Car stuff (public number: chedongxi)
The author | Yu Yue
Edit the | Xiao Han
The intelligent benchmark model of domestic BMW is coming! Just last night, the new BMW i3 was officially launched at 349,900 yuan.
As a luxury pure electric sedan, the new BMW i3 received a lot of attention before it was launched. For BMW Brilliance, it is also a key model this year, shouldering the heavy responsibility of future volume. Therefore, the new BMW i3 integrates BMW's latest achievements in the field of digitalization in the intelligent configuration, the intelligent cockpit is domestically launched for the first time, and the digital interconnection experience has reached the highest point of the BMW brand.
▲ New BMW i3
In particular, the integrated floating surface screen and the new BMW iDrive operating system 8.0 on the new BMW i3 have a new UI design picture and rich digital applications, and the vehicle can also be equipped with automatic driving assistance system Pro and automatic parking assistance system Plus. Coupled with BMW's excellent driving experience and electric drive technology, the new BMW i3 has a considerable advantage in this price segment.
2022 marks the 47th year of the BMW 3 Series, and the seven iterations it has undergone during this period have all led the way in the trend of luxury sports cars. Entering a new era of intelligence and electricity, the new BMW i3 came into being, bursting out of new energy with electric performance, motion control and intelligence, and continuing to write a new chapter of BMW's electric driving fun.
First, there are many highlights of the smart cockpit WeChat and small scenes are on the bus
As early as before the listing, the car thing experienced the new BMW i3 in advance, not only its interior and exterior design and configuration impressed the car thing, but also its intelligence has been further improved compared with the previous BMW pure electric model.
The new BMW i3 supports BMW Digital Keys, allowing users to easily unlock the vehicle by simply holding their phone close to the door. In the process of unlocking the car door, there is no need to unlock the mobile phone, and it is no longer necessary to carry the traditional car key when going out.
The new BMW i3 is equipped with the new BMW iDrive operating system 8.0. The integrated floating curved screen integrated 14.9-inch touch display and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, both of which have very high display clarity.
▲ The interior of the new BMW i3
As BMW's latest car engine system, the new BMW iDrive operating system 8.0 was only equipped with two imported pure trams before iX and i4, and now you can also see the new experience of human-vehicle interconnection on the new BMW i3.
▲The new BMW i3 central control area
The new application of the "function island" design concept has greatly reduced the number of physical buttons, and the traditional gear has been transformed into a delicate and compact lever, successfully creating a more concise and atmospheric cockpit atmosphere. This design makes the new BMW i3 more modern and technological, and BMW has also done a lot of optimization on this basis.
For example, the weather in the north has been quite cold recently, and driving a warm air when getting on the car is a basic operation. On the new BMW i3 machine, if you continue to press and hold the heating button after turning on the warm air, the car system will judge that the driver is now cold, and the system will synchronously open the seat heating. During the trip, if the co-driver gets off in advance, the heating of the co-driver's seat will also be actively closed.
In fact, there are many similar intelligent linkage functions on the new BMW i3, and these intelligent small details are often not paid attention to by most car companies.
For the increasingly demanding intelligent needs of domestic users, how does the new BMW iDrive operating system 8.0 create an application ecology? The answer is in-depth cooperation with domestic Internet companies.
▲The new BMW i3 is equipped with Tencent's small scene
The new BMW i3 is equipped with Tencent Mini Scene, which is a variety of mini programs developed by Tencent, with a total of 24 models. The mini program in Tencent's mini-scene does not need to be downloaded, it can be used by clicking, and even if it needs OTA updates, it is almost insensitive.
▲The new BMW i3 is equipped with the WeChat car version
The car thing specially experienced the WeChat car version on the BMW machine, which can be used after scanning the code to log in. The WeChat car version will pop up the window to remind the new message notification, and after the driver says "broadcast", the car machine will read out the text message or play the voice message. When the driver says "reply", the machine starts recording and replies to the other party in the form of a voice message.
As a national social software, WeChat is still very exciting when the car version of the application is launched - if you need to return to WeChat when driving, you don't need to pick up your mobile phone, which can significantly improve driving safety.
The new BMW i3 also has built-in QQ music, whether it is a song preview or a playback interface, there are unified visual elements of the operating system. In addition, QQ Music can also display lyrics synchronously, and the experience is quite excellent.
