What's all this about?
It's a BMW i3 with added range.
Hold about, isn't that just the Range Extender model?
No, rather like Nissan has done recently with the Leaf, there's a more capacious battery nestled within this i3's avant-garde body. It now has 94 amp hours (Ah) of storage density, compared to 60Ah before, and it therefore has more capacity, with 29 kilowatt hours (kWh) available instead of 19kWh. This allows the new long-range i3 to go up to 195 miles on a single charge, with BMW saying 125 miles should be easily achievable even in poor conditions with plenty of drains on the battery. Consider the 60Ah i3 has a theoretical maximum of 120 miles and you can see the addition of the 94Ah is most welcome.
Is it quicker, then?
No, it's actually slower, because it's 50kg heavier than before at 1,245kg and the same 170hp/250Nm motor provides drive to the rear wheels via a single-speed reduction gear. So 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds and 0-37mph 3.8 seconds, whereas the 60Ah version does the same sprints in 7.2- and 3.7 seconds respectively. However, both i3s are limited to an identical 93mph top speed.
How about charging, does that take longer due to the extra capacity?
You'd think so, wouldn't you? However, BMW has developed a new AC fast charging method that can take advantage of triple-phase, 11kW capacity, whereas the 60Ah has to rely on single-phase, 7.3kW fare. That means the 94Ah can be re-juiced in less than three hours, just like the 60Ah, although on a standard domestic socket it takes ten hours (eight for the short-range i3) and with DC fast charging, 40 minutes (25 for the 60Ah). Electricity consumption is lower on the new i3, though, as a result of revised electric motor management and advanced low-resistance tyres. The 94Ah uses 12.6kWh/100km in this field, with the 60Ah at 12.9kWh/100km.
Does this spell the end for the Range Extender i3?
No, quite the opposite, you can still pair the 650cc, 38hp, two-cylinder, motorbike-sourced petrol engine with the battery packs, for an additional 81 miles of range. So an i3 94Ah Range Extender could, if freakish conditions would allow, travel 276 miles on a single battery charge and its tiny tank of fuel.
Has BMW changed anything else?
Not really. There are some new colours - two solids, Capparis White and Fluid Black, and four metallic finishes, Mineral Grey, Platin Silver, Ionic Silver and Protonic Blue. If that last shade sounds familiar, it's the colour seen frequently on the BMW i8. Only 94Ah buyers can spec this, as 60Ah buyers are precluded from the club.
So what's the pricing?
Well, including the £4,500 OLEV Government grant, the BMW i3 94Ah starts at £27,830, rising to £30,980 for the Range Extender model. That's about £1,400 more than the 60Ah car, but it receives other upgrades too.
Matt Robinson - 1 May 2016