Gallery: BMW unveils the i3 – the first all electric BMW

We’ve known all about BMW’s electric concepts for a few years now, but the company has finally unveiled the consumer ready i3, which is set to go on sale in the US early next year.

It’s pretty safe to say that electric cars haven’t really taken off as well as some people would have hoped - primarily electric car investors - and there’s a reason for that… The biggest problem with EV’s is the fact that there’s just not enough choice to really get consumers excited about the segment and the cars that are available lack a certain sex-appeal (with exception for the Tesla Model S). Most EV’s out there now are just cars that we've already seen which have an electric motor squeezed in for good measure. However, BMW’s i3 is an electric car that has been built from the ground up, so it will be interesting to see how well the i3 does over the next few years. The company has previously experimented with the BMW ActiveE series, but the i3 will be BMW's first 'Ultimate Electric Driving Machine'. One thing is for sure about the i3; it’s a pretty sexy looking EV. The i3 comes with a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that claims a range between 130km – 160km per charge. According to the guys from Wired.com the battery takes up to three hours to charge fully or 30 minutes using an optional DC Combo Fast Charging point. So, what sort of numbers does the little i3 churn out? The engine is a 170 horsepower single speed unit that connects directly to the rear wheels and according to BMW it can go from 0 to 60 mph in seven seconds, and is electronically maxed out at 150km/h. There’s just one number that we’ve left out… the weight. Surprisingly, the BMW i3 comes in at just 1225kgs. That’s around 100kg lighter than the latest VW Golf GTi. The i3 is expected to cost around $41,350 (€32,220) for the entry level model, but it is a BMW after all, so you’ll be able to spend as much as you like on fancy optional extras. No word yet as to when you’ll see the i3 on Irish roads, but for now you can enjoy the pics above.