The i8 should be getting the standard ‘more of everything’ treatment from BMW as it heads to a facelift for 2017. Bumps to power, electric range, overall efficiency, and speed are expected.
It’s quite a natural progression for BMW’s i8 sports car to receive a bump in range following the debut of a new, higher-capacity lithium-ion battery pack in the new i3. It just so happens that the i8 is also up for a facelift, so BMW have included more substantial upgrades for good measure.
For Australians, the next blip for the i8 fan’s radar would be coming in September when BMW is due to the launch i8 Protonic Red Special edition.
As UK’s Autocar reports, BMW will be offering the facelifted i8 starting in late 2017 which, apart from the bigger lithium-ion pack, features an upgraded powertrain package that’s an iterative advancement of the original combination of a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged engine and electric motor.
The development of this new power unit will be derived from the i8 that’s currently deployed as the official Formula E safety car as well as several roadgoing prototypes that BMW has been fielding.
While the upgrades themselves are a near-certainty, their extent over the current i8 remains a mystery. The report figures a 10 percent jump in output through turbocharger tuning and the presence of a more powerful electric motor paired to the new battery. All this should result in a tentative 313kW output (up from 260kW).
Currently, the i8 has a 0-100km/h sprint time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 250km/h. While BMW is firm on pegging the top speed, its acceleration time should be reduced and BMW is reportedly chasing a lower figure through new software mapping for its six-speed automatic transmission.
It’s also unclear how much of the new i3’s battery will influence the new i8’s, although it follows that it should share a similar energy density and charging properties, possibly allowing quicker inductive charging times through the rumoured system developed in conjunction with mobile microprocessor giant Qualcomm.
As a sports car, the BMW i8’s weight has been of paramount concern throughout its development and some additional measures might have to taken to offset the new battery’s alleged weight that, while holding more charge, is also markedly heavier. BMW, in response, could be looking into carbon fibre wheels to replace the aluminium set that’s currently being used.
Should these stirrings be amounting to something more tangible soon, BMW could be aiming for the Paris Motor Show in September to debut the facelifted i8 along with the production version of the i8 Spyder.
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