BMW's Electric Strategy Makes No Sense
jalopnik.com
jalopnik.com
No, it didn't. They had a single, sub-brand model (the i3) that was neither technologically interesting nor performant.
"It founded BMW i, a sub-brand to bring electrified products to its dealers"
I didn't want a cutesy little i-car. I wanted an electric 7-series. There have been three model iterations of the 7-series since the Model S was revealed ... and they have nothing to show for all of that time.
To auto makers: We don't want your electric car, we want your car, electric.
"... BMW’s current plans as reported by InsideEVs, which include keeping the 6-year-old i3 around for a few more years and canceling the i8 entirely."
The i8 was not an electric car - it was a a hybrid car with a little chainsaw engine inside that had worse performance than (I believe) even a base spec Tesla 3 series (for example).
There was never a serious strategy and there were was a single (silly) e-mobile/i-car.
I repeat: We don't want your "electric car", we want your car, electric.
The i3 didn’t exist 8 years ago. What BMW did have then, and for some time before, was essentially a test fleet of electric 3-series sedans. They had a graphic applied to the sides so you could tell it was one of them.
Those were essentially what you’re asking for, and what the article says was poised to be a sensible strategy. For whatever reason they decided to do the i sub brand instead, and that’s where there strategy makes no sense.
I remember Tesla being heckled for how difficult it is to build cars. Only Tesla didn’t build grandpa’s cars, they did what BMW should have done - create something new, something that will always be an expensive venture.
Also, the diesel cheating probably ties in a bit here? Unsure about BMW specifically, but in general that’s what it looks like to me. Cheap and simple. No one knows about it and it will keep the diesel sales reasonable for quite a while.
All about the short term.
The closest concept that tickled my fancy was the Bollinger B1.
It was close but it was missing something as simple as airbags. I want a utility vehicle I can spray out with a hose, throw kayaks in, and seat 5 adults. For 30K, please?
At the time (2013) there was what? The volt, the Model S. That’s pretty much it remotely in the same class of essentially purpose built EV or partial EVs. The Model 3 was 4 years away. Of those the i3 makes a ton of sense. It was a legit good start for a electrification strategy. If BMW has kept investing in this, could they have gotten a model that was basically as good as a model 3? Maybe maybe not, but it would have been interesting to see. Would it have been better than an iPace? Most likely, the weight advantage might have added maybe a few tens of miles at least.
The point of the article is that BMW had a good start, did nothing, is now behind. And is now compounding the error by doubling down on doing nothing.
The hideous i3 was so unpopular LA dealerships were giving one away for free with each fully-loaded 3 or 4 series purchase (so they would get Corporate off their backs on i3 sales quotas).
More generally BMW’s entitled customer-hostile attitude shows with their decision to turn Apple CarPlay into a pay-forever subscription feature. No wonder their sales are
I just sold my 2013 335i, and whatever car I get next won’t be a BMW.
I don't quite agree. Yes, we don't want some weird experimental electric car. And just converting a normal ICE car to electric has been a good strategy for some car companies. I have the Kia Soul EV myself, and they managed to sell it here at a very good price, and it's a very nice car. Niro and Kona are also good examples.
At the same time, Nissan Leaf has done very well as an electric-only car, and Tesla as well obviously, in their niche.
But it's obvious that for the next generation of cars, you're not going to compete unless you make a car electric from the ground up.
So we don't want just a normal car with the engines swapped out. We don't want some weird experiment either. Just something that's mostly normal, but uses the advantages of electric drivetrains to do things you can't do with ICE cars: you can have a frunk like Tesla, or you can have almost no bonnet on the car at all like Leaf or VW ID.3, you can get better interior space, you can have one-pedal driving, etc. We probably want something more aerodynamic, to improve range, even if it makes the car look a bit weird or not as masculine as some would like.
I think the VW ID range is basically the perfect strategy right now.
I agree with you that there are deep, architectural improvements (skateboard design, multi-motor AWD, etc.) that come along with a clean-sheet design.
Certainly I, as a consumer, want all of those things.
I am speaking purely on a surface level - I want a BMW 7 Series (or a Range Rover or an A8 or whatever) that has the technology of an electric car underneath. I don't want some cutesy (or space-agey) i-mobile or e-car. I don't want a distinctive, different interior. I don't want weird space-age lights and colors.
Is it a foolish long-term strategy? Yes. Does it make sense if your goal is to maximize profits over the next three years? Absolutely.
Without a dramatic change in course I don't see many of these car companies surviving another 15 years.
especially BMW, they are a very conservative brand. their whole culture revolves around old money, do they understand the future? do they care?
Also, when I drove an i3, I was seriously underwhelmed. It just felt too small to be practical and didn't drive well enough to be fun. I think Tesla's strategy of starting with large, expensive vehicles make more sense. Most people who can afford an expensive car don't want a tiny car.
The other big mistake was the 2 gallon petrol tank on the hybrid version. They had the opportunity to have the only hybrid on the market that has no gearbox, no complicated transmission, no clutch and a decent sized battery. But nobody wants to have to stop to fill up every 50-60 miles.
Unlike any other electric car on the market, its cheaper than the petrol model.
That alone is far more disruptive than anything else. I accept that a lack of high end electric is bad, but not end of the world.
[1]:https://www.mini.co.uk/en_GB/home/range/mini-3-door-hatch.ht... [2]:https://www.mini.co.uk/en_GB/home/range/mini-electric.html
One liter of gas will produce about 9.3 kg of CO2 (including production and transport), so with an average fuel economy of 10.58 km/kg, you'd need to drive 20,000 km before the 100 kWh EV makes up for its battery. That's a little less than the average American drives in a year.
BMW knows Tesla is eating their 3 series lunch. I’d be surprised if they had nothing up their sleeve.
Not really. They'll just buy batteries from battery makers like CATL, LG, SK Innovations, Panasonic, etc. as well as pursue partnerships with companies like Northvolt:
https://www.france24.com/en/20190502-asia-charge-electric-ca...
BTW, in case it's not obvious, I'm not that well versed in this, so nobody should read too much into my comments. I'm really just soliciting opinions from people who know more than me.
http://thestoreyteller.online/2019/04/25/tesla-and-panasonic...
https://www.best-selling-cars.com/brands/2018-global-bmw-min...
Toyota is another odd one ... they are still dreaming that Hydrogen fuel cells is the answer ... as a layman I will be thinking Hindenberg.