The 127-kW (170 HP) electric motor that propels the rear-wheel-drive BMW i3 has received a coveted “Best Engines” award from Ward’s Auto.

Here’s the eligibility criteria for selection by Ward’s Auto:

To be eligible for the Ward’s 10 Best Engines competition, an engine or propulsion system must be all-new or significantly re-engineered and available in the U.S. market with a base price not exceeding $60,000. This year’s pool of 37 nominees includes last year’s 10 winners and 27 new entries. Eight WardsAuto editors drove the vehicles in October and November in their routine daily commutes around metro Detroit. Editors scored each engine based on power, torque, technology, observed fuel economy, relative competitiveness and noise, vibration and harshness characteristics.

The i3′s electric motor was the only electric winner this year, though the 100-kW fuel cell in the Hyundai Tucson FCV did receive an award too.

Source: Inside EVs

Munich. With the Green Car of the Year Award 2015, the BMW i3 has added a further trophy to an impressive raft of honours in its first year on the market. It was chosen for this award, presented by Green Car Journal at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2014, as the first dedicated all-electric vehicle in the premium segment. This latest honour, which adds to a long tally of awards the BMW i3 has picked up over the past months, is a further endorsement of this model’s unique sustainable mobility concept. More than 12,000 BMW i3s have already been sold since November 2013. The presence of more and more of these vehicles on the roads of cities all over the world is clear proof that it is now possible to successfully mate zero tailpipe emissions with premium-class driving pleasure, and that this groundbreaking combination is here to stay. One year after its launch, the BMW i3 is already the third best-selling all-electric automobile on the market.

Early adopters of the BMW i3 in Germany praise its sporty performance in particular. This is based on a 125 kW/170 hp electric motor, which offers highly responsive acceleration, and advanced chassis engineering. These drivers mainly use their BMW i3 for everyday urban driving and for commuting to work. For the most part they charge the lithium-ion battery overnight, at home. These first customers’ main reasons for buying the first electric vehicle from the BMW Group are its integrated sustainable mobility concept and BMW’s acknowledged technological expertise. Stand-out features of the BMW i3 in the eyes of its first German customers are its carbon-fibre (CFRP) passenger cell, renewable interior materials, mature powertrain engineering, state-of-the-art connectivity, and styling which these customers perceive as “futuristic”.

Demand for this electric vehicle, which can optionally be supplied with a range extender, is outstripping expectations. Both in number and diversity, the string of awards the BMW i3 has picked up – starting before the market launch and continuing on an upward trend ever since – is quite exceptional. In Germany, no sooner had pre-launch sales begun than the BMW i3 won the Green Steering Wheel 2013 award – one of the categories in the Golden Steering Wheel competition hosted by Auto Bild and Bild am Sonntag – and was voted best car in its class in auto, motor und sport’s Best Cars 2014 awards.

It also won two readers’ awards from Auto Zeitung magazine, plus the Auto Trophy 2013 and the Green Mobility Trophy 2014.

On the international stage, too, the successful market launch of the BMW i3 was accompanied by very positive ratings in opinion polls and independent expert reviews. Highlights to date include the UK Car of the Year Award, the Next Green Car Award, the Green Car of the Year Award, the Fleet Hero Award and a class win in the Sunday Times Top 100 Cars list (all of these in the UK), the Special Jury Award in the Swiss Car of the Year Award and a win in the French Trophées de l’Argus awards. In April 2014, a jury of motoring journalists from across the world named the BMW i3 World Green Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year.

The BMW i3’s groundbreaking and individualistic exterior and interior design also earned it many other accolades, including the German Design Award, the iF gold product design award and the Automotive Interiors Expo Award, while the French edition of GQ magazine named BMW i Head of Design Benoit Jacob “Designer of the Year”. In further tributes, Auto Bild voted the BMW i3 Design Innovation of the Year, and readers of Auto Bild Klassik named it Classic of the Future.

