BMW i3 EV: More than 8,000 ordered already

The BMW i3 – BMW’s first ‘i’ EV – is exceeding sales expectations with more than 8,000 reserved even before it goes on sale.

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BMW has invested heavily in their new ‘i’ range of electric cars – as much as £2 billion it’s estimated – with the ‘i’ cars being developed from scratch rather than based on an existing BMW model.

The first BMW i to be launched is the compact city car BMW i3, revealed in production form in July, which costs from around £30k for the regular EV and an extra 10 per cent for the i3 with a range extender engine.

Despite being revealed in July BMW has not yet officially put the i3 on sale, but that hasn’t stopped potential buyers lining up to palce a reservation, with more than 8,000 already signed-up for an i3.

That is in line with the healthy demand we reported BMW dealers in the UK experiencing with the i3, and more than BMW themselves seem to have expected as they’re already considering increasing i3 production to meet demand.

In truth, it seems highly likely that the majority of i3s are being ordered by existing BMW customers lookong for an addition to their family’s cars, rather than new customers to BMW jumping in because the i3 EV is a huge draw.

But even if this is just a case of better-off families buying a car for local journeys, it will extend the reach and availability of EVs, invigorate the impetus for more recharging stations and make EVs more acceptable.

So, perversely, the better-off buying a tax-efficient local runaround could be the piece of the puzzle that makes EVs more acceptable to a sceptical car buying public.

Unless the majority turn out to be i3s with the range-extender option.