind the hybrid powertrain is amazing
Let’s take a look at “that” 1.5-litre engine. As standard, it produces a whopping 228 brake horsepower! As you would expect, the power plant benefits from the TwinPower treatment. In case you wondered, TwinPower is BMW’s marketing term for its twin-scroll turbochargers.
The engine has a connection with the electric motor. This unit by itself produces 129 brake horsepower. Combined, the BMW i8 offers 357 bhp. Now, I know what you’re thinking: that doesn’t seem like much for a sports car! The next section explains why this is fine for the i8:
It has a lightweight body
People new to the BMW i8 expect it to be a heavy vehicle. Especially with all those batteries needed for the electric powertrain.
The shocking truth is the car weighs less than 1.5 tonnes! That’s because it has a carbon fibre body.
It’s surprisingly cheap to maintain
The thing about BMW’s thirsty V8s is they can cost a fortune to fix if something goes wrong. The i8 is easier and cheaper to maintain. For a start, it only has a 1.5-litre engine. Even the maintenance guide at whocanfixmycar.com will apply to basic tasks on this car.
If you drive the car in the city, you’ll seldom have to service your car so often. Especially as the electric motor does most of the work in urban environments at slower speeds.
So, despite the purchase price, the BMW i8 is likely cheaper to maintain than say a Ford Fiesta!
You won’t always need to pull into a filling station
The combination of the MINI sourced 1.5-litre engine and electric motor offers 135.5 mpg! That might sound like a far-fetched claim, but it’s true.
Bear in mind that the electric motor does most of the work at low speeds. If most of your time gets spent in stop-start traffic, you will use little fuel. Check out the stats at www.autoexpress.co.uk for more details.
Conclusion
If you want an eco-friendly car that goes from 0-60 mph in just 4.3 seconds, the BMW i8 is for you!
1 comment
Bmws never needed big engines to go fast, their inline 6 engine is faster than any v8.. Fact. i8 is on a different level of engineering. Awesome