i3 (I01) [Official] The BMW i3 LCI and i3s


The BMW i3 (I01) was the first mass-produced zero emissions vehicle by BMW, and part of its i sub-brand. Successor: BMW 3 Series (G28 BEV) (nameplate only). Production: 2013-2022.
WORLD PREMIERE: 2019 BMW i3 120Ah — Now with 153 Miles of Range

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When the BMW i3 first debuted, it only packed around 81 miles or pure electric range. Frankly that wasn’t even great when it was new, back in 2014. However, it looked like nothing else on the road, featured a carbon fiber passenger cell and was so very different from every other car, electric or otherwise, that had come before it. Now, though, its charms are slowly becoming incapable of helping customers overlook its range, or lack thereof, especially with competitors like the Chevy Bolt capable of 200 miles for less money.

So BMW updated the battery to 94Ah, giving it 114 miles of range and it’s now updating it again, giving it a 120Ah battery, capable of 153 miles of range.

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The mid-cycle refresh of the BMW i3, which is what brought along the 94Ah battery, was only about a year ago. So it’s surprising that BMW is updating the i3 yet again. Admittedly, this update is more about its battery than anything else. There are some visual tweaks here and there but there’s no mistaking this update as much more than a battery upgrade.

This update is for the standard BMW i3, the i3 REx, the i3S and i3S Rex, so all models will get a higher-density battery and some new features.

At 153 miles of range, the new BMW i3 is still lacking in range when compared to most of its competitors. The Chevy Bolt can do 200 miles for cheaper, as previously mentioned, and the Tesla Model 3 crushes it. Still, it’s more than before and far more than enough for most customers. So it’s perfectly capable of being a daily driver for the majority of American customers.

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On top of the higher-density battery, the BMW i3 120Ah also gets a couple of visual tweaks, both inside and out. Up front, new LED headlights are with cornering lights and adaptive high beams are available. While BMW’s new iDrive 6.0 is now as-standard, where it used to be an option. It also gets an optional WiFi hotspot and wireless charging for capable mobile phones, another first for the i3.

A new color option, Jucaro Beige Metallic, is now available, with the Mega World interior now getting Brown Trim and Mega Carum Spice Grey SensaTec with Brown Cloth highlights. The new colors look good and work well with the funkiness of the BMW i3. On the inside, though, there really isn’t much difference, except for maybe the little “+” signs embossed into the seat backs.

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The new BMW i3 120Ah won’t revolutionize the i3 and suddenly make it a world beater. However, it does increase its use and function, allowing more customers to use one everyday. It won’t beat the Telsa Model, or Chevy Bolt for that matter, but it’s certainly better than it was before.

WORLD PREMIERE: 2019 BMW i3 120Ah -- Now with 153 Miles of Range
 
Do you think they have simply fitted a larger battery to increase the range?
Higher density is leading to higher weight, as was with the change from 64 to 94 Ah. For additional 30 Ah the previous time it was 50 kg and now is only 25(specs from Matski), which means that they found a way to reduce the increase of the weight.
 
Better late than never.

In a statement, BMW said: “The Range Extender i3 will cease production and we will only sell the pure-electric version going forward.

Link: BMW to cease production of the i3 Range Extender | Autocar
 
Better late than never.



Link: BMW to cease production of the i3 Range Extender | Autocar

According to BMW Blog this is only in Europe the ReX will continue in the USA. I find it slightly surprising, the UK has seen at least double the number of ReX's sold according to the registration data. But I suppose with the longer electric range now available the ReX makes less sense now.
 
Current BMW i3 to get revamp rather than all-new model


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6 Mar, 2019 4:40pm

John McIlroy

The BMW i3 is entering its seventh year of production, but the electric car will continue to be produced with further updates planned

The BMW i3 will last beyond the usual seven-year model cycle and get further updates, according to the boss of BMW i Division.

The electric city car recently received its second battery upgrade, taking the capacity to 120Ah (42.2kWh) and the real-world range to around 160 miles. The latest tweaks came despite the fact that the i3 is entering its seventh year of production - beyond the point where a manufacturer would usually have a successor under development.

However, speaking to Auto Express at the recent Geneva Motor Show, i Division chief Robert Irlinger said the latest battery tweaks would not be the last upgrades in the i3’s life - and stressed that the car is not bound by conventional life cycles.

