BMW i Collection puts upscale treehugging in the palm of your hand

Sun, 22 Sep 2013

If BMW's new i sub-brand sounds more like it belongs to consumer electronics than it does to automobiles, that's probably no mistake. After all, electric vehicles bridge the gap between conventional automobile and electronic gadget – just ask our compatriots over at Engadget that report on them all the time. But to drive the point home even greener, BMW has, together with the new i3, launched a new collection of electronics accessories that make the Bavarian automaker as much a competitor with companies like Belkin or Griffin as it is with Audi or Mercedes-Benz.

The new BMW i Collection includes items like a solar charger for phones and MP3 players, a laptop bag made from felt-like recycled PET plastic and vegetable-tanned leather, and of course the requisite USB dongle. Other items include keyfobs, a shopping bag, notebook and ballpoint pen.

All the items, of course, are designed to extend the i3's upscale tree-hugging image to items you can hold and use while your EV is charging in the driveway. They go on sale starting next month with prices ranging from 15 euros ($20) for the pen or lanyard to 99 euros ($135) for the shopping bag. Details in the press release below and images of the whole collection in the gallery above.

Accessories that make a sustainable impression. The BMW i Collection.
19.09.2013

Munich. Take a look at what we refer to as the i-edition of the new BMW Lifestyle Collection: the BMW i Collection. Its accessories, which will be launched in October 2013, are characterized by clear design and the responsible handling of resources. The BMW i Collection is inspired by the ideas behind the BMW i-concept. If it applies to the vehicles, then it goes for the lifestyle products too – Solar Charger, Urban Mega Shopper or Laptop Bag: all of them are visionary and ecofriendly, urban and premium, everyday and elegant.

Materials: sustainable & modern.
Leather tanned using olive leaves and a felt-look fabric made from recycled PET – those are the exciting materials from which the BMW i Urban Mega Shopper is made. This bag has blue chord handles – also made from recycled PET – and it bears the signature of BMW i. The Shopper's spacious main compartment can accommodate a matching BMW i Laptop Bag, whose strong sleeve protects your computer on the move. In one of the Shopper's secondary compartments you can stash your BMW i Ballpoint Pen, a writing implement which the BMW i Collection's developers made ecofriendly, just like the BMW i Notebook. The latter has a two-tone cover made from recycled felt-look fabric, which can be changed easily using its inner loops.

Use it: daily, everywhere.
The BMW i Solar Charger lets you charge, store and dispense energy. This upmarket solar device in a BMW i logo design may be very compact, but it has a big charging surface and harbors an integrated rechargeable battery. It comes with a charging cable that has a range of different slot-on connectors, allowing you to charge mobile devices and MP3 players without burdening resources. If you need faster charging from time to time, then a USB port lets you supply the unit's battery with power without a light source – from a laptop for example.

The BMW i USB Stick helps you transfer data on the move and holds 16 gigabytes inside its matt, aluminum-look body, which features an "electric-blue" BMW i logo. Thanks to its integrated ring it can be attached securely to the BMW i Lanyard so that it's always at hand. The Lanyard consists of a blue chord made from recycled PET and a plant-tanned leather label. But if you prefer not to carry your keys on a lanyard, then BMW i Edition offers you a BMW i Keyfob instead.

The BMW i Collection is available at selected retailers and online at www.bmw-shop.de from October 2013 onwards. Prices range from €99 (Shopper), to €39 (Solar Charger), to €15 (Ballpoint Pen, Lanyard).

By Noah Joseph