The BMW i3 gets another battery upgrade

BMW has announced that the 2019 i3 and i3s will feature a 42.2 kWh / 120 Ah lithium-ion battery. Although energy capacity is up by almost a third compared to the previous 33.2 kWh / 94 Ah version, its physical size hasn’t grown so packaging is unaffected.

As might be expected, the main benefit is increased maximum range.

BMW i3	120 Ah	94 Ah
NEDC range	223 miles (359 kilometres)	186 miles (300 kilometres)
WLTP range	192 miles (310 kilometres)	158 miles (255 kilometres)
BMW i3s	120 Ah	94 Ah
NEDC range	214 miles (345 kilometres)	174 miles (280 kilometres)
WLTP range	177 miles (285 kilometres)	152 miles (245 kilometres)
NEDC = New European Driving Cycle
WLTP = Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure

In real-world conditions, BMW reckons that both variants can be driven for at least 160 miles (around 260 kilometres) before recharging is required.

Topping up from fully depleted to 80% via a standard domestic socket takes approximately fifteen hours, but using a dedicated BMW i Wallbox reduces that time to just under five hours. Alternatively, a 50 kW DC rapid-charging station would do the same job in only 42 minutes.

Prices for the 167 bhp (125 kW / 170 PS) i3 start at £35,180, while the quicker 181 bhp (135 kW / 184 PS) i3s costs from £37,670. Sales are due to begin in December.

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The BMW i3 gets a massive range boost