[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW i8 Wins International Engine of the Year Award For Fourth Time

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Munich/Stuttgart. The plug-in hybrid drive system in the BMW i8 (BMW i8 Roadster: fuel consumption combined 2.0 l/100 km [141.2 mpg imp], electric power consumption combined 14.5 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions combined 46 g/km; BMW i8 Coupe: fuel consumption combined 1.8 l/100 km [156.9 mpg imp], electric power consumption combined 14.0 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions combined 42 g/km) has won its category in the world’s leading engine competition for the fourth year in succession.

The drive system powering the BMW i8 (BMW i8 Roadster: fuel consumption combined 2.0 l/100 km [141.2 mpg imp], electric power consumption combined 14.5 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions combined 46 g/km; BMW i8 Coupe: fuel consumption combined 1.8 l/100 km [156.9 mpg imp], electric power consumption combined 14.0 kWh/100 km, CO2 emissions combined 42 g/km*) has won its class – for units with 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre displacement – in the International Engine of the Year Award for the fourth time in a row.



The i8’s drive solution came onto the market in 2014 and has topped its category in the prestigious competition every year since. In its first year on sale, it also earned the best new engine and overall awards. The plug-in-hybrid drive system’s latest success in the award – this is the fourth year in succession it has emerged victorious in one or more of the categories – demonstrates once again how far it remains ahead of the curve. The BMW i8 is the sports car of the future and has been the world’s highest-selling PHEV sports car ever since its market launch in 2014. The BMW i3 and i8 stand at opposite ends of the BMW Group model spectrum as an expression of what is reasonably achievable today. And now their technology is being rolled out across BMW’s core models.

The recently updated BMW i8 fuses sports-car performance with the fuel consumption normally expected of small models. The three-cylinder combustion engine in the BMW i8 develops 170 kW / 231 hp and drives the rear wheels. The electric motor – whose output has been raised to 105 kW/143 hp – sources its energy from a lithium-ion battery (which can be charged from a conventional domestic power socket) and channels the power it generates to the front axle. This model-specific plug-in hybrid system developed and produced by the BMW Group enables all-electric driving with a range now increased to a maximum 55 kilometres (34 miles) in the EU test cycle. The combination of an electric motor at the front axle and combustion engine at the rear creates all-wheel drive, gluing the car to the road. The virtues of this drive configuration can be enjoyed most prominently under full acceleration and through dynamically driven corners.



The more powerful of the two drive sources powers the rear wheels and teams up with the hybrid system’s electric boost to deliver the driving pleasure for which BMW is renowned, plus trailblazing efficiency. The i8 needs just 4.4 seconds to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph). Yet the combined fuel consumption of the BMW i8 Roadster as per the EU test cycle for plug-in hybrid vehicles stands at 2.0 litres per 100 kilometres (141.2 mpg imp) plus 14.5 kWh of electric energy. CO2 emissions are 46 grams per kilometre. The figures for the BMW i8 Coupe are 1.8 litres per 100 kilometres (156.9 mpg imp) and 14.0 kWh of electric energy, which means CO2 emissions of 42 grams per kilometre.

This year marks the 20th edition of the International Engine of the Year Award. Over the course of the award’s history, engines developed for BMW Group brand models have notched up a total of 69 class and overall wins. An independent jury of experts identifies the best power units in a variety of categories. This year, the jury was made up of 70 automotive journalists from 31 countries. The award winners were crowned on Tuesday, 5 June 2017 at the Engine Expo fair in Stuttgart.

[Longboarder]

Interesting. There are attributes like seamlessness in integration of power delivery between the battery and ICE that are impressive.

But...if I don't plug it in and drive like a regular car I don't get better than 30mpg. And not like the engine is inspiring or even fun to rev out 'cause it's not. It's flat out boring. And slow.

If this thing is winning engine of the year then the outlook to me is bleak and I'm going to search for some other older high revving NA masterpieces.

[AKRAPOVICOWNS]

There must be some really stiff competition in this segment!!

[MichaelJohn]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

But...if I don't plug it in and drive like a regular car I don't get better than 30mpg.

Why would you not plug it in? If you are not using one of the features of the car to get better mileage it isn’t the car’s fault. it is true that electricity isn’t free but it is way cheaper than premium gas, especially here in the SF Bay Area. I consistently get 40+ mpg by plugging in after every drive. Why not take advantage of what the car offers?

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by MichaelJohn

Why would you not plug it in? If you are not using one of the features of the car to get better mileage it isn’t the car’s fault. it is true that electricity isn’t free but it is way cheaper than premium gas, especially here in the SF Bay Area. I consistently get 40+ mpg by plugging in after every drive. Why not take advantage of what the car offers?

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

[Needbmwpartzz]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

Atta-boy!
Take that engine of Yearr.......but seriously pray they don't stop selling gasoline.

[amw896]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

clearly displaying the EV tech has a tough road ahead of it.

[ghaffari46]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

At least your car looks quite back there
On driveway!

[BM dnobagaV]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

You kicked out the i8 but kept the e90 inside?

U wild homie

[JasH]

Originally Posted by BM dnobagaV

You kicked out the i8 but kept the e90 inside?

'cos the i8 is his favourite, and he actually wants to drive it more

[BM dnobagaV]

Originally Posted by JasH

'cos the i8 is his favourite, and he actually wants to drive it more

That makes even less sense.

The i8 receiving a best engine award..... mind-boggling. As long as it's more integrity-filled than the paper-mache e60 V10.

[EL Jeffe 5]

Nice work BMW for second I taught They got award for N63 Engine

[Teutonic]

Originally Posted by BM dnobagaV

You kicked out the i8 but kept the e90 inside?

U wild homie

I’m with him. Performance inside, groceries and DD outside. Simple.

[roastbeef]

Nonsense.

[zamboni]

Nice stable Longboarder.

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by AKRAPOVICOWNS

There must be some really stiff competition in this segment!!

Indeed. Rumor is that the segement was packed with one entrant.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

'Cause i straight up kicked it outta the garage where the plug is.

Maybe time to build another garage.

Why not.

[BM dnobagaV]

Originally Posted by Tracus

I’m with him. Performance inside, groceries and DD outside. Simple.

Bruh who da f**.... who would DD an i8 over an M3? Type of bizarro-world do we live in

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by BM dnobagaV

Bruh who da f**.... who would DD an i8 over an M3? Type of bizarro-world do we live in

Someone who wants to drive a nice car to work with out spending a dime on petrol.

[raysspl]

So that's cool & all but can we finally see red as standard color on the i8 thanks

[BigT]

Altough it's an intermediate step in the growing car innovation wave, the i8 will remain a milestone in that story. The design looks still so much fresher than what we see with the new 8er, which looks so old scool and heavy like it is in fact. Absolutely nothing thrills me on this car.

But let's be positive and imagine a smaller version of that dynamic i8 beauty, similar to the 2er or 4er series. The reliable technology is here, I make use of it every day and it's the 2014 state, already four years old.
The next step that follows now will outperform the old technology yet much more and at least in my country polls show clearly that the majority of the people wants to move to PEV and PHEV as soon as possible.

The problem is, that a big major change to PEVs will have also a deep impact on the actually very large supply industry, where many components will no longer be needed. Cylinders, valves, pistons, gearboxes, exhausts, catalysators, tanks, water coolers, rubber tubes and all the other stuff that affects your pocket during your conventional cars lifetime. Silly situation...