Singapore and BMW's i-power

Singapore is both an ideal and ill-suited environment for EVs. The average Singaporean driver covers about 55km a day, or 20,000km annually. Singapore itself is about 40km long. But it still lacks the charging infrastructure, especially in public spaces and housing.

BMW, however, is adamant with its planned launch of the i3 next year, despite the uncertainty surrounding the support of electric cars here in Singapore.

Given the i3’s usable range, BMW is fairly certain that the car will meet the needs of its intended customer base, namely urbanites who do most of their driving in the city core or part of the daily commute.

Additionally, Singapore-bound i3s will come with the range extender engine as standard, which boosts the car’s range to 300km, almost enough to reach KL and to travel Singapore lengthwise six times.

BMW also expects i3 buyers to be tech-savvy individuals and residents of landed properties, who can have a wall-mounted charger installed on their premises.

According to a company source, the expected cost of the i3 will be around the same price “as a 3 Series”, making ownership an appealing, and practical, prospect.

The company also says it’s looking into cooperation agreements with property developers to have charging points designed into the car parks of new condominium projects. BMW Asia also recently confirmed existing BMW dealer Performance Motors as the official dealer for BMW i vehicles.

The brand will officially launch in Singapore next year, but BMW will be having a brand showcase, free to members of the public, at Ion Orchard.

It will run on Aug 24-25, from 9am – 5.30pm daily and feature the production-standard i3 and concept i8.