BMW ditches electric cars until 2021, to focus on self driving - Polidicks

[QUOTE]In a not so surprising but disappointing report for EV enthusiasts today, we learn that BMW is putting its electric vehicle programs on the “back burner” in order to focus its ‘i’ brand, under which the German automaker has been releasing its electric vehicles, on self-driving cars instead. The company reportedly will not release a new all-electric vehicle until 2021. The report comes from Reuters after an interview with BMW board member Klaus Froehlich at the company’s headquarters in Munich. The publication reports: [QUOTE]“The company has changed tack after its only fully battery-powered car, the i3, failed to gain traction with the public, with only 25,000 sales last year. By contrast, Tesla has already received more than 370,000 orders for its Model 3. Now, rather than seeking to match the likes of Tesla and Porsche with a new zero-emissions sports limousine for release within the next two years, its main focus will be on developing an electric car with the next generation of technology: autonomous driving.”[/QUOTE] ... Coincidentally (or likely not), the revamping of the company’s ‘i division’ follows the recent departure of the bulk of its executives for a Chinese electric vehicle startup. [/QUOTE] [URL="http://electrek.co/2016/06/02/bmw-i-brand-electric-vehicle-focus-self-driving-cars/"]Source[/URL]

The i3 failed to gain traction with the public because it looks like a fucking abortion. i8s are sweet looking but their performance doesn't justify the pricetag. My dad has a '15 550i, which is a fucking awesome machine - I know BMW can still build a good car, so I have no idea what they were smoking with the iX series. [t]http://i.imgur.com/sX1Pt4i.jpg[/t] [t]http://i.imgur.com/NhuXXbN.jpg[/t] Hey BMW - scrap all i3s and put your twin turbo v8 in the i8.

aren't BMW customers mostly people who love their cars for the engines and the feeling of driving a BMW? i can imagine that kinda goes down the sink when you buy an electric car i think the i8 was a good attempt though, or aesthetically atleast

[QUOTE=Piciul;50448614]aren't BMW customers mostly people who love their cars for the engines and the feeling of driving a BMW? i can imagine that kinda goes down the sink when you buy an electric car[/QUOTE] The i3 actually simulates lag in response to the accelerator to make it seem more like an ICE :v:

[QUOTE=Piciul;50448614]aren't BMW customers mostly people who love their cars for the engines and the feeling of driving a BMW? i can imagine that kinda goes down the sink when you buy an electric car[/QUOTE] I can't speak for everyone or even for all BMWs but the 550i has a really distinct feeling of coming alive when you stomp on it. It goes from a real quiet cruiser to a screaming street machine and suddenly you're doing 140 instead of 60. In a car as large and luxurious as the 550i, that's a feeling that's difficult to describe. It isn't a nail you to the seat pull like a Corvette but it's [I]fast[/I] and you almost don't notice the acceleration because it's so smooth. The car is incredibly responsive and very [I]smart[/I] from a technological perspective. Features like air conditioned seats and subtle accent lighting and wood trim make for a very comfortable and pretty interior that doesn't feel garish like many other luxury cars. The iX series really has none of this feeling or personality but still carries a BMW pricetag and they aren't very good as electric vehicles go either. It's no wonder they haven't been popular. The 550i has some self driving tech in it already - the hardware package on it is enough that a firmware update could make it autonomous (but I don't think BMW has any plans to do that). As it is if you completely let go of the steering wheel the car will steer itself to stay between the lines on the highway, it can do most of the work in a lane change if you let it, it will brake before hitting other vehicles, shows speed limits on the dash (so it knows how fast it's allowed to go), and has parking assistance. If you turn on cruise control I believe it is capable of driving itself much in the same way that Teslas are currently, but of course it has no destination control, so it will just maintain a set speed and not crash.

Electric still has a number of materials and cost issues that will take a while to sort out. They can easily jump back into the market once it becomes more economically viable. Self-driving is possible technologically, it's just a matter of putting in the engineering work to get it going. If they're going to develop both eventually, self-driving is going to yield far more gains at the moment.

[QUOTE=Morgen;50448624]The i3 actually simulates lag in response to the accelerator to make it seem more like an ICE :v:[/QUOTE] I hate this kind of thing, like when they make electric cars in general louder, or switch back to analog clocks in luxury cars. Why not put a hand crank on the front while they're at it?

