The BMW is a sub-brand of BMW founded in 2011 to design and manufacture The sub-brand initial plans called for the release of two vehicles; of the all-electric car began in September 2013, and the market launch took place in November 2013 with the first retail deliveries in Germany.The sports car was launched in Germany in June 2014.

In 2014, BMW developed a prototype of equipped with power sockets to charge electric cars, called Light and Charge. Two of these charging facilities were installed at BMW's headquarters in Munich.In 2015, BMW in cooperation with SCHERM Group has started deploying electric trucks on European roads, making it the first company to ever do so. The truck itself is manufactured by the Terberg Group, one of the world's largest independent specialist vehicle suppliers.

Combined sales of the BMW i brand models reached the 50,000 unit milestone in January 2016. Two years after its introduction, the BMW ranked as the world's third best selling all-electric car in history.Global sales of the BMW i3 achieved the 50,000 unit milestone in July 2016.