UPDATE: Images of the i-series at the Frankfurt Motor Show 13.09.2011

BMW began the i project in 2007 to explore its future in sustainable vehicles. Part of this project has been the MiniE and ActiveE electric vehicles that BMW has been leasing to selected people for the past two years. The seed of this project seems to be finally bearing fruit. In an press conference on July 29 BMW finally revealed to the public the concepts for the i3 and i8. 

The i3 concept is BMW's first attempt at selling a fully electric car that is available to the general public. The first inkling as to the design of the i3 was revealed in the BMW Megacity Vehicle concept in 2009. BMW also intends that the i3 will be the first premium, electric car in the world. 

The i8 concept is a little more familiar – it was first shown as the Vision EfficientDynamics concept and will be shown in the new Mission Impossible film that will be out later this year. It is a sports car with a plug-in hybrid. 

Despite being a concept, the i3 is designed to be almost ready for production. It uses an electric motor mounted over the rear axle and produces 170hp and 184lb.-ft of torque. The small car will accelerate to 100kph in less than eight seconds, according to BMW. 

BMW has designed the interior to be a mix of the traditional and modern. It uses natural materials for the touch surfaces around the driver and as a blast from the past, the i3 has a front bench seat with separate seat backs. 

Because many people still get nervous when considering an electric car because of range issues, BMW has also built in several features to allay their fears. First ECO PRO mode can be activated when drivers need to wring out the last little of range from the electric motor. It limits the throttle to reduce acceleration and adjusts the climate control to be as efficient as possible. Second, the i3 has functions available on the owner's smartphone that allow him or her to find the nearest place to charge the battery, view the current state of charge and other details about the car. 

While interesting as a city car, the i3 is not meant to be an all out sports car, for that BMW has the i8. It takes the electric motor from the i3 and mounts it over the front axle and adds a turbocharged, three-cylinder engine in the rear to give a total power output of 220hp and 221lb.-ft of torque. In a pinch either engine can also operate on its own, although with a resulting loss in power. On electricity alone, the i8 has a range of 35km. Acceleration to 100kph takes under five seconds, BMW is claiming, and in the European cycle it uses less than 3l/100km of petrol.

BMW did not announce a date of when the cars will be available to purchase, but in the past it has hinted at least the the i8 could be out sometime next year. The i3 concept and i8 concept will be on display for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September to be viewed by the public. 

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