▲The new BMW i3 car machine has built-in QQ music
If you don't want to use BMW's system, you can also use wireless Apple CarPlay, and the interface mapped from the iOS system may make iPhone users get started faster.
From the intelligent cockpit of the new BMW i3, it can be seen that traditional car companies are not lagging behind in the field of intelligence. Whether it is UI design or application ecology, the new BMW i3 has a very good intelligent experience, catching up with the head of the industry from many fields, and is a benchmark among traditional car companies.
Second, the automatic driving assistance function is complete, and the low-speed release hand leads the world
In addition to the smart cockpit, the ADAS features of the new BMW i3 have many remarkable features.
The new BMW i3 is equipped with the BMW Autopilot Assist System Pro, which is the same as the previous iX3 model, and the experience of the two systems should be roughly the same.
▲ The new BMW i3 assisted driving camera
In terms of sensors, the new BMW i3 uses three forward-looking cameras, which have different divisions of labor due to different focal lengths and perception ranges.
Behind the three front-looking cameras on the windshield is the Mobileye EyeQ4 chip. The deep learning computing power of the EyeQ4 chip is 2TOPS (int8), although the computing power is not the top in the industry, but in the implementation of functions, BMW is not lagging behind.
In addition, the vehicle has 1 forward long-range millimeter wave radar and 4 short-range millimeter wave radars.
One of the biggest highlights of the new BMW i3 Autonomous Driving Assistance System Pro is the traffic jam assist function. At this stage, except for BMW, the traffic congestion assistance of all car companies will remind the driver from time to time that he must hold the steering wheel.
However, BMW's system allows the driver to achieve hands-free while paying attention to the road conditions ahead, and in traffic jams with speeds below 60 km/h, the vehicle instrument will prompt that the "Driver Assistance Plus function" can be turned on. At this time, press the MODE button on the steering wheel, the indicator light above the multi-function button of the steering wheel will turn green, at which time the driver can release both hands and feet, and the steering and acceleration and deceleration are completely controlled by the vehicle.
▲ In the traffic jam scene, the driver is allowed to release his hands
Of course, the driver's eyes must also be fixed on the road surface, ready to take over the vehicle in special circumstances.
In the previous actual experience, the car thing also found that the system is quite friendly, and the congested road can be easier to drive.
In addition to bmw's system, only the General SuperCruise super assisted driving system in China currently supports letting go, but General Motors needs the support of high-precision maps to use, which has certain usage limitations, while BMW's system does not have this limitation.
In addition, the new BMW i3 also has a highway driver assistance system.
When the driver assistance function is turned on, the vehicle is centered within the lane line and automatically controls acceleration and deceleration according to the distance and set speed of the car in front.
After a speed of more than 70 km/h, the driver can also complete the automatic lane change by turning the turn signal.
The new BMW i3 is also equipped with a capacitive steering wheel, which allows the driver to touch the steering wheel lightly when the driver assistance function is turned on. Most models in the industry still need the driver to twist the steering wheel from time to time after turning on the auxiliary driving function, and the driving control experience is significantly reduced. While other car companies rarely have L2 level autonomous driving equipped with automatic lane change and allowing hands-free, BMW is the first in the industry to introduce these features, leading luxury brands to become intelligent.
The new BMW i3 can also be equipped with the optional automatic parking assistance system Plus, which uses sensors such as 4 surround view cameras and 12 ultrasonic radars to realize automatic parking and 50-meter track reversing assistance.
There is a detail worthy of praise, in the parking process, in case of emergency can trigger AEB automatic emergency braking, to ensure driving safety. Previously, most AEB systems were only activated when a vehicle was in an emergency situation.
In addition, the new BMW i3 also has a remote 3D parking image software function, the owner can remotely view the real-time image of the vehicle through the My BMW App, which can greatly enhance the sense of security of vehicle use.
The new BMW i3 is equipped with the BMW AutoPilot Assist Pro and the Automatic Park Assist Plus, which give the car a number of exclusive driver assistance and active safety features. Among luxury brands, BMW is using intelligence to bring the driving control level and comfort of vehicles to a higher level.
Third, the control configuration is outstanding The fifth generation of eDrive electric drive technology and chassis highlights
In addition to the highlights of intelligent cockpit and automatic driving assistance, the new BMW i3 inherits BMW's consistent advantages in electric drive technology, aerodynamics and chassis tuning - the fifth generation of eDrive electric drive technology, reinforced chassis, adaptive air suspension, aerodynamic design have appeared, and it can be said that it is a "blood cost" in driving and handling performance.
