What Car? has already nominated the winners for the green car category, and as it was expected, the BMW i3 won the category, beating up its competitors like Renault Zoe and Tesla Model S.

The rules for the What Car? nominations were quite simple: the first one is, that all competitors must be “eco”. Every facelift for all new model must pump out less CO2 as the car makers struggle to cope with the emissions regulations.

Then, another criteria would be that all participating cars must make electric motoring more accessible, by introducing technology to go with that.

BMW i3 has it all: high-tech since it has now teamed-up with Samsung to deliver the Samsung Galaxy Gear BMW i3; a new all-electric powertrain and carbon fiber reinforced plastic; an electric motor worthy of our respect: a synchronous electric motor offering 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque.

It is the case our big winner, BMW i3, the first electric car that BMW has ever made. And you know how it is said: the first time is always the best time.

Well done BMW i3 electric.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW i3 Nominated the Green Car of the Year appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

Christmas cheer all around. While I am a little disappointed in how BMW didn’t give us all free E92 M3 sedans this year, the Bavarians are still working on a few tricks.

As part of the more interesting toys coming in the future, the i lineup clearly stands out. It’s certainly the fuel economy bit that is what people will crave more and more.

That’s one of those annoying facts we just can’t seem to get away from these days. Since BMW have quite the history for engines that produce more power and use less, the i range still has a lot of appeal.

It’s not going to be all economy boxes that will look disgusting and have very few places where they feel adequate.

Even without BMW marketing the back sides out of these products I’d want to see them on the road. I’d want to see them on the road right now actually.

Which is what we have in these spyshots. It’s a bit of a shame that the i3 hatchback portrayed in them isn’t really as visible as we like em.

There’s just too much camouflage on this i3 Prototype. Don’t we all know how the car looks or what it’s about to be powered by.

The carbon fiber collaboration with Boeing they recently announced might not be the first place where this is shown off.

Knowing the main idea behind the project is to actually recycle the rare lightweight material, it would be a nice bonus to the green credentials to list.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW i3 Prototype spied again appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

The Bavarians seem to be on a partnership plan these days as just before showing us the new BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, they’ve announced a partnership with Brilliance.

That partnerships was to end in the creation of a new EV brand for China. The new partnership BMW has announced with General Motors hasn’t fallen far from that tree.

It sees the American company collaborate with the Germans into the eco trend that’s for the slightly further away future, namely fuel cells.

Fuel cell technology is reserved for the future but it’s really been with us for quite some time. GM’s Hy-Wire concept showcased this back in 2002, then later in 2008 the Honda FCX Clarity.

Both of these vehicles are special and they really pave the way for a different understanding of transportation.

Sadly the astronomical costs of fuel cell technology are going to keep these cars off the roads for plenty of years to come.

This is where BMW and GM partner up and try to speed things up. BMW have also signed a deal with Toyota earlier in the year that’s meant to help interest in eco technology. Bringing the trio together will push yet more money into fuel cell technology research.

Bottom line is that GM is a leader in terms of fuel cell research, Toyota in intermediary green tech and BMW is willing to spend considerable money to get its hand on their tips.

It will be interesting to follow where the collaboration between BMW and GM goes, with the main result being cheaper ways of coming up with fuel cell powered cars.

About Post Author

Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW to partner up with GM for fuel cell technology appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.