BMW unveils i3 electric car

The BMW i3, planned to go on sale next year, is the first electric car to go into full-scale production from an established luxury automaker.

Easing the impact

bmw i3 interior

To minimize its environmental impact, the i3 uses lightweight, natural, or recycled materials. The leather for the seats is tanned using olive tree leaf extract. About a quarter of the plastic in the car has been replaced by renewable or recyclable material, according to BMW. For instance, the dashboard and and door trim panels are made from visible plant fibers.

The i3 is built on a lightweight aluminum chassis but the passenger compartment is made largely from carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic.

Carbon fiber is very strong and light but it's also very expensive, so BMW created new methods to produce carbon fiber body parts at low cost. Much of the expense of using carbon fiber was offset by the material's low weight which meant engineers could use a smaller, less expensive, lithium-ion battery.

  @peterdrives - Last updated July 29 2013 01:53 PM ET

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