BMW is doing it all wrong, all of it wrong. The main reason to buy a BMW is because you want a performance rear wheel driven car for going sideways in a cloud of smoke. Unless the auto pilot can do that then it's completely useless. If anything then BMW should attempt at making the cheapest rear wheel drive car they possibly can, and compete against the other tiny cars (Skoda Citigo, Chevy Spark, etc) due to the high demand when it comes to new drivers buying cheaply.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;50448638]I can't speak for everyone or even for all BMWs but the 550i has a really distinct feeling of coming alive when you stomp on it. It goes from a real quiet cruiser to a screaming street machine and suddenly you're doing 140 instead of 60. In a car as large and luxurious as the 550i, that's a feeling that's difficult to describe. It isn't a nail you to the seat pull like a Corvette but it's [I]fast[/I] and you almost don't notice the acceleration because it's so smooth. The car is incredibly responsive and very [I]smart[/I] from a technological perspective. Features like air conditioned seats and subtle accent lighting and wood trim make for a very comfortable and pretty interior that doesn't feel garish like many other luxury cars. The iX series really has none of this feeling or personality but still carries a BMW pricetag and they aren't very good as electric vehicles go either. It's no wonder they haven't been popular. The 550i has some self driving tech in it already - the hardware package on it is enough that a firmware update could make it autonomous (but I don't think BMW has any plans to do that). As it is if you completely let go of the steering wheel the car will steer itself to stay between the lines on the highway, it can do most of the work in a lane change if you let it, it will brake before hitting other vehicles, shows speed limits on the dash (so it knows how fast it's allowed to go), and has parking assistance. If you turn on cruise control I believe it is capable of driving itself much in the same way that Teslas are currently, but of course it has no destination control, so it will just maintain a set speed and not crash.[/QUOTE] The BMW system doesn't really compare to Tesla's Autopilot system. The thing that Tesla are doing that only Google are doing as well (at least as far as I know) is having the cars learn and share data to a collective. Well that and the BMW system seems to go all over the road at slight curvatures in the road: [video=youtube;y_mjlkiIZ_o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mjlkiIZ_o[/video]

I always thought by the time Tesla S arrives other manufacturers will already have a good EV alternative and Tesla will have big competition, but this move will just further improve the number of Tesla orders and leave BMW and others in the dust.

[QUOTE=Morgen;50448761]The BMW system doesn't really compare to Tesla's Autopilot system. The thing that Tesla are doing that only Google are doing as well (at least as far as I know) is having the cars learn and share data to a collective. Well that and the BMW system seems to go all over the road at slight curvatures in the road: [video=youtube;y_mjlkiIZ_o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_mjlkiIZ_o[/video][/QUOTE] That's weird - in my dad's it doesn't have any problems following the highways around here, even through the curves. Like I said though his is the only newer BMW I've ever been near let alone sat in so it's all I have experience with as far as BMWs go - but I assumed it was a good standard to judge the rest by. Of course though I'm aware BMW's software is nowhere near the level of Tesla's, but I think the hardware is there to make it self-drive capable as it can see vehicles all around it and etc.

I have a feeling most electrical cars will go down the crapper once government subsidies die down, much like solar power. Wouldn't be surprised if it's the case here.

[QUOTE=Viper_;50448701]I hate this kind of thing, like when they make electric cars in general louder, or switch back to analog clocks in luxury cars. Why not put a hand crank on the front while they're at it?[/QUOTE] Can't really argue with clocks and the lag, but the loudness helps with pedestrians being aware of the car more and reducing the annoying wind, outside world and random sounds you would otherwise hear while driving. I think it is a neat idea if done well.

I for one like analog clocks in cars, for luxury cars it adds a touch of elegance that you don't get with digital displays. They aren't truly analog anyway in the sense of being a full mechanical clock, they're still computer controlled.

It's a shame, I've heard from a lot of people that the i3/i8 cars are actually really nice to drive/use.

[QUOTE=Tools;50448735]If anything then BMW should attempt at making the cheapest rear wheel drive car they possibly can, and compete against the other tiny cars (Skoda Citigo, Chevy Spark, etc) due to the high demand when it comes to new drivers buying cheaply.[/QUOTE] The BMW 1 & 2 series covers that for the most part. Top end of the 2 series, the M2, is a nice little package for the (albeit larger) price tag.

