Thought the electric BMW i3 was far from the ultimate driving machine? Well, it's rear-wheel drive and it's on a track. This looks fun.

Movilidaelectrica did this video of an i3 going around the Jarama Race Track in Spain. According to BMWBlog, this car belongs to the first i3 customer in Spain.

And apparently, a full charge equates to about three laps. It's a six-or-so minute video and you can tell just how happy this guy is with his i3 zipping around the track.

A stylish EV from Canada

Canadian tuners SR Auto Group have revealed their latest tuning project based on the BMW i3.

At the beginning of this month, EVO previewed its radically restyled version of the vehicle and now their Canadian colleagues from SR are ready with their “electrically charged and environmentally friendly” version.

What they actually have done is just replacing the stock wheels of the model with a set of new PUR LG04 rims with a custom flat lip. The company explains that “normally this would be an easy task”, but “since the vehicle rolled off the lot just a few months ago, there was little to no information to be found”. So, after performing a research and development work, the tuners “were able to engineer a set of wheels for the car”.

The German automaker app in the works lets drivers use smartwatches to command a BMW to park itself in a multi-level garage. The driver can also use the wearable tech to retrieve the car.

From gesture control to fully automated valet parking, BMW shows off some of its latest auto innovations at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Heading to Geneva next month

Following a sneak preview from two months ago, Rinspeed has released full details about their Budii concept set to premiere next month in Geneva.

Just like we assumed, the Rinspeed Budii is based on the BMW i3 and tries to preview the future of autonomous electric city cars. It represents the 21st concept developed by the Swiss company and has been envisioned with a movable robotic arm featuring a steering wheel for those moments when those sitting on the front seats want to manually control the EV. In autonomous mode, the seven-axis robotic arm sits in the center and can act as a table or "attentive personal valet."

The next-gen infotainment system has been developed by Harman and is capable of identifying the preferences and habits of the driver in order to reduce the necessary operating steps, thus turning the Budii into a "learning and proactive companion." The central display sits on an aluminum frame and grants the user with access to a wide variety of features including wireless charging and automatic payment for parking via an NFC connection.

As for the exterior, it's heavily inspired by the BMW i3 but the concept sits on 19-inch Borbet eight double-spoke alloys and also features an air suspension with a 100mm adjustable range. There's a telescoping laser scanner on the roof called "TrackView" which provides a 3D perspective and works with a high-resolution camera to map the terrain and based on the gathered data the Budii will automatically adjust the suspension and ride height.

As a final touch, the concept has also received a pair of two-wheel electric "mini vehicles" positioned in the back in the retractable automatic drawers.

The Rinspeed Budii concept will premiere on March 3 at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show.

Sales of the BMW i3 experienced a significant jump in August after the brand launched the new-and-improved version with a larger battery pack.

In August, a total of 2,848 i3s were delivered to customers worldwide, a huge 73.2 per cent increase over the same month last year.

Member of the board of management at BMW AG, Development, Klaus Frohlich, said this jump can largely be attributed to the improved model that hit showrooms in July.

Rather than the 60Ah battery of the standard i3, the improved variant adopts a 94Ah battery, meaning its range swells to 114 miles (185 km), about 40 per cent more than the standard car. Additionally, the model brings with it a custom interior design package, 19-inch wheels and fast DC charging.

In 2019 or 2020, a second-generation i3 is tipped to launch and given the rapid development of the electric vehicle market, it can be expected to have a range comfortably exceeding 200 miles.