2015 BMW I8 ESP

A SUSTAINABLE COMBINATION:
INTELLIGENT ENERGY MANAGEMENT
FOR INSPIRING PERFORMANCE AND
OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY.
BMW has been pursuing its EfficientDynamics strategy for more than
a decade. However, no other vehicle combines driving pleasure and
sustainability like the BMW i8. Equipped with innovative BMW eDrive
technology that intelligently combines an internal combustion engine
with an electric drive system, the BMW i8 offers maximum perfor-
mance and sustainable efficiency.

In an urban environment, the BMW i8 offers a range of up to 37 kilo-
meters when traveling on electric power only. For longer distances,
support is provided by the BMW TwinPower Turbo engine – with an
especially intense boost feature in SPORT mode or maximum efficiency
in ECO PRO mode. A predictive power management system developed
specifically for the BMW i8 ensures optimal settings for the two drive
units at all times.

Additionally, every driver can also help to optimize sustainability when
recharging the car: if renewable energy is used to charge the battery,
CO² emissions are reduced even further. Therefore, BMW i recom-
mends green electricity suppliers to make an even greater contributi-
on to environmental protection.
03. UTILIZATION
BMW_i8_Bedienungseinleger_210x138mm_US.indd 815.01.14 17:53 Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

Addendum
ADDENDUM TO OWNER'S MANUAL
We wanted to provide you with some updates
and clarifications with respect to the printed
BMW Owner's Manual. These updates and
clarifications will supersede the materials con-
tained in that document.
1. Where the terms “service center,” “the ser-
vice center,” “your service center,” “service
specialist,” or “service” are used in the
Owner's Manual, we wanted to clarify that
the terms refer to a BMW dealer's service
center or another service center or repair
shop that employs trained personnel that
can perform maintenance and repair work
on your vehicle in accordance with BMW
specifications.
2. Where the text of the Owner's Manual con-
tains an affirmative instruction to contact a
“service center” or “your service center,”
we wanted to clarify that BMW recom-
mends that, if you are faced with one of the
situations addressed by that text, you con-
tact or seek the assistance of a BMW
dealer's service center or another service
center or repair shop that employs trained
personnel that can perform maintenance
and repair work on your vehicle in accor-
dance with BMW specifications.
While BMW of North America LLC, at no
cost to you, will pay for repairs required by
the limited warranties provided with respect
to your vehicle and for maintenance under
the Maintenance Program during the appli-
cable warranty and maintenance coverage
periods, you are free to elect, both during
those periods and thereafter, to have main-
tenance and repair work provided by other
service centers or repair shops.
3. Where the Owner's Manual makes refer-
ence to parts and accessories having been
approved by BMW, those references are
intended to reflect that those parts and
accessories are recommended by BMW of
North America LLC. You may elect to use
other parts and accessories, but, if you do,
we recommend that you make sure that any
such parts and/or accessories are appropri-
ate for use on your vehicle.
4. At page 7, under the warranty section's dis-
cussion of homologation, where it states
that you “cannot lodge warranty claims for
your vehicle there,” the text should read
that you “may not be able to lodge warranty
claims for your vehicle there.”
5. At page 7, under the heading “Body work
and working on the high-voltage system,”
the text of that section should be disre-
garded and the following text should be
read in lieu thereof: “BMW recommends to
have modifications and work on the vehicle
only be carried out by an authorized BMW i
service center or one that operates accord-
ing to BMW i specifications with personnel
trained accordingly. If work is not carried out
properly, there is the risk of fire and fatal
injury from electrocution due to the high-
voltage system's high voltage.”
6. At page 8, under the “Parts and Accesso-
ries” section, in the sixth sentence, the
word “cannot” should read “does not.”
7. At page 53, in the “Check and replace
safety belts” section, the text beginning,
“This should only be done by your service
center …” should be disregarded and the
following text should be read in lieu thereof:
“BMW recommends having this work per-
formed by a service center as it is important
that this safety feature functions properly.”
8. At page 91, under the heading:  “Special
windshield,” the paragraph beginning,
“Therefore, have the special windshield …”
should be disregarded and the following
text should be read in lieu thereof:   “BMW
recommends that you have the special
windshield replaced by the service center.”
9. At page 141 under the heading: “Objects
within the range of movement of the ped-
als” and at page 190 under the heading:
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

