It’s not really a comparison, since the Tesla Model S and the BMW i8 really fall into different categories. The Tesla is an all-electric sedan while the i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car. Where they overlap is that both have excellent performance and both are relatively early examples of green cars.
The Tesla Model S is by design, better as a daily driver and people mover, and has a respectable range running only on batteries, mainly because that’s all it can run on. The BMW i8 is a dynamic sports car that demonstrates how electric power and gasoline power can be combined to get higher performance and lower fuel consumption.
Technically, neither is the first of its respective kind, but both are examples of what works, what’s practical, and what is coming in the future.
The editors at Consumer Reports have loved the Tesla since it was first introduced and they have never been all that fond of many high-performance sports cars. Watch the video to see if they have changed their mind.—Scott Blazey
[Photos and video courtesy of Consumer Reports via Carbuzz.com.]
