Live from Mexico, we bring you the first live photos of the recently refreshed BMW i8 Safety Car. In 2014, BMW i become the official vehicle partner for the FIA Formula E championship. For this partnership, BMW has developed a series of Safety, Medical and Emergency Cars, one of which being a BMW i8. Ever since, the BMW i8 Safety Car has been the highlight at every Formula E race.
Nearly every year since its inception, the i8 Safety Car has gone through a series of technical revisions, some mandated by the Formula E governing body, while others simply introduced by BMW for testing purposes. First updated version of the BMW i8 Safety Car arrived in 2015 with a tweaked suspension and numerous other enhancements over the road going edition, followed this year by another upgrade.
An obvious difference compared to the standard i8 model, is above all, the wireless charging system championed by Qualcomm. The “Qualcomm Halo Prototype Technology” inductive charging system uses no cable connections.
The BMW i8 Coupe Safety Car has been modified with many BMW M components to cope with the specific demands of motor racing. These modifications include a roll bar, rear wing and rear hatch made of carbon fibre, a front splitter, sports seats from the BMW M4 GTS, four-point harness, a roof-mounted signal light system, BMW M carbon ceramic brakes and a sports chassis.
For the race in Mexico, the i8 Safety Car went through one more change. The car now features a new livery with a connective graphic network of blue and purple ‘veins’ carrying the natural colors of raw electricity.
“We have translated the themes found in the design of the BMW iFE.18 to the very different proportions of the BMW i8 Coupe. This livery gives the Safety Car a new dynamism and a bold level of expression appropriate to racing in the streets,” said Michael Scully, Head of Design BMW Motorsport.
Competing for the first time as factory team in Formula E, the BMW i Motorsport Andretti is off to a good start, showing promising results, a win and a few podiums which puts Antonio Felix Da Costa just seven points behind Jérôme D’Ambrosio (Mahindra Racing) and a third place overall for the team. Without the Marrakesh incident, the number one spot would have been now reserved to the team and its drivers.
Enjoy the photos below and stay tuned for live updates from a future Formula E race.
