BMW has unveiled its first two electric vehicles the  electric i3  and the plug-in hybrid i8 at  July 29 press conference in Frankfurt.  The board chairman "Norbert Reithofer" said  , “We are marking another milestone in the history of the BMW Group. As chairman of the board and an engineer myself, I am very proud of this project.”

The most notable feature of the new design is a bodywork largely made of carbon fibre, described by BMW board member Klaus Draeger as a "revolution in automotive design."
The new material, offers a weight reduction of between 250 and 350 kilograms, which should considerably lengthen the range and speed of the electric vehicles.

The i3's concept car design currently offers a range of approximately 150 kilometers The  rear mounted electric motor churns out 127 kW's of power for the i3, which translates to an impressive 170hp letting the car hit 0-100km/h in 8 seconds, said BMW, with four seats and a 200-liter luggage compartment.
Thanks to a weight of 1,250 kilograms, and the charging time is also pretty with an 80 percent charge in around an hour using a high speed charger.


The larger i8 isn't a fully electric vehicle but a plug-in hybrid with a drive system that outputs 260 kW.
BMW i8 Designed as a luxury sports car, comes with a  top speed of 250 km/h and a 0-100km/h time of under five seconds, although at a more temperate speed the i8 will run for up to 35 kilometers on all electric drive before the hybrid system kicks in.

The price of these 2 cars is not determined yet. . .The i3 is due sometime in 2013 whereas the i8 is out come 2014, BMW didn't however say which markets they'd come out but It tends to  densely populated cities so ur guess is New York, London, and most likely Berlin first .


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-GSRA_FiRRY