There is no doubt that although the new BMW i3 is a pure electric car, it is still a "BMW" in its bones.
▲ New BMW i3 front face
In terms of electrical performance, the new BMW i3 is equipped with the fifth generation of eDrive electric drive technology and has an excitation synchronous motor on the rear axle. The new BMW i3 eDrive35L model has a maximum output of 210 kW and a maximum torque of 400 N·m.
The excitation synchronous motor used by BMW is also relatively rare in the electric vehicle industry. This motor BMW develops and produces itself, and the performance performance also has its own advantages. Among them, in the scene of repeated acceleration and deceleration, the response time of the excitation synchronous motor is faster than that of the asynchronous induction motor, and the life is longer than that of the permanent magnet synchronous motor.
▲ New BMW i3 tail
The new BMW i3 eDrive 35L model is equipped with a high-nickel ternary lithium battery with a capacity of 70 kWh, and the CLTC can reach 526km of battery life.
During the travel process, the owner can choose different driving styles such as comfort mode, sports mode, energy-saving mode, etc., to meet the driving needs of different scenarios.
If you need to travel long distances, you can opt for BMW Instant Charging. As of the end of February this year, BMW Instant Charging has linked more than 380,000 public charging piles, including more than 200,000 DC fast charging piles, and about 50,000 charging piles across the country can provide plug-and-play services.
At 4 airports in 9 major cities across the country and in more than 10 popular business districts across the country, car owners can also use BMW to book charging services. Moreover, more than 390 BMW dealer charging stations have also covered more than 120 cities across the country.
It can be said that during long-distance travel, car owners do not have to worry about the problem of charging difficulties.
Thanks to the new BMW i3, which is 44mm lower than the 3 Series center of gravity, the front and rear tracks have been increased, and the weight has also been increased. In order to ensure handling, the new BMW i3 cabin is equipped with shock absorber top levers, and the front and rear are also equipped with anti-roll bars, which can significantly improve the stability of the vehicle.
▲The new BMW i3 hydraulic shock absorbing spring
In order to enhance the riding experience, the new BMW i3 front and rear suspension also uses dual-shaft HRS hydraulic rebound shock absorption technology, which can change the damping according to the spring stroke, so that the vehicle has a better body posture.
The rear axle of the new BMW i3 is also standard with adaptive air suspension, allowing the vehicle to adjust between passability, comfort and handling.
In terms of aerodynamics, the new BMW i3 worked hard to make the car's drag coefficient reach 0.24Cd.
An intelligent resistance reduction grille is designed under the front bracket of the i3, and there are newly evolved front vents on both sides, combined with the "shark gill" deflector slots on both sides of the vehicle to reduce wind resistance.
In addition, the new BMW i3 features 19-inch aerodynamic wheels and low roll-out tires.
With so many aerodynamic components used at the front and sides of the vehicle, the purpose is quite clear, that is, to reduce the level of wind resistance and energy consumption, and to increase the endurance of the vehicle.
In terms of interior space, the new BMW i3 has a wheelbase of 2966mm, and there is enough legroom in the rear seat. At the same time, the battery does not occupy the space in the car, ensuring the rear seating posture and comfort.
▲ New BMW i3 rear row
Opening the trunk can also be found that the rear axle motor and battery do not compress the trunk space, whether the opening and depth performance is basically the same as the fuel vehicle.
According to the introduction, in order to accommodate the motor, the subframe of the new BMW i3 is larger than that of the fuel vehicle. In fact, BMW took this issue into account at the beginning of the development of the CLAR platform, with the aim of achieving the joint development of a variety of drive systems.
Conclusion: The new BMW i3 will usher in a new era of pure electricity for BMW
The launch of the new BMW i3 has created another market segment for luxury pure electric sports cars. The new car has excellent performance in both electric performance and intelligence, coupled with the chassis, handling and luxury configuration in the car, making this car firmly based on the luxury pure electric market.
In 2020, the new BMW iX3 launched a new round of BMW's electrification offensive and mass-produced the fifth-generation eDrive electric drive technology for the first time. Today, the new BMW i3 is on the market, which continues a new chapter in BMW's electric driving fun and will also open a new era of BMW's pure electric vehicles.