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BMW Spends On Coulomb Technologies. BMW is investing in Coulomb Technologies for an undisclosed amount. The Campbell, California electric-vehicle charging stations and software management company has now another carmaker to work with. To muddy the water a bit, Coulomb Technologies already has agreements with other car manufacturers and companies, namely General Motors, Ford, Nissan and luxury hybrid vehicle manufacturer Fisker Automotive.
Coulomb Technologies’ Backing. Coulomb Technologies is also solidifying its leading role as a charge management company. The new backing from BMW comes after its $47.5-million raised in May in a new round of funds via Braemar Energy Ventures and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Coulomb Technologies also received the financial blessings of Toyota TsushO , a member of the Toyota Group.
How Do You Sell An i8? Over your own website, of course. BMW is taking the highly controversial tactic of selling cars over the web in order to provide an inexpensive way for more buyers to flock to the Bavarian choice. Not only does BMW hope recoup what it spent on its electric car, EV models, the i8 and i3, but it will seek to make its cars available to wider base. But the problem with selling online is still the same, how do you try them? This becomes even more important when buying something as expensive as a car.
The i3 and i8 Price. Speaking of expensive, now for the real point, how much will the i8 and i3 go for? As to be expected, BMW will try to fetch as much as possible in order to keep its image of “the ultimate driving machine”, especially in the wild new frontier of electric cars. The four-seat, all-electric i3 should appear on the market late 2013, priced at around $48,500, or about 40,000 Euros. This means in the US, you will have a choice of a Tesla Motors Model S sedan or a the BMW i3. The plug-in hybrid, PHEV i8 will come later in 2014 with a cost of more than $124,000 or about 100,000 Euros. This puts this exotic plug-in hybrid into a sphere of its own.
The real question is will BMW’s edgy and pricy bet work or flop? That is the crux of the dilemma, especially when introducing something as new and untested as an electric car business model. BMW is facing a brand new, uncharted territory and even though it is investing in Coulomb Technologies’ charging stations and management, its i3 and i8 price is a win or break deal.
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Comments
The i3 price hasn't been
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The i3 price hasn't been announced yet but even if it is as high as you stated $48,500 that's still $9,000 less than the base Model S so I really don't think you should be saying you have the choice of one or the other.
You're right, although it
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In reply to The i3 price hasn't been by Tom Moloughney (not verified)
You're right, although it hasn't been announced yet, they are toying with the ~ $50,000 bracket. Still, it should be $10,000 cheaper although my thinking at the time was that generally those who spend $50,000 on a car, 60,000 is not that much of a stretch, but good point, nonetheless. Thanks, Nicolas