BMW i8 Gets In Depth About Its Tech and Design

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i8 is less than a year from hitting the market and is likely BMW’s best chance to convince the world that a range-extended electric vehicle can be a legitimate supercar.

While the car is still months away, BMW has released a series of videos showing its new supercar’s technology. One shows off the car’s carbon fiber reinforced plastic body and explains how it works. The other videos explain the car’s design, laser headlight technology and culminate in its performance.

The 2+2 sports coupe 3285lb (1490kg) uses a mid-mounted, 1.5-liter, three-cylinder turbocharged engine with 228hp and 236lb-ft (320NM) that can act as either a range extender or actually power the car. It is combined with an electric motor with 129hp and 184lb-ft with a 21.75-mile (35km) electric range. The total system output for both systems is 357hp and 420lb-ft (570NM). It is enough to get the car to 100km/h in 4.4 seconds, while having fuel economy of 2.5l/100km and emissions of 59g/km of CO2.