[QUOTE=The fox;50448848]I have a feeling most electrical cars will go down the crapper once government subsidies die down, much like solar power. Wouldn't be surprised if it's the case here.[/QUOTE] The big manufacturers are failing at selling electric cars because they haven't made a compelling electric car yet. Tesla coming out with the 3 is a death sentence to the LEAF and i3. All non-Tesla BEVs have been ugly and slow.

"BMW gives up trying to compete with Tesla until 2021, to focus on self destruction"

[QUOTE=1/4 Life;50448939]"BMW gives up trying to compete with Tesla until 2021, to focus on self destruction"[/QUOTE] BMW's ICE division isn't going anywhere for a long time.

[video=youtube;uMohjMQcmOg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMohjMQcmOg[/video] Just saying, the i series cars may not be as boring and 'non-bmw' as everyone thinks they are. It's still RWD and the pure electric one has a 50:50 weight distribution.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;50448948]BMW's ICE division isn't going anywhere for a long time.[/QUOTE] And it certainly wouldn't. But giving up on electric cars entirely while Tesla is constantly in the news for kicking Germany's auto industry's ass? Hilarious.

[QUOTE=FlandersNed;50448957][video=youtube;uMohjMQcmOg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMohjMQcmOg[/video] Just saying, the i series cars may not be as boring and 'non-bmw' as everyone thinks they are.[/QUOTE] It would be okay if it didn't look so odd and didn't cost $41k+. It has decent handling, comfort, and it's built quite well. But it has a shitty range and costs a boat load compared to an equivalent ICE car. [video=youtube;9-1OJUatYIY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-1OJUatYIY[/video]

[QUOTE=Morgen;50448978]It would be okay if it didn't look so odd and didn't cost $41k+. It has decent handling, comfort, and it's built quite well. But it has a shitty range and costs a boat load compared to an equivalent ICE car. -snip- [/quote] I'm betting that 80% of that looks comes down to both the carbon fibre tub it's built on and aerodynamics for maximum range. But yes, it does cost way too much.

[QUOTE=FlandersNed;50448985]I'm betting that 80% of that looks comes down to both the carbon fibre tub it's built on and aerodynamics for maximum range. But yes, it does cost way too much.[/QUOTE] 0.29 drag coefficient for the i3, so that's pretty lame. Compared to the Tesla Model S's drag coefficient of 0.24. Musk is aiming for the Model 3 to only have a drag coefficient of 0.21.

The i3 is the Kia Soul's ugly half-sister and that's not a good thing since the Soul is also ugly. I genuinely cannot imagine any "BMW guy" buying one - half the appeal of BMWs is their particular look, which the i3 just has none of. It really looks like every other econobox with an extra side of ugly. The i8 is appealing visually but it's such a gutless [I]snail[/I]. Doesn't make sense to me at all. e; well, maybe they improved the i8's performance before it hit the dealerships - the numbers I saw previously were really scathing but it looks like it's actually pretty quick now? Shows what I know :v: I remember seeing a 0-60 time of like 6 seconds for the i8 and it has tainted my opinion of that car ever since.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;50449025]The i3 is the Kia Soul's ugly half-sister and that's not a good thing since the Soul is also ugly. I genuinely cannot imagine any "BMW guy" buying one - half the appeal of BMWs is their particular look, which the i3 just has none of. It really looks like every other econobox with an extra side of ugly. The i8 is appealing visually but it's such a gutless [I]snail[/I]. Doesn't make sense to me at all. e; well, maybe they improved the i8's performance before it hit the dealerships - the numbers I saw previously were really scathing but it looks like it's actually pretty quick now? Shows what I know :v: I remember seeing a 0-60 time of like 6 seconds for the i8 and it has tainted my opinion of that car ever since.[/QUOTE] The i8 does perform decently but it's a hybrid, not a full EV. Robert Llewellyn recently did a pretty funny (but good) review of it: [video=youtube;ukZfEhLYCCE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukZfEhLYCCE[/video]

I like the idea of some car companies focusing on self-driving cars while others focus on electric. Especially because I'm so blind I'm not allowed to drive at night.

[QUOTE=Hidole555;50449094]I like the idea of some car companies focusing on self-driving cars while others focus on electric. Especially because I'm so blind I'm not allowed to drive at night.[/QUOTE] But they are still getting beaten to the punch by Tesla. If they don't intend to have a fully self driving car on the market until 2021 then they are late. Tesla will have them beat by at least 3 years.