BMW i3 gets new battery and big boost to its range

BMW is introducing a new battery for its i3 in July. The car maker claims this extends the range of the five-door electric hatchback from 99 miles to 195 miles/312 kilometres, an increase of almost 50%.

The new Samsung lithium ion battery will also be fitted in the i3 Range Extender model. This gives the petrol-electric hybrid an overall range of up to 276 miles/441 kilometres. 

Existing owners of i3s can have the battery retrofitted because it retains the same dimensions as the existing unit.

After the Government's £4,500 (Rs 4.30 lakh) grant, the new i3 will cost £27,830 (Rs 27.39 lakh) as a pure electric vehicle, and £30,980 (Rs 30.49 lakh) in Range Extender form. The current i3 and i3 Range Extender cost £26,480 (Rs 26 lakh) and £29,630 (Rs 29.16 lakh) respectively.

The new battery is 50kg heavier than its predecessor, and this has slightly affected acceleration. The new i3 has a 0-100kph time of 7.3sec, and 8.1sec for the i3 Range Extender, making them 0.1 and 0.2sec slower than before. The top speed of both models is limited to 93mph/149kph.

With 33kWh of electrical energy when fully charged, the new battery provides 11kWh more than the existing unit.

BMW says a new 11kW charging system allows the new battery to be charged in two hours 45 minutes using a high-powered charger. This is the same time it takes for the older battery at a maximum charging current of 7.4kW.  

On standard mains electricity at 2.8kW, the charging times are put at 10 hours for the i3 and eight hours for i3 Range Extender.

BMW says changes to each of the 96 individual cells that make up the i3’s new battery, including higher levels of electrolyte and new materials, have brought about the ­­­considerable increase in energy storage capacity.