“There is always further potential,” Irlinger said, “and we always look to the market and and whether we’ll need something - a big update or a small update. But there is more to come. When you’re talking about the battery, actually we had quite good feedback from the markets that the latest [120Ah] one is totally fine, if you’re using the car normally in an urban area. There is a little bit more coming; you will see something.”

He added, “The i cars - the i3 and the i8 - are not comparable with normal BMW cars, which usually have a life cycle of about seven years. With i we will always try something new. Every year we’ve been selling more. We’re still confident with the car, and about its future success. If more people like it, and they keep liking it, why should we drop it?”

Source: AutoExpress
 
5 year old used ones are selling for brand new entry level 3er money. It's insane!
 
One of the biggest industry rumours @ Geneva was that Mercedes EQA is now going to be a city car (EV) like the i3 but in the mould in the guise of the original A-Klasse before it had to morph into a typical C-Segment competitor.
 
One of the biggest industry rumours @ Geneva was that Mercedes EQA is now going to be a city car (EV) like the i3 but in the mould in the guise of the original A-Klasse before it had to morph into a typical C-Segment competitor.

Wow that's good news. The original A-class was a car way ahead of its time. Its sandwich floor was perfect for battery location.
 
autocar.co.uk
BMW’s theory of EV-olution


QUOTE \ The BMW i3 could spawn multiple successors rather than a single new car, says product management boss Peter Henrich. “Do we need one specific successor to bring the i3’s spirit and technology into multiple other vehicles?” Henrich said. “That is what we will be thinking about.”

Always with its mysteries, that there will be a big surprise in June, that this and that, and now this news, which will be, is so ambiguous......
 
5 year old used ones are selling for brand new entry level 3er money. It's insane!

You can't buy an entry level 3er for 135,000 NOK in Norway. I guess this is due to supply and demand, there's 963 i3's for sale second hand in Norway at the moment. A large number of them are people selling their leases.
 
Totally reasonable

Home / Series / BMW i3 / BMW i3: production extended, further ...
BMW i3: production extended, further battery update confirmed
BMW i3 | 18.10.2019 by Benny 0

Just because the BMW i3 does not receive a successor, it is far from the old iron for the new BMW boss Oliver Zipse. In an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung , which will be published the day after tomorrow, the successor of Harald Krüger makes two things clear: The life cycle of the current i3 will be extended and of course the electric car will also receive another technical update during this time.

Although Oliver Zipse avoids a concrete statement on the further duration of the offer, we would go out of at least three further years for the 2013 introduced electric car. Just as before, the BMW i3 will also receive another battery update to keep pace with new competitors such as the VW ID.3 .


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Zipse sees the BMW i3 as an icon among the electric cars, no wonder given over 150,000 copies built . Already with the built-in since 2018 battery technology to a range of up to 359 kilometers according to NEDC and 310 kilometers according to WLTP - more than enough for city traffic, which is undoubtedly the main application of the BMW i3.

In addition to the i3, the BMW Group has recently also launched the MINI Cooper SE as an electric car for the city. More electric cars are planned for the next few years, with the mid-size iX3 SUV starting in late 2020, before 2021, the four-door mid-range coupe i4 and the luxury SUV iNext - probably in its production version as BMW iX5 - come.

In addition to electric cars, the BMW Group also has numerous plug-in hybrids in its program, covering almost all vehicle classes and enjoying great popularity for years. By the end of the current year, the Munich have sold a total of 500,000 electric cars and plug-in hybrids, by the end of 2021, the million mark to be cracked. Obviously the i3 is allowed to take part.
bimmertoday.de
 
i3 was clearly ahead of its time/too early in the market! Without knowing the sales volumes over the years, I have the gut feeling, that those numbers/distribution across the years is very untypical compared to (conventional) BMWs.

Compared to the VW ID3 it has the advantage of a much more advanced chassis tech, which saves it 300+ kilos, which is tremendous! I get some Audi A2 feeling with the i3! Also the A2 was technological ahead of its time. Like the i3 it had a controversial design AND expensive and advanced technology (ASF). This made it too expensive for Audi for the related market segment. Exactly like the i3 with its complex/expensive CFRP body.

In the used car market there is huge demand for A2. It has only minimal loss in value. People realize, what substance it has. Same will happen - even in extended form - with the i3/i3s as it is even more technically advanced.
I am eager to know, if after all (extending lifetime, sales reaching 200k+) BMW is able to avoid a net loss with i3?
 

BMW

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, abbreviated as BMW is a German multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945.
Official website: BMW (Global), BMW (USA)

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