Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 


BMW extends i3’s EV range... again. Image by BMW.

BMW extends i3’s EV range... again
<< earlier article     later article >>

 


News homepage

What's all this about?

BMW has improved the range of its i3 electric city car for a second time. Having been capable of a range of 80-100 miles on its original 60 ampere hours (Ah) battery when it launched in 2013, BMW uprated it to a 94Ah model in 2016. That increase in energy storage boosted its maximum quoted range to 186 miles, with BMW claiming you could get 125 miles out of it, even with all the electrics running. Well, now the battery has gone up in capacity again, to 120Ah, meaning an NEDC maximum range of 223 miles and a WLTP figure of 192 miles.

Very good. Is the faster version of the i3 included in this update?

Yes, the sportier i3s also has the 120Ah battery, although its slightly more powerful e-motor (it has 184hp and 270Nm, compared to the regular i3's 170hp and 250Nm) means its NEDC range is 213 miles (previously 174 miles) and its WLTP figure is 177 miles. Incidentally, the 2019MY i3's battery gross energy content is rated at 42.2kWh.

So what does BMW claim the i3 and i3s 120Ah will do, real-world?

Anything up to 160 miles - that's a 30 per cent increase on the 94Ah and double the old 60Ah. Which makes sense, given the lithium-ion battery is now precisely twice as capacious as the earliest i3s' units.

But is the battery physically bigger now?

No, it remains the same size as ever. BMW did say, when it brought out the 94Ah model two years ago, that owners of 60Ah models could upgrade in a 'plug-n-play' fashion to the 94Ah battery for a fee, although there's no mention of whether 60- and 94Ah i3 owners can do the same with the 120Ah battery this time around.

Talk to me about charging times.

If you can hook the 120Ah i3 up to a DC rapid-charging facility running at 50kW, you'll get 80 per cent battery power in 42 minutes. On the 7.4kW BMW i Wallbox, the same amount of battery juice takes slightly less than five hours. Standard charging on the cable and a household socket will take 15 hours for 80 per cent power, at 2.3kW. BMW quotes the energy usage of the i3 at 13.1kWh/62 miles and the i3s at 14.6kWh/62 miles. If you want some traditional old performance figures, the i3 can do 0-62mph in 7.3 seconds, 50-75mph in 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 93mph, while the i3s improves on all those stats with 6.9 seconds, 4.3 seconds and 99mph, respectively. The only thing that has changed here is the i3s's top speed, which has increased by 6mph from the previous 94Ah variant.

Anything else that has changed?

Yes, the 120Ah models now have black A-pillars and roof trim lines, to match the black bonnet, roof and hatch they always had. A new paint colour, called Jucaro metallic with Frozen Grey details, is added to the exterior palette, Adaptive LED headlights are now optionally available with automatic selective dip functionality and there's another shade for the optional interior Loft finish. More optional equipment includes telephony with wireless charging for smartphones, as well as a wireless LAN hotspot.

And the prices?

The uprated 120Ah BMW i3 and i3s models go on sale from December 2018, priced from £35,180 and £37,670, respectively, on the road, including any Government plug-in car grants.



Matt Robinson - 28 Sep 2018


2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.

2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.2019 BMW i3. Image by BMW.









www.bmw.co.uk    - BMW road tests
- BMW news
- i3 images






Land Rover teases new flagship Defender Octa. Image by Land Rover.
Land Rover Defender Octa teaser
The forthcoming, high-performance, top-of-the-range Defender takes its name from the shape of a diamond, apparently.
 
Volkswagen unveils hot ID.3 GTX models. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.3 GTX reveal
High-performance electric hatchback will be offered in ‘standard’ and Performance guises.
VW adds go-faster GTX model to ID.7 range. Image by Volkswagen.
VW ID.7 GTX reveal
The hot ID.7 GTX gets 340hp and all-wheel drive, and it’ll be offered in saloon and estate body styles.