Addendum
“Carpets and floor mats,” the paragraph
that begins: “Only use floor mats …” should
be disregarded and the following language
should be read in lieu thereof: “The manu-
facturer of your vehicle recommends that
you use floor mats that have been identified
by it as appropriate for use in your vehicle
and that can be properly fixed in place.”
10. At page 145, under the heading: “Have
maintenance carried out,” the sentence
beginning, “The maintenance should be
carried out …” should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in lieu
thereof:  “BMW recommends that you have
the maintenance carried out by your service
center.”
11. At page 151, under the heading “Make sure
that the charging device is in flawless oper-
ating condition,” the word “flawless” should
read “proper.”
12. At page 163, under the heading “Tire infla-
tion specifications,” the sentence begin-
ning, “Tire inflation pressure specifications
apply to approved tire sizes … .” should be
disregarded.
13. At page 1
67, under the heading: “Mount-
ing,” the paragraph beginning, “Have
mounting and balancing …” should be dis-
regarded and the following text should be
read in lieu thereof: “BMW recommends
that you have mounting and balancing per-
formed by your service center or a tire
mounting specialist.”
14. At page 167, under the heading: “Approved
wheels and tires,” the term “Approved”
should be disregarded and in lieu thereof,
the term “Recommended” should be read
in its place. In addition, the text of that sec-
tion should be disregarded and the follow-
ing text should be read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle strongly
suggests that you use wheels and tires that
have been recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer for your vehicle type; other-
wise, for example, despite having the same official size ratings, variations can lead to
body contact and with it, the risk of severe
accidents.
The manufacturer of your vehicle does not
evaluate non-recommended wheels and
tires to determine if they are suitable for use
on your vehicle.
15. At page 171, under the heading: “Snow
Chains,” the text should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in lieu
thereof:
Only certain types of fine-link snow chains
have been tested by the manufacturer of
your vehicle and are determined by the
manufacturer of your vehicle to be road safe
and are recommended by the manufacturer
of your vehicle.
Information about recommended snow
chains is available from a service center.
16. At page 174, under the heading “Engine
compartment access,” the sentence begin-
ning, “If you are unfamiliar” should be disre-
garded.
17. At page 176, under the heading: “Engine Oil
Change,” the text should be disregarded
and in lieu thereof should be read as follows:
BMW recommends that you have the oil
changed at your BMW dealer's service cen-
ter or at another service center that has
trained personnel that can perform the work
in accordance with BMW specifications.
18. At page 179, under the heading: “Service
and Warranty Information Booklet for US
models and Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian models,” the second
paragraph should be disregarded and the
following text read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle recom-
mends that you have maintenance and
repair performed by your BMW dealer's ser-
vice center or another service center or
repair shop that employs trained personnel
that can perform maintenance and repair
work on your vehicle in accordance with
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

