Due to its CFRP construction and commercial potential, the i3 is widely considered a trendsetter in the automotive industry. The success of the i3, combined with the automotive industry’s increasingly strict lightweighting demands, has caused other automakers to follow suit by making carbon fiber parts.
The decision to test the i3 also has economic and environmental implications. According to a recent article by Yahoo, Los Angeles officials said they believe the implementation of electric vehicles, such as the i3 and the Tesla Model S, would cut operating costs by an estimated 41 percent per vehicle. The article adds that as part of its “Sustainable City pLAn,” the city also wants electric cars to represent 80 percent of municipal-fleet vehicle purchases by 2025.
