A few months ago it was reported that BMW is working on an update to the BMW i3 to give it a longer driving range, which is something it definitely needs. Now a new report claims that the 2019 BMW i3 is going to debut next week at the Paris Motor Show with a bigger battery.
While BMW has given the i3 some updates since it was introduced in 2014, the i3 has been overshadowed lately by newer electric cars, like the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3. One of the main reasons that the i3 has had a difficult time finding buyers is because the fully electric i3 can only travel up to 114 miles, while the i3 with the range extender can travel up to 180 miles. Both versions of the i3 can’t travel as far as the Chevy Bolt or Tesla Model 3.
If the report is accurate, BMW is going to give the 2019 BMW i3 a nice battery upgrade to help it compete. A report from Electrive claims that the 2019 i3 will be getting a 42 kWh battery, which will be a nice improvement over the current 33 kWh battery. This means that the 2019 i3 range extender version should have a driving around 225 miles. The Model 3 will still be able to beat the 2019 i3, but the upcoming 2019 Nissan Leaf E-Plus will have a similar driving range. Of course the Leaf E-Plus can do it without the need of a gas engine range extender though.
BMW hasn’t made any announcements about the 2019 BMW i3, so we’ll have to wait until the 2018 Paris Motor Show kicks off next week to see if the report is true.
Source: Electrive