In 2009, BMW unveiled a concept car called the Vision EfficientDynamics. The concept car used a 1.5-liter plug-in hybrid three-cylinder engine, and at the time received a lot of attention with combined fuel consumption of 3.7 liters per 100 kilometers. Then in 2011, the German automaker unveiled another concept car called the i8 Concept, which was based on Vision EfficientDynamics.
The BMW i8 Concept had such a special and innovative design that no one thought it would hit the production line any time soon, but finally, BMW did its job and in 2013 unveiled the i8 prototype and only a year later with the same shape and the design went to the production line and then to the market.
Although the BMW i8 looks like a mid-engined supercar, it is more of a sports car, and by today's standards, it can hardly be considered a supercar.
The artwork uses a 1.5-liter three-cylinder turbo gasoline engine with 228 horsepower and 320 Nm of torque, along with a 131-horsepower electric motor with 250 Nm of torque. The total power of this car reaches 362 hp and 570 Nm. The BMW i8, while not as strong as today's sports cars, has significant specifications. The car can reach the limited top speed of 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds from standstill and is capable of reaching a top speed of 250 km/h. The car has a 7.1 kWh lithium-ion battery and can provide an electric range of 37 km in full power mode for the i8. Of course, in some sources, the electric driving range of the car is 24 km. Since the i8 is a plug-in hybrid car, it is also possible to charge the battery using an electrical outlet.
BMW i8 is one of the most fuel-efficient sports cars on the market, consuming only 2.2 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers in the combined cycle, and the car emits only 49 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer. The technical complexity of the BMW i8 hybrid powertrain has led to fewer tuners than other BMW cars, but Energy Motorsport is one of the few tuners to unveil its own kit for the BMW i8.
The tuning kit that this Japanese tuner designed for the BMW i8 is more visual and includes the exterior of the car. The kit includes new front and rear bumpers, two-piece rear fenders, side mirror covers, small winglets on the fenders with air intakes, body cover, 21-inch forged BBS rims, Pirelli Zero tires, upgraded brake system, and Exhaustssystem. The ground clearance of the car has been lowered by the use of new springs and shock absorbers, and optional air suspension.
The tuner can also do chip tuning, box tuning, compressor and turbocharger upgrades, and NOS installation. Of course, not much information has been released about this kit, and we still do not know how much these changes have affected the engine output.
The car you see in the pictures is one of the few BMW i8s on which the Energy kit is mounted. This BMW i8, which is tuned in Iran, does not have a complete kit, and for this reason, standard rims can be seen on it. Undoubtedly, the energy kit is one of the most attractive body kits that can be found for the BMW i8 and has given this car a very rough, sporty, and special look.
Photographer: Peyman Jahani