BMW i8 revealed: The BMW Vision ED lives

BMW i8 Revealed

The BMW i8 has been revealed as a petrol hybrid with 4WD, 359bhp, 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and 104mpg.

Today BMW reveals the i8 Concept, the production concept of the Vision EfficientDynamics supercar we saw back in 2009 and, for BMW, their way forward in a more eco-conscious world.

But being aware of the climate doesn’t mean the joy has to be taken from the drive, and the BMW i8 aims to offer a car which can claim a green halo be also be a stimulating and appealing car for the petrolhead.

The i8 is remarkably similar to the original Vision ED Concept, although it has dumped the 1.5 litre diesel the Concept has for a new 1.5 litre petrol engine with direct injection which develops 220bhp and 221lb/ft of torque.

That doesn’t sound wonderfully scintillating, but the i8 also gets a 129bhp electric motor which adds an additional 184lb/ft of torque to the i8 recipe for performance.

That recipe means the petrol engine sat out back and the electric engine up front. That will give the i8 the ability to turn in to a very economical FWD electric car in town – for up to 20 miles – but with the petrol engine jumping in when the batteries run down or performance is called for.

BMW are saying that when the electric motor and engine are working together the i8 will manage 62mph in 4.6 seconds (which is as quick as the new M5) and a limited top speed of 155mph. Which seem extraordinarily good figures for a car with 359bhp. But that’s down to the light weight of the i8.

The BMW i8 sits on a chassis that is predominantly aluminium and a body that is made from CFRP (that’s carbon fibre reinforced plastic) which means the i8 weighs just 1480kg and has a perfect 50:50 weight distribution and a very low centre of gravity thanks to all the weighty stuff in the i8 sitting low down.

That weighty stuff includes the liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack which runs down the centre of the i8 like a transmission tunnel and can be fully charged from a domestic socket in 105 minutes. Of course, the battery also gets a bit of a top-up on the move thanks to energy recuperation.

BMW are saying the i8 will achieve 104mpg and have CO2 emissions of just 66g/km. Of course, that’s the usual disingenuous garbage the official figures will always produce because they’re based on an assumption of a number of miles on electricity only.

But the economy will still be remarkable for a car with so much performance on tap. But let’s be realistic; if you buy the i8 for its performance – and use it – and don’t live in a city you will probably end up with 40mpg. Still great, but hardly 100mpg.

In terms of size the BMW i8 is quite close to the 3-Series (although lower) and will seat four (well, two plus a couple of vertically challenged adults in the back) and looks a properly impressive car. But don’t expect it to stop here with the i8; the BMW i8 Convertible won’t be far behind.

The BMW i8 will launch in 2013 in the UK. No prices yet.