 
 215 Racing
 9ff
 A. Kahn Design
 Abarth
 Abt
 AC Cars
 AC Schnitzer
 Acura
 Aehra
 AIM
 Alfa Romeo
 Alpina
 Alpine
 Amari
 APS Sportec
 Arash
 Arden
 Ares
 Ariel
 Arrinera
 Artega
 Ascari
 Aston Martin
 Atalanta
 Atomik
 Audi
 Austin
 Auto Union
 Autodelta
 Autofarm
 Autosport
 AVA
 Avatar
 Axon
 Aznom
 BAC
 BAIC
 Bentley
 Bertone
 Bizzarrini
 Bloodhound
 Bluebird
 BMW
 Bosch
 Bowler
 Brabham
 Brabus
 Breckland
 Bridgestone
 Brilliance
 Bristol
 Bugatti
 Buick
 Burton
 BYD
 Cadillac
 Callaway
 Callum
 Caparo
 Capstone
 Carlsson
 Caterham
 CCG
 Chang'an
 Changfeng
 Chevrolet
 Chevron
 Chongfeng
 Chrysler
 Citroen
 Climax
 Connaught
 Cooper Tires
 Corvette
 Cummins
 Cupra
 Dacia
 Daewoo
 Daihatsu
 Daimler
 Dartz
 Datsun
 David Brown
 David Brown Automotive
 DDR
 De Tomaso
 Delta
 Detroit Electric
 Devon
 Dodge
 Donkervoort
 Drayson
 DS
 Eagle
 Eagle E-type
 EDAG
 edo competition
 Eterniti
 Everrati
 Evisol
 Exagon
 FAB Design

 
 Factory Five
 Faralli & Mazzanti
 Fenix
 Fenomenon
 Ferrari
 Fiat
 Fisker
 Ford
 G-Power
 Geely
 Gemballa
 General Motors
 Genesis
 Ginetta
 Giugiaro
 Glickenhaus
 GMC
 Goodwood
 Google
 Gordon Murray
 Gordon Murray Automotive
 Gordon Murray Design
 Gray Design
 Great Wall
 GTA
 GTM
 Gumpert
 Hamann
 Hartge
 HBH
 Heffner Performance
 Hennessey
 HERE
 HiPhi
 Holden
 Honda
 Hulme
 Hummer
 Hyundai
 I.D.E.A
 Icona
 IFR
 Infiniti
 Ionity
 Isis
 JAC
 Jaguar
 Jeep
 Jensen
 Jetstream
 JJAD
 Joss Developments
 Kahn
 Kamala
 Keating
 Kia
 Koenigsegg
 KTM
 Kumho
 Lada
 Lagonda
 Lamborghini
 Lancia
 Land Rover
 Lexus
 Liberty
 Lightning
 Lincoln
 Lister
 Loma Performance
 Lorinser
 Lotus
 LupiniPower
 Luxgen
 Mahindra
 Mansory
 Maserati
 Mastretta
 Maybach
 Mazda
 McLaren
 Mercedes
 Mercedes-AMG
 Mercedes-Benz
 Mercedes-Maybach
 Mercury
 Metrocab
 MG
 Michelin
 MINI
 Mitsubishi
 MMI
 Monte Carlo
 Mopar
 Morgan
 Mosler
 MTM
 Munro
 NAC MG
 Nichols Cars
 Nissan
 NLV

 
 Noble
 Novitec
 Opel
 Overfinch
 Pagani
 Perodua
 Peugeot
 Piaggio
 Pininfarina
 Polestar
 Pontiac
 Porsche
 Praga
 Preview
 Prodrive
 Project Runningblade
 Project Velocity
 Proton
 Protoscar
 Qoros
 Radical
 Range Rover
 Red Bull
 Renault
 Reva
 Rimac
 Rinspeed
 RoadRazer
 Rolls-Royce
 Ronn Motor Company
 Rover
 RUF
 Saab
 SAIC
 Saleen
 Saturn
 Scagliarini
 SCG
 Scion
 SDR Sportscars
 SEAT
 Sin
 Singer
 Skoda
 Smart
 Soleil
 Spada
 speedArt
 Sportec
 Spyker
 SRT
 Ssangyong
 SSC
 Startech
 STaSIS
 Subaru
 Suzuki
 Suzusho
 TAD
 Tamiya
 Tata
 Techart
 Tesla
 The Little Car Company
 THINK
 Thunder Power
 Tojeiro
 Tommy Kaira
 TomTom
 Toray
 Toyota
 Trabant
 TranStar
 Trident
 Tushek
 TVR
 UKCOTY
 Vanda Electrics
 Vauxhall
 Velozzi
 Vencer
 Venturi
 Veritas
 Vizualtech
 VL Automotive
 Volkswagen
 Volvo
 VUHL
 WCA
 WCotY
 Webasto
 Westfield
 Wiesmann
 Xenatec
 Yamaha
 Zagato
 Zarooq
 Zeekr
 Zenos
 Zenvo



 
 






External links:   | Irish Car Market News |

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2024 ©