BMW is celebrating a year of its pioneering green-friendly i8 sports car on the Middle East’s roads as people around the world today mark World Environment Day (WED). 

With sustainability a core element of BMW’s entire value chain, the premium car manufacturer’s commitment to eco-mobility has seen the company reduce the emissions produced by an average vehicle by 45 per cent since 2006; a success that falls directly in line with the mission of the United Nations’ (UN) WED initiative. 

Founding its dedicated sustainable BMW i sub-brand in 2011, through which it promotes emission-free driving, the innovative i8 plug-in hybrid aids in the combating of global issues including energy independence and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through its maximum on-road efficiency. 

With the theme of this year’s WED, ‘7 Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care’, the innovative i8 is a pioneer in ensuring that mass market electro-mobility is in fact no longer a dream, but a reality – especially in the Middle East, says BMW.

Enhancing BMW’s commitment to a more sustainable future, Middle Eastern countries and cities have cemented their standing as eco-hubs, with Dubai stating its intentions to become a global leader in sustainability by 2020 through a focus on renewable energy, and Jordan pledging to diversify its energy resources with renewables in order to increase its renewable energy ratio to 10 per cent over the course of the next five years. With sales of the BMW i8 in its first year reaching almost 100 in the GCC alone, the region is catering to the reality of such an electro-mobile future, placing substantial investment in electric vehicle charging stations in both Dubai and Jordan. With 100 EV charging stations scheduled for Dubai before the end of this year, Jordan has also invested $1.5 billion in 3,000 solar powered stations, as well as eliminated tariffs on the import of zero-emission vehicles.

The first model available in the region from BMW i, the i8 combines the performance and appeal of a sports car with the fuel consumption and emissions of a small car. With its ultra-dynamic proportions, elegantly sporty lines, low-slung silhouette and futuristic design features, the i8 has caused a sensation on the roads since going on sale across the Middle East in June last year.

Powered by a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder BMW TwinPower Turbo petrol engine which, in typical BMW sports car fashion, drives through the rear wheels, the BMW i8’s intelligent hybrid system also capitalises on a potent electric motor which sends drive to the front wheels resulting in a combined power output of 362 hp delivered to all four wheels. 

When united, the dual motors (electric motor at the front and petrol engine at the rear) work in harmony enabling the BMW i8 to accelerate from 0 to 100 kmph in 4.4 seconds while using just 2.1 litres of petrol per 100 km and emitting just 59g/km of emissions. The BMW i8 has a top speed electronically limited to 250 kmph, and can be operated solely in all electric drive (zero emissions) for around 37 km - and the battery of the plug-in hybrid can be continuously charged by the petrol engine while driving. Due to its lightweight of just 1,485 kg, it provides a total drive range of more than 500 km.

An all-embracing sustainability concept runs throughout the entire value chain of the i8; carbon fibre production and vehicle assembly using 100-per cent renewable electricity; high proportion of recycled materials; use of materials manufactured and treated in an environmentally friendly manner.

A UN initiative to encourage worldwide awareness and action for the environment, WED is celebrated by stakeholders in more than 100 countries. Serving to galvanise individual actions to generate a collective positive impact on the environment, countries in the region have already cemented their standing as pioneers in eco-living.