Green Education: Energy

As a car company, BMW is an unlikely champion of green cars. But between the electric Mini E, their clean turbodiesel engines, heat-recapturing technology, and a sub-brand of plug-in hybrid vehicles like the i3 and i8, BMW is really looking like a leader in clean performance technology.

On the subject of the BMW i8, a green supercar that the German company has pledged to build, we have this video showing an i8 test mule out driving. While the looks appear to have been toned down, the scissor doors have not. What is it with electricfied cars and funky doors?

I don’t know, but BMW is stepping up to the plate much the same way Porsche has. I have high hopes for the i8, which has matured from a fanciful concept named the Concept Vision Efficient Dynamics to the car in this video. The plug-in hybrid i8 will supposedly deliver up to 22 miles of all-electric driving, after which the 1.5-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder generator will give drivers up to 80 mpg, in a sharp looking performance package.

How well it performs is anybody’s guess…but after watching this spy video I’ve got to say that I am more interested now than I was before, and it is apparent that BMW really is moving forward with these efficient hybrid cars, whilst maintaining both its luxury and performance heritage.

So maybe that’s the point of the scissor doors, to make EV’s look cool? Well I hate to say this but…it might be working, ’cause the BMW i8 looks hella cool, especially in the snow.