The latest honour, the Green Car of the Year Award 2015, presented at the LA Auto Show, is a further tribute to the BMW i3’s all-round sustainable mobility concept. The evaluation by Green Car Journal was based on the BMW i3’s zero emissions at the point of use, its innovative lightweight design and the high percentage of sustainably produced materials used in its manufacture. Green Car Journal specialises in reporting on sustainable, efficiency-enhancing technologies and pioneering trends in the automotive industry and has been hosting the Green Car of the Year Award annually at the LA Auto Show since 2005. This year’s show is open to the public from 21 to 30 November.

Source: BMW Group

It’s here at last: Top Gear magazine’s massive, shiny Awards issue, in which we crown the very best cars of 2014.

And there have been some crackers from which to choose. From the ludicrous LaFerrari and revolutionary BMW i8 changing the face of hybrid, through Merc’s AMG GT S and Lamborghini Huracan pushing fast in a whole new direction, to the new Renault Twingo and Citroen Cactus proving budget doesn’t have to be boring, 2014 will go down as one of the epics in automotive history.

And our car of 2014 is… The BMW i8!

“The i8 is a milestone in the annals of automotive history and a glorious statement for an exciting and positive future. The i8 delivers – and then some.

It’s the kind of car we should celebrate, a beautiful vision of the future, delivered now. A car that tells us the future will be different, but still exciting. The i8 never places its technology in the way of simple enjoyment, and, despite the complexity of that mixed-media drivetrain, it’s all so easy to use, so natural, so right. And it has flip-up doors. Nothing says excitement like a set of beetle-wing portals.

We could have named the i8 Green Car of the Year, but it’s so much more than that. It’s Top Gear magazine’s Car of the Year. It’s the BMW i8.”

Other plug-ins that received awards:

James May’s Car of the Year: Ferrari LaFerrari

“I’ve driven the LaFerrari very hard around Fiorano, twice, and even I can handle it. That alone makes it my Car of the Year. It’s also an artwork. It’s a massive indulgement, so it really has a duty to be beautiful, as a courtesy to other people who are forced to watch it go by.”

Richard Hammond’s Car of the Year: Porsche 918

“The 918 is a direct product of racing experience and outstanding technological development and application. It melds electric and petrol power perfectly to move the supercar into entirely new possibilities. It feels, and is, unlike anything else before or now. It is my Car of the Year, no doubt.”

The German brand has used some radical new ideas for its new electric car.

He

The future is here! BMW has launched its long-awaited i3 electric city car in Australia. It’s certainly unlike any previous BMW, with its electric motors, carbon fibre reinforced plastic structure and cutting edge looks. What was your first impression, Daisy?

She

Looks, looks, looks. Yes, it may look a little like a grumpy porpoise – it wasn’t love at first sight – but the plastic i3 is unmistakably BMW thanks to its faux grill, solid backside and, in the car we tested, the alloy wheels, which elevate it from electric car to a truly original, exciting design. Inside it only gets better – I loved the wooden dash board panel, the recycled materials and exposed carbon fibre body peeking out from below the very slick “suicide” doors.

He

I’ve got to admit I’m underwhelmed by BMW’s usual interiors – they are conservative in terms of design and materials – but not the i3. I love the fact it uses the different materials like the wood and recycled fabric. I also liked the ‘floating’ infotainment screen in the centre of the console and the smaller tablet-style dashboard. The whole interior just looks fresh and original – it’s unlike anything else on the market. The carbon fibre body – or “Life module” in BMW-speak – you mentioned is a big part of what makes this car so special under the surface. Basically the i3 is built in two parts – the floor has the battery, motor and engine and the body sits on top. It’s all very clever but the proof is in the driving – how did you find the i3 on the road?

She

Onto my second impressions. Wow, this car can move. Granted, I’m new to the electric car game, but the feel of the motor is so unlike anything I have ever driven or even encountered on the road, that, well, it doesn’t really feel like driving. Incredibly nippy, accelerating from 0 to 100km/h in only 7.9 seconds, and with only a hushed, pulsing hum, it’s stealth, in family-friendly, city-minded disguise. The novelty of driving a car that sounds faintly like a nuclear submarine aside, it handles very neatly, is really responsive and is a breeze to control. Traditionalists – ie anyone who loves a manual gearbox and the mechanical rhythm and sound that comes with it – beware: the i3 is a drivable computer.

