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BMW i8
- Thread starter Doug_G
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- bmw i8 Electric Vehicles
At the very end of the second video, when the completed car is driven off the assembly line you can hear engine noise ! So they drive it off using the ICE engine, not the silent, non-fuming electric motor 
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
They probably install the pack in a discharged state, so they have to use the ICE. Or maybe they are just testing the fake engine noise generator.
BMW i8 has been nicknamed the "5 minute sports car" as it has terrible performance when the batteries are depleted: ROAD TESTS - AutoBild: - BMW i8 test | German Car Forum
This is true, performance drops to 5.8s 0-100 kph withe the batteries fully depleted.
How does the Tesla perform with the battery being depleted? :biggrin:
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
Ok this was a nice answer. 1:0 JRP3
Honestly the i8's performance is not promising in the first tests. It's fast in a straight line with the batteries being fully charged but it's no match for a conventional sportcars like a 911 on a handling circuit. It's not even close.
However: I don't care. The driving experience of this car will be completely different to anything else on the road.
Honestly the i8's performance is not promising in the first tests. It's fast in a straight line with the batteries being fully charged but it's no match for a conventional sportcars like a 911 on a handling circuit. It's not even close.
However: I don't care. The driving experience of this car will be completely different to anything else on the road.
JRP3
Hyperactive Member
I suspect you're right, though the same could be said for a Trabant.
My issue with the i8 is that I don't see how it's any better than a substantially cheaper 911S in the nearly any circumstance.
I suppose there is the one use case where you live a couple of miles from where you work, drive like there's an egg on the throttle, and burn less gas.
But how many people are going to use a $140,000 performance car that way?
In contrast, when compared with, eg, a Panamera, the Model S costs the same or less and does nearly everything better. That's how you sell people on alternative fuels.
So, after ~20 miles, you've got a $135,000 car that accelerates like upper end VW Beetle?
A Panamera still does many things better than the Model S. I agree that for many people the Model S offers more practicality.
The i8 does not want to do that. Still, the BMW is more efficient than any other conventional sportscar. And it can be driven electric. And with the gasoline engine which sounds nice and performs very well.
It also 4wd drive. And front wheel drive. And rear wheel drive. And torque vectoring. It can do a lot of things, more than any other car. And it's 600kg lighter than the Model S. No matter how you argue, this is a lot.
I just think it's completely awesome and futuristic in it's own way
The i8 does not want to do that. Still, the BMW is more efficient than any other conventional sportscar. And it can be driven electric. And with the gasoline engine which sounds nice and performs very well.
It also 4wd drive. And front wheel drive. And rear wheel drive. And torque vectoring. It can do a lot of things, more than any other car. And it's 600kg lighter than the Model S. No matter how you argue, this is a lot.
I just think it's completely awesome and futuristic in it's own way
Except the Tesla Roadster I believe.
A Mazda Miata is also lighter than a Model S. What's your main point and continual need to compare the two (i8 and Model S)? The i8 is a beautiful hybrid sports car but let's no kid ourselves on the electric range or it's performance once the battery pack is empty. Also, I believe that awesome engine noise is faked too.
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Jaff
Active Member
It is "a lot" in your opinion...to most others here, the fact that it has an ICE makes it "meh", in ours...
And it's still slower
The i8 is pretty and a 2-door sports car is a whole different niche than the S so comparisons aren't really fair either way in many cases. I can see why someone wouldn't want an S. It's a freaking huge car. I do miss the small, zippy feel of my RX8 from time to time.
There will be some folks who love the i8 (and I hope you're one as an owner), but the i8 is just sort of an oddball to me. It reminds me a bit of the Fisker in that it's really pretty, but sort of split personality in what it's trying to do. A sports car that's sort of fast...for a very short range. It's 2-door, but it's not exactly small for 2-door cars. It's a very expensive car that's not really best of breed at much of anything, other than it does look very, very cool.
One more word regarding sound engineering.
I see a lot people making jokes on the i8 soundspeaker actually creating artficial sound. This is only half the story.
The system actually filters and alters the original frequencies from the 3-cyl. engine. There is not additional soundtrack or fake sound. Audi has originally designed this concept for the Audi V6 TDI which should sound like a conventional gas V6 with this kind of mods. In fact Audi and VW have been using soundspeakers to alter the engine sound in many cars incl. VW Golf GTD and Audi S3.
Only difference is that people never realised that. In the end every kind of sound engineering is artificial sound up to a point.
I am certain even Tesla had someone working on the Model S noise impression. Because it is certainly not silent.
I see a lot people making jokes on the i8 soundspeaker actually creating artficial sound. This is only half the story.
The system actually filters and alters the original frequencies from the 3-cyl. engine. There is not additional soundtrack or fake sound. Audi has originally designed this concept for the Audi V6 TDI which should sound like a conventional gas V6 with this kind of mods. In fact Audi and VW have been using soundspeakers to alter the engine sound in many cars incl. VW Golf GTD and Audi S3.
Only difference is that people never realised that. In the end every kind of sound engineering is artificial sound up to a point.
I am certain even Tesla had someone working on the Model S noise impression. Because it is certainly not silent.
But, really, what does it do better than a 991 4S? That's also AWD. It's not electric, but then again, the amount of time that the i8 is going to be driven purely as a FWD electric car is probably in the low single digits, percentage wise. And the extra $20 or 30 grand you save buying the Porsche buys a lot of gas.
Maybe you should read into the i8's details.....
I can charge this car with the gas engine while cruising. Therefore the electric range is much higher than the claimed 40km which only refers to maximum range after charging stationary.
No it won't be as efficent as pure electric car. Nethertheless, with the Tesla range anxiety is you 24hour enemy. Push the accelerator and you lose range fast. You cannot ignore that.
In the i8 this problem is irrelevant because you have the choice anytime. You will always have a gas Station next to you if you need it. Therefore you can ask for true perfomance more often.
Anyway, it's ridiculous to bash on the i8's performance drop with depleted batteries. It will still be lot faster than the Model S with it's pathetic overheating issue, no question.
You really have an issue with the Model S. Do you spend time on the M5 forum or Porsche 911 forums telling the I owners how weak their cars are? Be a realist for once. The i8 is pretty and light. That's about it. It's even bashed by German auto magazines for weak performance for the price. Explain to me how the i8 keeps full performance through its entire range once batteries depleted. That's not what actual auto reviewers have said. And artificially altering the sound with filters to make it sound meaner is still 'faking' the sound. All automakers build their cars to hide sounds but very few pipe in filtered sounds via the internal speakers.
Sure, the Model S isn't a track car but if you want to do meaningless comparisons, how much luggage can the i8 fit for a camping trip? Pointless comparison again you make time and time again. The Model S is not a small sports car. The i8 is. This should be a straightforward concept.
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