The standard i3 battery-running vehicle will be eligible deemed for the California`s white stickers, which let owners drive only in HOV lanes alone.

With the unlimited number of white stickers for the EVs like the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S, California has set a law limiting the number of the green stickers, which allow solo-HOV access to plug-in hybrids and as well extended-range plug ins, to only 40,000 units.

Last year, there were around 29,000 green stickers alone to be given to cars like Chevrolet Volt and the Toyota Prius Plug In, as the stickers for this year, for other green cars like the BMW i3 might be running out in just a couple of months.

There is also a waiting list for the i3 Range extender to be running out starting with January, so the time is slowly ticking away, and that would put off the customers looking to buy the i3.

Earlier this year, the German manufacturer said that the i3 REx would be the perfect suitor for the white stickers, as the car is also called BEVx, meaning it is an electric motor with a single-charge range.

With all that, BMW assured us that the green stickers wouldn’t run out until the end of 2014.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW i3 Rex to Arrive in California after HOV Stickers Run Out appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.

For a big part of the world, the winter season has barely started showing its fangs but in the northern countries winter testing facilities are almost permanent.

That’s how the Paparazzi of the automotive world have managed to snap some more shots of the BMW i3 as it is being tested in these harsh conditions.

It’s not the first encounter we get with the spyshots of the BMW i3, nor is it the first time it’s been spotted along side a winter background but these pictures make a good case for viewing.

Firstly, this time the BMW i3 EV REx wasn’t spotted on a road or in simple conditions but rather lapping a bit of a circuit outlined in the snow.

This means that even though we’re looking at an i Range product, one that’s meant to save the world first, BMW is still concerned about the way it drives.

It should come as no surprise really. If BMW managed to make the enormous barge that is the Phantom handle decently and the small Mini handle beautifully, there’s nothing they can’t do in this area.

As for the rest of the BMW i3, there’s nothing new going on. It looks about the same, is still heavily camouflaged every time it’s out and there’s no change in its schedule or future plans.

We’re still expecting an official market launch sometime in early 2013 with the REx version destined to follow shortly after that.

On the sales front, BMW still hope to sell some 30.000 units a year once the i3 gets past the initial sluggishness of distribution and so on.

Images via Autoevolution

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

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

Sure, it would have been much better to see some spyshots of the BMW i3 travelling under its own propulsion but for the moment this will have to do.

Spotted on the back of a flatbed truck while travelling across Europe, some new photos of the i3 were snapped and what makes this one special is that most accounts report it to be a different version.

Not an M sport, not a diesel, but a “near production form” version of the BMW i3s that we’ve seen as concepts or previous test mules.

So what makes the BMW i3 REx special in comparison to the pre-production versions? Well, to begin with, that longer name has quite the story to tell.

REx stands for range extender, a rather critical component in modern plugin EV vehicles but still a controversial offering. In fact, BMW themsevels weren’t too thrilled about it when they originally announced the i3.

This is the stuff we can’t really see, what we can see is less controversial and quite more easily predictable.

The production version of the BMW i3 REx is heavily camouflaged with nothing but the extreme necessities being easily visible. Despite this, it’s obvious that BMW’s i3 REx will be dropping the excessively styled lines and the unusual proportion of glass partitions the concept boasts.

In other words, the recently spied BMW i3 REx is starting to look more and more like a car.

Sounds rather boring and bland but it actually means that BMW is shifting the i Range towards real life rather than simply showcasing them as ultra efficient and clean concepts.

What is really important is that within the transformation there’s no actual compromise in the fields that really matter. Sure, the range extender will compromise the image, but it shouldn’t considerably affect the battery driveable range.

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Marcus M.

http://www.bmwcoop.com

The post BMW i3 REx spied during transportation appeared first on BMWCoop | BMW Blog, BMW News, BMW Reviews.