The keys were formally presented by Ian Robertson, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, sales and marketing BMW and Roland Krüger, senior vice president, head of sales and marketing Germany for the BMW Group, in a special ceremony.

‘By integrating E-cards into the Allianz fleet, we are supporting the mobility solutions of today and tomorrow. We want to increase the acceptance of E-cars,’ says Oliver Bäte, member of the Board of Management of Allianz SE on the collection of his car. ‘Currently, already 10% of our management fleet have E-vehicles; this is how we bring the future on to the road. The reactions of staff and clients are all very positive. Driving on electricity is something good – and it’s even fun.’

The BMW i3 is the BMW Group’s first series-produced electric vehicle offers a range of 130 to 160km. Charging can be done at home, at work or at public charging stations.

The BMW Group also offers a “360° ELECTRIC” product and service package for the BMW i3, based on four pillars: home charging; charging at public charging stations; guaranteed mobility; and integration of innovative mobility concepts. These include services such as the BMW i Wallbox Pure for rapid vehicle charging at home; extensive ConnectedDrive functions in the car itself for smart phones; as well as the ChargeNow card, which assures drivers unlimited access to public charging infrastructure on the go.

Furthermore, BMW i is working towards expanding the public charging infrastructure, including convenient reservation and payment systems in conjunction with its various partners.

As well as being introduced into a large number of European markets in the coming months, the BMW i3 will also be launched in the US, Japan, China and Korea in 2014.