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BMW i8 fully revealed ahead of Frankfurt debut

It may be early in the morning here in the US, but in Germany, the first day of the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show is in full swing. BMW took advantage of the early start and showed off its long-awaited i8 plug-in hybrid sportscar, a two-plus-two, swan-wing-doored coupe, to the Frankfurt crowd.
We drove a BMW i8 prototype back in August, so many of the things we're reading today are clarifications on our initial suspicions or speculations. Underhood sits a 1.5-liter, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine. On its own, it churns out a respectable 231 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, which is then channeled to the rear wheels by way of a six-speed automatic transmission. An electric motor, meanwhile, sends 131 hp and 184 lb-ft of torque through a two-speed automatic to the front wheels.
With all-wheel drive at its disposal, the total system power sits at 362 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque, and allows the i8 to scamper to 62 miles per hour in just 4.4 seconds. That excellent performance is offset by an estimated fuel economy figure of 94 miles per gallon, though, making this a fast and efficient vehicle. Charging is impressively fast on the i8, with a full charge coming from a 110-volt outlet in under four hours. A BMW Charging Station will trim the charge time down to 1.5 hours.

Daimler, BMW partnering up on wireless charging

Plug-in vehicle advocates can get all warm and fuzzy about two Germany heavyweight automakers getting together for the sake of wireless charging. That's because Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler and BMW will work together to speed up development of a wireless charging system. While not a ton of details were divulged, we can still rejoice. Daimler says the system will consist of an on-board coil and another coil that can be placed within the garage floor or someplace similarly stationary. The system will charge at 3.6 kilowatts and with 90 percent efficiency. No details were released about the system's price or when it would be available, but Daimler shouldn't wait too long, since other OEMs are already talking about their own wireless charging systems. Daimler obviously has some skin in the game here, since Mercedes-Benz will start sales of its S500 plug-in hybrid in September. That model, which was first shown off last August at the Frankfurt Auto Show, can go as far as 20 miles on electric power alone and will get fuel economy of about 84 miles per gallon equivalent. And it's easy to imagine an i3 or i8 driver getting a kick out of never needing to touch a cord. This spring, reports sprung up that fellow German automaker Volkswagen was preparing a wireless charging option for its electric vehicles as soon as 2017. You can check out Daimler's press release below. Wireless charging of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles: PLUG IN HYBRID - unplugged One of the next steps on the way to perfect electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles is wireless charging. Daimler and BMW have now agreed on jointly developing and implementing one common technology. Wireless charging of the battery will make the handling of electric drive and plug-in hybrid vehicles even easier. Mercedes-Benz will commence fleet testing of this "unplugged" technology with the S 500 Plug in HYBRID soon, in order to develop a real S-Class solution in recharging the high voltage battery in terms of comfort and ease of operating in the near future. The system consists of two components: a secondary coil integrated into the under tray of the car and a primary coil integrated into a floor plate that can be placed on a garage floor for instance. Electrical energy is transmitted contact-free without the need for a cable, at a power rate of 3.6 kW and with a degree of efficiency of 90%.

BMW, Mini recall nearly every PHEV model built in 2020 due to fire risk

BMW is recalling a majority of the plug-in hybrid models it built in 2020 because their battery pack poses a fire risk. That's 4,509 vehicles covered by the campaign in the United States, including some made by Mini. The list of cars affected by this voluntary recall includes 2020 and 2021 examples of the 530e, the X3 xDrive30e, and the Mini Countryman SE, coupe and convertible variants of the 2020 i8, as well as the 330e (pictured), the 745Le xDrive, and the X5 xDrive45e from the 2021 model year. All are equipped with a lithium-ion battery pack whose cells might have been contaminated by debris during the manufacturing process, according to a recall notice issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). BMW hasn't revealed what exactly found its way into the Samsung-built battery pack's cells, or how, but it pointed out the debris can cause a short-circuit, which increases the risk of fires and injuries. It added that it became aware of the problem after four gasoline-electric X5s experienced what it refers to as a thermal incident.  Engineers are currently developing a remedy to the problem. Until a solution is found, BMW is asking owners of affected cars not to charge the battery pack, not to drive in manual mode, not to engage sport mode, and not to use the shift paddles. It expects to begin fixing cars affected by the recall on November 23, 2020. 26,700 cars manufactured between January 20 and September 28, 2020, are part of the recall globally. Outside of the United States, BMW also sells plug-in variants of the X1, the X2, and the 2 Series Active Tourer. It has been a bad month for electrified cars. Ford delayed its Escape PHEV after a recall of its Kuga twin in Europe over fire risk. U.S. safety officials are reviewing reports of fires in the Chevy Bolt EV, and Hyundai has expanded a recall of the Kona EV. Featured Gallery 2021 BMW 330e View 14 Photos Green Recalls BMW MINI Hybrid