[5/2/2020] Getting More Power From The Short Lived BMW I8

As officially and previously announced by BMW, the I8 electrified sports car has seen its last days in the production line as of mid-April. The I8 was without a proper send off as the pandemic, COVID-19, had forced factories close and left many to under 'stay at home' restrictions.

While visually stunning, the i8 bid farewell to the world with a final power output of 369 horsepower (275 kilowatts) and 420 pound-feet (570 Newton-meters) of torque.This is actually decent, considering these numbers come from a 1.5-liter inline-3 gasoline engine – with the help, of course, of an electric motor with 11.6 kWh battery pack. On the contrary, the look of the I8 denotes that it should have more power than what it had leaving the factory. The guys at DTE seems to agree.

According to DTE Managing Director Dr. Michael Krecek, increasing the i8's power output was "quite a challenge," but DTE Systems wanted it to do more. The tuning company made it happen through its PowerControl RX. This plug-and-play chip tuning module allowed for controlling nine channels in a multimap and works with the i8's stock ECU. With the PowerControl Rx, DTE is able to juice out additional 40 hp and 49 lb-ft of torque for a final output of 409 hp and 469 lb-ft.

Interestingly, DTE said that the increased output of the i8 also improved its fuel consumption by 15 percent through the PowerControl RX.

The i8 can go from zero to 62 miles per hour (100 kilometers per hour) in 4.6 seconds in its stock form. With this new power output, we should expect an improvement that puts it at low 4s, though DTE didn't disclose any performance ratings just yet

For you curious readers, the PowerControl RX supports all advanced engine technologies, including biturbo systems and hybrids. The company specifically mentioned in its release that it can even provide additional boosts to cars from Porsche, AMG, Audi RS, and BMW M. 

• Oliva, J. (2020, April 30). Tuner Bids Farewell To The BMW i8 With Power Lift To 409 HP. Retrieved April 30, 2020, from https://www.motor1.com/news/419171/bmw-i8-dte-powercontrol-tune/