equipment that is offered in the model series.
Therefore, in this Owner's Manual, we also de‐
scribe and illustrate features that are not avail‐
able in your vehicle, e.g., because of the se‐
lected optional features or the country-specific
version.
This also applies to safety-related functions
and systems.
The respectively applicable country provisions
must be observed when using the respective
features and systems.
On right-hand drive vehicles, some controls
are arranged differently from what is shown in
the illustrations.
Status of the Owner's
Manual
Basic information
The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a
policy of constant development that is con‐
ceived to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety stan‐
dards. In rare cases, therefore, the features de‐
scribed in this Owner's Manual may differ from
those in your vehicle.
Updates made after the editorial deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
can be found in the appendix of the printed
Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.
For your own safety
Warranty Your vehicle is technically configured for the
operating conditions and registration require‐
ments applying in the country of first delivery -
homologation. If your vehicle is to be operated
in a different country it might be necessary to
adapt your vehicle to potentially differing oper‐ating conditions and permit requirements. If
your vehicle does not comply with the homolo‐
gation requirements in a certain country you
cannot lodge warranty claims for your vehicle
there. Further information can be obtained
from your Service Centre.
Working on the vehicle, maintenance
and repairs
Advanced technology, especially the use of
high-performance high-voltage electronics
and modern materials such as carbon, requires
special knowledge when making modifications
to and working on the vehicle, as well as cus‐
tomized maintenance and repair work.
BMW recommends to have modifications and
work on the vehicle, especially maintenance
and repairs to the high-voltage system and
carbon body as well as the retrofitting of ac‐
cessories only be carried out by an authorized
BMW i service center or one that operates ac‐
cording to BMW i specifications with personnel
trained accordingly.
Body work and working on the high-volt‐
age system
Do not perform any modifications or work on
the vehicle, especially maintenance and repair
work on the high-voltage system and the car‐
bon body and avoid retrofitting accessories.
If work is not carried out properly, there is the
risk of fire and fatal injury from electrocution
due to the high-voltage system's high voltage.
BMW recommends to have modifications and
work on the vehicle only be carried out by an
authorized BMW i service center or one that
operates according to BMW i specifications
with personnel trained accordingly.◀
Parts and accessories
BMW recommends using parts and accesso‐
ries approved by BMW for this purpose.
Your BMW center is the right contact for genu‐
ine BMW parts and accessories, other prod‐Seite 7Notes7
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

ucts approved by BMW and related qualified
advice.
BMW has tested these products for safety and
suitability in relation to BMW vehicles.
BMW can assume responsibility for them.
However, we cannot assume any responsibility
whatsoever for parts and accessories that have
not been specifically approved by BMW.
BMW cannot evaluate whether each individual
product from another manufacturer can be
used with BMW vehicles without presenting a
safety hazard. This guarantee does not apply
when country-specific government approval
has been granted. Testing of this kind may fail
to embrace the entire range of potential oper‐
ating conditions to which components might
be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such products
could conceivably fail to comply with BMW's
own stringent quality standards.
California Proposition 65 Warning California laws require us to state the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automo‐
bile components and parts, including compo‐
nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐
cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth
defects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐
ductive harm. Battery posts, terminals and re‐
lated accessories contain lead and lead com‐
pounds. Wash your hands after handling. Used
engine oil contains chemicals that have caused
cancer in laboratory animals. Always protect
your skin by washing thoroughly with soap and
water.
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly. Your vehicle is covered by the fol‐
lowing warranties:▷New Vehicle Limited Warranty.▷Rust Perforation Limited Warranty.▷Federal Emissions System Defect War‐
ranty.▷Federal Emissions Performance Warranty.▷California Emission Control System Lim‐
ited Warranty.
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and
designed to meet the particular operating con‐
ditions and homologation requirements in your
country and continental region in order to de‐
liver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle
is operated under those conditions. If you wish
to operate your vehicle in another country or
region, you may be required to adapt your ve‐
hicle to meet different prevailing operating
conditions and homologation requirements.
You should also be aware of any applicable
warranty limitations or exclusions for such
country or region. In such case, please contact
Customer Relations for further information.
Maintenance
Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain the
road safety, operational reliability and the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Specifications for required maintenance meas‐
ures:
▷BMW Maintenance system▷Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models▷Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
If the vehicle is not maintained according to
these specifications, this could result in seri‐
ous damage to the vehicle. Such damage is
not covered by the BMW New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Seite 8Notes8
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

