BMW's i3 electric car had a carbon-fibre cabin and door panels made from hemp
When BMW built its first mass-produced zero-emissions car, it started from a blank sheet. The i3's passenger cell was carbon-fibre plastic glued, not welded, by 173 robots in Leipzig, its door panels used hemp, and its optional leather was tanned with olive-leaf extract. It stayed in production from 2013 to 2022.
The i3 was one of the first two models of BMW's separate i sub-brand, launched in February 2011, alongside the i8 plug-in hybrid. Styled by Richard Kim, it drew on field trials of the electric Mini E and BMW ActiveE, including one-pedal driving in town. It was shown as a concept at the 2011 Frankfurt show, and production began in September 2013. No earlier mass-market car had used carbon-fibre reinforced plastic for most of its body and inner structure.
The layout splits into two parts. A carbon-fibre Life Module holds four people and opens with rear-hinged back doors, and it sits on an aluminium Drive Module containing the frame, suspension, motor and battery. Carbon fibre came from a plant in Moses Lake, Washington, was woven in Wackersdorf and shaped in Landshut before final assembly. The hemp panels saved about 10% in weight. Bridgestone designed tall, skinny, high-pressure tyres to cut rolling resistance and drag.
The battery grew steadily. The original pack was rated at 22 kWh gross, the 2017 model year version at 33 kWh, a gain of more than 50% in the same space, and a 42.2 kWh pack arrived in September 2018. Some buyers could add a small petrol range extender, dropped in Europe once the largest battery came in. A sportier i3s joined for the 2018 model year.
The i3 won World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year in 2014, along with UK Car of the Year. It ranked third among electric cars sold worldwide from 2014 to 2016, and sales reached 250,000 by the end of 2022, with Germany its biggest market ahead of the United States. Production ended in July 2022.
Source: BMW i3 (hatchback)
