BMW Group Ireland is providing a BMW i3 to an Garda Síochána to pilot the practical implications of electric vehicles.
The vehicle, which sports the full Garda livery, was on display at the BT Young Scientist Exhibition last week in Dublin’s RDS.
With 2,800 vehicles, the Gardaí have one of the country’s largest commercial fleets and represents an opportunity for energy savings. This pilot BMW i3 (94Ah ) provides emissions free driving with a pure electric range of 180kms in real-world driving conditions.
It is agile and engaging to drive, making it ideally suited for the dense urban areas an Garda Síochána operate in.
Recognising that it is takes more than just zero-emission motoring to drive sustainable change in the world, BMW Group takes a holistic approach to the entire lifecycle-chain of its vehicles. Taking into consideration everything from the extraction of raw materials and manufacture of the vehicle, through usage to recycling, all environmental impacts of the vehicle are considered.
For example, the manufacturing process of the i3 is derived from green power such as wind turbines and one of the world’s largest hydroelectric plants. The BMW i3 also uses a completely new purpose built architecture with carbon fibre reinforced plastic for the passenger cell. Even the interior of the i3 was created using sustainably sourced materials, and up to 95 per cent of the car is recyclable.
The new BMW i3 draws energy from a lithium-ion high-voltage battery developed by the BMW Group with a capacity of 94-ampere hours (Ah ) or 33 kilowatt hours (kWh ). An optional range extender engine can be added to the new BMW i3 models, providing an additional range of up to 150kms of driving, a total of 330kms.
This BMW model features an unmistakable, avant-garde styling and a thrilling performance. Stepping on the accelerator pedal immediately unleashes a thrilling burst of speed. 100 km/h is reached in 7.3 seconds and the i3 has a top speed limited to 150 km/h.
The model comes in two trim levels and has a starting price of €36,510, including the SEAI grant and VRT rebates.
