BMW continues to update its electric fleet to not only offer the latest and greatest tech available, but also longer range. BMW’s first electric vehicle – the i3 – has already received a battery pack update, but it’s bound to get another one in late 2018.
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As we’ve reported before – and confirmed by new sources today – a new i3 with a 120Ah battery capacity will be out next year which could increase the pure electric driving range by at least 60 percent. The longer range of the i3 120Ah will further free some of them from the well-known phenomenon called ‘range anxiety’.
The tech-refreshed i3 features a 94 Ah battery pack which has increased the operating range measured, under the official NEDC test cycle, by more than 50 percent, from 190 kilometers (118 miles) to more than 300 kilometers (186 miles), while real-world driving range is increased to a maximum 200 kilometers (124 miles) on a single battery charge, even in adverse weather conditions with corresponding air conditioning or heating requirements.
Just yesterday, BMW announced that it will be investing €200 million (~$237 million) into the development of a new battery cell technology competence center over the next 4 years. The plan is reportedly for the new battery cell research and development center to open in or by early 2019.
60 (190 km) to 94 Ah (300 km) = +57%, consistent. 94 to 120 Ah = +27% > How can you get +60% out of an increase from 94 to 120 Ah? Partly from the reserve that could be the same, but not enough to explain such a claim.
Number of cells may differ?
Easy, the article says the new battery will improve DRIVING RANGE by 60%, not that BATTERY SIZE (which is what you compared) will increase by 60%. Read again.
I can read, thanks. So you believe they will get +60% with technical improvements other that the battery? Well, I don’t. Maybe the 120 Ah have a higher density so they can pack more?
Either their numbers are conjecture, or they’re banking on new battery technology not currently uses i the i3. It should be noted that not only has BMW touted off-the-chart range numbers for their upcoming vehicles, but other manufacturers have too (Tesla roadster for example). That in addition to a range of announcements from the likes of Panasonic, among others, hinting @ up to 10 times the current energy density in their new offerings to come. So the point I was making was that they may only be increasing the capacity by 27%, but @ even just 3 times the energy density, they’d be pretty close to that 60 mark.
Guys. No one really knows yet. We heard 60% but we might be wrong or the source might have used a different base number. Maybe the actual miles and not the ideal ones. Not sure. Regardless. It will have longer range.
When the i3 went from 60Ah to 94Ah batteries, the capacity went up by ~50%, but the driving range went up by less, ~41%, not more.
Therefore, expecting a 60% driving range improvement as a result of a 27% battery capacity improvement makes no sense.
The only way to see a 60% driving range increase going from 94Ah to 120Ah would be, like Bens says, if the 120Ah cells are physically smaller than the 94Ah cells, allowing for more cells.
why not using kWh like everybody else ?
Or is it same never ending story hp versus kw in ICE…
No, because Ah is not just another way of describing power capacity. kWh and Ah are not two different unit for the same parameter. Real capacity is better described as kWh, because Ah only tells the full story if the Voltage is integrated.
I’m betting once they finally reach parity with their competitors, they’ll miraculously discover that kWh is a more useful metric
Ah doesn’t tell you anything without voltage.
That would make sense, and in what seems to be a common theme around the world. If it makes sense do the opposite.
First, the NEDC range of the 22kWh(60Ah)i3 was never 190km! Second, if you can get 200km out of the 94Ah(33kWh) i3 at 0 degrees C with 20 mph headwind and standing water or slush, you can HAVE my i3!!
I have an i3 now but when I had a Model S I found that driving in slush was a big range killer.
Driving on wet road is a range killer. Doesn’t matter if it’s an i3 or a Tesla. I have the i3, by the way. And I’ve had my fair share of hyper miling (for when the car tells me I won’t make it to the destination because I only have 2/3rd of what I need and I don’t accept reality it proposes for me).
The i3 might cut through slush and snow better, but it still increase rolling resistance.
It says 190 km NEDC is of the 94 Ah model.
It’s not a big deal but I’ve noticed typos and spelling mistakes in this blog before. I think you meant “BMW fleet” not “BMW feet”.
It might seem silly to point this out but in general any typos or spelling mistakes in journalism undermine the authority/validity of the content.
