We checked out the BMW that could have been the basis for the Apple Car
Reports surfaced last year that Apple CEO Tim Cook has visited BMW in Germany to explore the possibility of using the automaker's compact electric "city car," the i3, as the basis for a possible Apple Car.
Subsequent reporting suggested that the i3's role in "Project Titan" had been put on hold.
And it now appears that Apple and BMW don't have much interest in working together.
In cooperation, however, the two companies might have done something cool.
We were intrigued, so last year when BMW let us borrow an i3 for a weekend, we jumped at the chance to see what the some thought the Apple Car might look like, based on the best speculation available in 2015.
As it turned out, we had the perfect trip planned for the i3: a little over 200 miles, round-trip, from suburban New Jersey to the Catskills in upstate New York. If Apple builds an Apple Car, it's expected that it will be electric, and biggest problem for electric cars to overcome is "range anxiety" - the fear that you'll run out of juice and be stranded.
Our i3 was the "range extended" version, equipped with a small gas motor that kicks in when the batteries are drained. It doesn't drive the wheels; rather, it generates electricity to power the motor. Coming in at around $46,000, this version of the i3 is good for 150 miles, according to BMW.
So how did the car do? Read on to find out.