Why the i3 Should Fare Well in a Small Offset Crash

[websterize]

Cue to 02:10 in the "BMWi3 Carbon Fiber" video at top, and prepare to be amazed at the elegance of BMW's simple solution.

http://leandesign.com/bmwi3-videos-carbon-fiber-battery-pack-interior/

Many new cars, notably the Nissan Leaf, have struggled with the small-overlap frontal crash test. A poor rating in this category could result in devastating leg injuries to the driver. http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/ratings-info/frontal-crash-tests

 

[Auburni3]

One other design element I didn't see them mention are the injection molded honeycomb pieces just behind the front tires mounted to the body. They help absorb and distribute the load into the life module to prevent point loading in case the wheel is pushed into the wheel well during a front crash. You can see them at 1:40 in the video. They also use this same approach on the sides to distribute side impacts.