When the word he sold one of the world’s rarest supercars for an impressive £8 million ($12.35 million) spread out, petrolheads in the biz started betting on what the next speed machine would be. We’re quite sure nobody ever thought Rowan Atkinson will switch to BMW’s first zero emissions mass-produced vehicle.
Believe it or not, that’s precisely the car Mr. Bean was seen with around town the other day, a BMW i3. Hey, don’t get us wrong, we have all the respect for the Germans’ plan to clean the air we breathe, especially in the crowded cities of the old continent. But switching from 643 hp to 170 hp is quite a long way... backwards. We’re talking about a top speed that is limited to 93 mph (150 km/h) which almost feels like cycling if you think of the McLaren F1 the comedian used to own.
Put it this way, while the sought after sportscar completed less than 10 miles to the gallon, his new daily driver has a range of up to 100 miles on a full charge. No drop of oil is being used to make the wheels spin which is why the car is even exempt from the £11.50-a-day London Congestion Zone charge.
Whether or not he chose it, we don’t know, but we’ll remind you BMW is also offering a range extender option. Dubbed REx, it’s powered by a 646 cc two-cylinder gasoline engine with a small fuel tank that engages when the battery level drops to a pre-specified point, acting purely as a generator to produce electricity to extend the range to between 260 to 290 km (160 to 180 mi).
Put it this way, while the sought after sportscar completed less than 10 miles to the gallon, his new daily driver has a range of up to 100 miles on a full charge. No drop of oil is being used to make the wheels spin which is why the car is even exempt from the £11.50-a-day London Congestion Zone charge.
Whether or not he chose it, we don’t know, but we’ll remind you BMW is also offering a range extender option. Dubbed REx, it’s powered by a 646 cc two-cylinder gasoline engine with a small fuel tank that engages when the battery level drops to a pre-specified point, acting purely as a generator to produce electricity to extend the range to between 260 to 290 km (160 to 180 mi).