Data memoryMany electronic components on your vehicle
are equipped with data memories that tempo‐
rarily or permanently store technical informa‐
tion about the condition of the vehicle, events
and faults. This technical information generally
records the state of a component, a module, a
system or the environment:▷Operating mode of system components, fill
levels for instance.▷Status messages for the vehicle and from
its individual components, e.g., wheel rota‐
tion speed/vehicle speed, deceleration,
transverse acceleration.▷Malfunctions and faults in important sys‐
tem components, e.g., lights and brakes.▷Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐
tions such as airbag deployment or engag‐
ing the stability control system.▷Ambient conditions, such as temperature.
This data is purely technical in nature and is
used to detect and correct faults and to opti‐
mize vehicle functions. Motion profiles over
routes traveled cannot be created from this
data. When service offerings are used, e.g., re‐
pair services, service processes, warranty
claims, quality assurance, this technical infor‐
mation can be read out from the event and
fault memories by the service personnel, in‐
cluding the manufacturer, using special diag‐
nostic tools. You can obtain further information
there if you need it. After an error is corrected,
the information in the fault memory is deleted
or overwritten on a continuous basis.
With the vehicle in use there are situations
where you can associate these technical data
with individuals if combined with other infor‐
mation, e.g., an accident report, damage to the
vehicle, eye witness accounts — possibly with
the assistance of an expert.
Additional functions that are contractually
agreed with the customer - such as vehicle
emergency locating - you can transmit certain
vehicle data from the vehicle.
Event Data Recorder EDR
This vehicle is equipped with an event data re‐
corder EDR. The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa‐
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting
a road obstacle, data that will assist in under‐
standing how a vehicle’s systems performed.
The EDR is designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a
short period of time, typically 30 seconds or
less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record
such data as:▷How various systems in your vehicle were
operating.▷Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were fastened.▷How far, if at all, the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal.▷How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under‐
standing of the circumstances in which
crashes and injuries occur.
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
nontrivial crash situation occurs; no data are
recorded by the EDR under normal driving
conditions and no personal data, e.g., name,
gender, age, and crash location, are recorded.
However, other parties, such as law enforce‐
ment, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac‐
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the vehi‐
cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve‐
hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equipment,
can read the information if they have access to
the vehicle or the EDR.
Seite 9Notes9
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

CockpitVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due tothe selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
All around the steering wheel
1Open the tailgate   442Power windows  493Exterior mirror operation   544Open fuel filler flap,
Tank vent   1585Lock, unlock vehicle   446Opening the door  447LightsParking lights  92Low beams  92Automatic headlight con‐
trol   93
Daytime running lights   93
High-beam Assistant   94Instrument lighting  958Left steering column stalkSeite 14At a glanceCockpit14
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

iDriveVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
The concept
The iDrive combines the functions of many
switches. Thus, these functions can be oper‐
ated from a central location.
Using the iDrive during a trip
To avoid becoming distracted and pos‐
ing an unnecessary hazard to your vehicle's
occupants and to other traffic, never attempt
to use the controls or enter information unless
traffic and road conditions allow it.◀
Control elements at a glanceControl elements1Control Display2Controller with buttons and, depending on
the equipment version, with touchpadControl Display
Hints▷To clean the Control Display, follow the
care instructions.▷Do not place objects close to the Control
Display; otherwise, the Control Display can
be damaged.▷In the case of very high temperatures on
the Control Display, e.g. due to intense so‐
lar radiation, the brightness may be re‐
duced down to complete deactivation.
Once the temperature is reduced, e.g.
through shadow or climate control system,
the normal functions are re-established.
Switching on
1.Turn on operations.2.Press the controller.
Switch off
1. Press button.2."Turn off control display"
Controller
The buttons can be used to open the menus
directly. The controller can be used to select
menu items and enter the settings.
Some iDrive functions can be operated using
the touchpad on the controller.
Seite 18At a glanceiDrive18
Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15