He

Yeah, it’s a strange sensation driving an electric car. The biggest difference for me, compared to a ‘traditional’ car, were the brakes. BMW harvests the energy when you slow down to charge the batteries, so as soon as you step off the accelerator you start slowing as if you have pushed the brake pedal. It took me a little while to get accustomed to it, but once I did it became normal. Did you get the range extender engine to kick in during your time behind the wheel? I got it to start at the end of a long trip, but even then I barely noticed because it was so quiet.

She

I didn’t get to see the “REX” in action, but did charge the car using the blue-lit power socket, which is a weird sensation. I don’t have a garage, let alone a parking space with ready electricity supply, so needed to plug it in in an underground carpark – I’m not sure how electric car-ready Sydney is. How many hours did you get out of one charge of the battery, Steve?

He

I live about 35km from the office, so I’m not exactly the target market, but it was more than capable of doing the round trip on a single charge. BMW claims 160km of range but even on a full charge the dashboard only claimed 100km was possible. And it did take several hours to recharge the battery so it does require patience and planning to get the most out of the i3. I agree, Daisy, I don’t think Australia is geared-up for electric cars just yet, but with the i3 and its supercar big brother the i8 – plus the Tesla Model S and Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV already here and others on the way – the tide is turning. Of course, if you’re spending $70,000 on an electric city car you’ve probably got a garage to charge it. Which leads to the obvious question – would you buy an i3, Daisy?

She

I’m not sure it could fit a surfboard and handle long road trips, but for city use, yes, in a heartbeat. I’ve always wanted a car that treads lightly and the i3 does a cracking – and very fun – job of that. I love this car and what it represents. It’s the way ahead.

Read more and see video: Drive.com.au

After a long incubation period, the first cars released under BMW’s sustainability-focused “i” sub-brand – the i3 city car and i8 sportscar – have been hitting roads around the globe throughout 2014. We climbed aboard the i3 to find out how it performs.

We’ve previously looked at the make-up of the i3 in detail, but here’s a quick refresher. It’s a compact four seat, five door that’s a touch under 4 m (13 ft) long with short overhangs at both ends and an exceptionally tight turning circle of 9.8 m (32 ft – that’s 10 percent less than a Mini) and 2.5 turns lock to lock.

The BMW-developed electric motor is located at the back, providing 125 kW and 250 Nm (184 lb-ft ) of torque to the rear wheels through a single speed automatic transmission. In addition to the battery electric vehicle (BEV) model there’s a range extender version in which a 34-hp, 650 cc two-cylinder petrol engine from BMW Motorrad sits alongside the electric motor and acts as a generator (i.e. it charges the battery but, unlike hybrid cars, it doesn’t drive the wheels).

The modular 360 V, 21.8 kWh (18.8 kWh useable), 96 cell, liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack is spread across the underbody and can be charged in 11 hours using a domestic wall plug or six hours using BMW’s i Wallbox. BMW says DC fast charging can deliver 80 percent charge in just 30 minutes.

On a single charge the i3 has an “everyday range” of 160 km (100 mi). Using ECO mode can bump that closer to 200 km (124 mi), while the range extender version can travel around 300 km (186 mi). Acceleration is put at 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 7.2 seconds and importantly it still has plenty of zip for overtaking at higher speeds, with a 80-120 km/h (50-75 mph) time of 4.9 seconds, putting it on par with a BMW 435i. Top speed is electronically limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).

The i-series cars are based on an architecture that’s been created “from the ground up” for electric vehicles. The passenger cell is the first mass-produced using carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) and the chassis is made of aluminum and other lightweight materials. This adds up to a car that weighs just 1,195 kg (2,634 lb) – the range extender adds around 120 kg (265 lb) to that figure.

Read more: Giz Mag