As expected, BMW is giving the 2017 i3 a battery upgrade, which now means that it can travel up to 50% further than before, which gives it a driving range up to 114 miles.
As expected, BMW is giving the 2017 i3 a battery upgrade, which now means that it can travel up to 50% further than before, which gives it a driving range up to 114 miles. A new version with of the 2017 BMW i3 has a capacity of 33 kWh thanks to the higher energy density of the lithium ion cells, but the best part is that the battery dimensions remain unchanged.
With a 114 mile driving range, the i3 now has a longer driving range than the Nissan Leaf, but still falls short of the much more expensive Tesla Model S and the upcoming Chevy Bolt. Although BMW hasn’t announced the specs for the Range Extender model, its gas tank can now hold up to 2.4 gallons of gas, up from 1.9 gallons, which will give it an overall longer driving range.
Related: BMW and Nissan team up to add 120 DC Fast Chargers
Charging the i3 (94 Ah) with the 33 kWh battery up to 80 percent will now take up to 40 minutes using a DC Fast Charger, compared to the BMW i3 (60 Ah) that only takes around 25 minutes.
Other updates include a new Protonic Blue color that replaces the Solar Orange Metallic. The i3 with the 33 kWh battery comes standard in a new Deka World trim that features a lightweight dark cloth fabric interior made from recycled materials. As part of the Tera World, a Dark Oak Wood trim is also now included, with an alternative Light Eucalyptus Wood trim available as well. Lastly an electric moonroof is now on the option list.
Source: BMW