It’s not silly. If you want to be taken seriously and you’re running a news site, you ought to be able to proof read before you post. It’s also about being a good example. If news sites would have shitty grammar, how would it go with the rest of the world with time? And what does it say about the ones writing it?
😅😁
So a econobox at the same price as a long range Tesla Model 3, if they don’t increase the price. What could possibly go wrong?
You might actually be able to buy an i3. Since when do BMW charge econobox rates?
What went wrong was that we wanted Tesla Model 3s and were told we could maybe, possibly get them in 2 and a half years, when we needed the cars in less than 6 months.
So an i3s is what I will be driving and in in a couple of years we will look again at what’s actually available and decide accordingly.
Very interesting to hear about the upgrade, though I’d rather see them put the new battery in a second generation i3 then upgrade the current version.
We’re still 7 years out from a second generation i3, at least by current upgrade cycles. At best we can hope that EV upgrade cycles will not be as long.
Isn’t the typical lifecycle of a car 7 years, with a facelift at 3 or 4 years old? My i3 is a 14, we should be half way through the first generation i3. BMW is replacing the current X5 a little early, with new competition in electric cars, and rapidly changing technology things have changed fast, the i3 could too. Well, just thinking about possibilities……….
Don’t have to replace cars from the future in the present. Current X5 was actually a refresh, not a new model, thus the shortened life.
I might be mistaken, but I thought the typical life cycle was around the 10 year mark.
Typical life cycles doesn’t matter. This doesn’t follow the rules of the past status quo. And just because that is what has been done before doesn’t mean that’s what should happen forever.
You’re preaching to the choir friend.
Because the slight visual facelift and technology update was the second generation? It wasn’t… And electric cars and technology moves a lot faster than the very mature fossil car technology. So such long generations just isn’t appropriate. Which is why you see battery updates every 1-3 years. Some cars are updated every year.
This is by their own accounting, not mine. Nissan has billed it as their ‘second’ generation Leaf. I agree that fossil technology moves at a glacial pace, which is why I said I hoped’ EV refreshes would occur much more rapidly.
The range will never be increased by 60%. Does not matter if we speak about the battery capacity or not. The jump from the 60Ah to 94Ah was increasing the range on the BEV from 150 to 220 km. (approx 50%, which is logical).
It is clear that the jump from the 94Ah to the 120Ah will bring you around 300km range (best) and instead of 150 km on the highway, you’ll manage drive for 200 km.
So no, range will not be increased ” by at least 60 percent “. If that was the case, I could get one without a REX, which is impossible at the moment to meet my needs.
Biggest problem with the i3 is the price for the range and this upgrade will still not offer competition on that front. So are they going to keep the 94Ah version alongside the new 120Ah offering? That could allow them to lower the price tag a bit to bring more buyers in.
You’re not paying for range with the i3. You are paying for the BMW badge.
But there are cheaper ways to get a BMW badge…
WOW THE LANGUAGE HERE IS SO CONFUSING…I SUGGEST THE WRITER SIMPLIFY THE RHETORIC SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND IT IN ONE READING..
“The tech-refreshed i3 features a 94 Ah battery pack which
has increased the operating range measured, under the official NEDC
test cycle, by more than 50 percent, from 190 kilometers (118 miles) to
more than 300 kilometers (186 miles), while real-world driving range is
increased to a maximum 200 kilometers (124 miles) on a single battery
charge, even in adverse weather conditions with corresponding air
conditioning or heating requirements.”
DO YOU MEAN THAT — The i3 features a 94 Ah battery pack which increased the operating range to a maximum 124 miles on a single battery charge…
Not sure what’s confusing
Too late. And that R&D center seems to be a late addition as well… No wonder why so many left BMW… They could’ve done so much more with their electric technology and ideas.
Munro Associates: SAMSUNG EV batteries they really do have the best batteries ! read all about it on
Tearing Down the Model T of Our Time – Autoline.
I’m really impressed !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDr4L6BzpP8&feature=youtu.be
120 Ah battery = 250 km EPA range, that´s the closest there is to real life drive ! 250 km is ok, for dayly commute, long range drive, I am not confident, real life will tell :-) Compared to Tesla Model 3, EPA range now says 535 km !
Great news on the range upgrade. It is needed to meet/ beat competitors’ range. Also, please BMW bring back Platinum Silver. Why on earth did BMW choose to discontinue that great color?