The German manufacturer plans to abandon the current turbocharged 1.5-liter engine with 231 horsepower in favor of a purely electric powertrain. It will include three electric motors and an upgraded battery pack with increased capacity, providing the sports car with a range of up to 500 kilometers without recharging.
The new generation BMW i8 will have all-wheel drive with torque vectoring between axles, as well as an adaptive chassis equipped with a road surface analysis system ahead of the vehicle.
It is expected that serial production of the new coupe will start in 2022 or 2023.
The current version of the BMW i8 uses a hybrid setup consisting of a three-cylinder internal combustion engine with 231 horsepower, an electric motor with 131 horsepower, a lithium-ion battery pack, and a six-speed automatic transmission. The total output of the units reaches 362 horsepower. Such a coupe accelerates to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds, and the top speed is electronically limited to 250 kilometers per hour.
