The Bolt EV’s 60.0-kWh battery and its EPA rating of 259 miles dwarf the i3’s 42.2-kWh battery pack’s 153-mile all-electric driving range rating. Similar to the Model 3, the Model 3 has a maximum range of 353 miles on its largest battery. However, only the i3 features a range-extension generator that starts when the battery’s charge drops below 5 percent and is powered by gasoline.
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EPA’s range projections
The 2019 and 2020 i3 and i3s were given a 153-mile rating by the EPA. This represents an improvement over the 2018 i3 and i3s. The i3 and i3s were each given 114 and 107 miles, respectively, for that model year. For the 2019 model year, the vehicle received a new, larger battery pack with a 442 kWh capacity, extending its EPA-rated range.
Given that the i3s has larger tires and more power, InsideEVs expressed astonishment that the i3 and i3s had the same EPA-rated range. It anticipated that the i3s’s range would be less than the i3’s, not equal. The i3 is also available in range-extended models that add a gas engine to the electric one, bringing the combined range up to 200 miles.
Information about the BMW I3
When it was first introduced, the compact electric car from the Bavarian automaker had a rather small 33kWh battery that, according to the EPA, offers 114 miles of driving range. The town benefits, but practically everything else suffers. Naturally, BMW made an effort to counter that with the REx model, which used a gasoline engine to give the batteries extra power. Range, though, was obviously set too low.
Therefore, a German energy storage startup called Lion Smart just unveiled their own battery pack for the i3 in order to demonstrate the capabilities of this modular platform. This “Light Battery” pack concept, which is still in development, employs a modular architecture intended to lower costs and enhance safety. But for the BMW i3, that means the German automaker stuffed a 100kWh high-density battery pack inside the vehicle. This results in a range of around 435 miles (700 kilometers).
This is a remarkable improvement over the OEM range offered by the vehicle, however it’s still unclear whether it is based on the NEDC or WLTP cycle, or the company’s own internal testing. That same range is also what BMW anticipates for their own iNext EV, which will make its debut in 2022, making the situation even more enticing. Actually, it appears that BMW, along with other German automakers, developed cutting-edge modular technology for its new vehicles. They fall short, though, in the battery sectors.
In the video below, you can find out all about the BMW i3 they utilized and the Lion Light battery technology. This battery pack was created using some outstanding engineering and design concepts, enabling it to be entirely adjustable in terms of capacity, voltage, and physical dimensions.
The highest mileage in South Africa On its original battery, the BMW i3 has now covered 300,000 km!
The 2016 BMW i3 owned by Shaun Maidment has just clocked 300,000 kilometers! The most efficient i3 in Africa is Shaun’s car.
In August 2016, Shaun bought a BMW i3. In those five and a half years, this 60 Ah i3 has covered more over 300,000 miles with its original battery! According to EVdatabase, the BMW i3 has a 21.6 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery with a usable capacity of 18.8 kWh and 60 AH cells. The battery in Shaun’s i3 still has roughly 16 kWh of useful capacity after 300,000 miles over five and a half years in warm, sunny South Africa, which is about 85% of its initial useable capacity.
Many of the 300,000 kilometers were traveled on highways. Before South Africa’s fast charging infrastructure was established, Shaun traveled by car from Johannesburg to Cape Town. The i3 that Shaun has is the one with the little gasoline range extender. But back then, he traveled 1500 kilometers without using the modest gasoline generator to help the batteries. The EPA range of the first-generation BMW i3 is roughly 130 kilometres. On the journey, Shaun had to inquire for standard plug points at coffee shops and lodgings. He completed the journey in 5 days. In recent months, as part of his work with Breev, he has been traveling once more throughout South Africa. In South Africa, Breev is extending the rollout of its AC level 2 chargers.
These real-world examples are crucial in the effort to inform and educate people about the potential lifespan of electric vehicle batteries. The majority of people’s practical battery knowledge will be derived through their use of cellphones, conventional 12V automobile batteries, and lead acid stationary storage batteries for their residential solar energy systems. Since they need to be replaced every two years or so, “When do I need to change the battery?” and “How much will it cost to change the battery?” are some of the most often queries we receive from individuals who are unfamiliar with electric vehicles.
Due to the excellent active thermal and battery management technologies found in modern electric vehicles, their lithium-based batteries last a lot longer than is typical. To reassure potential buyers, Toyota, for instance, emphasizes its battery warranty of one million kilometers. These examples from the real world in this region of the world are quite welcome. These practical use cases will go a long way toward allaying the majority of people’s worries about the battery life of contemporary electric vehicles and promoting the uptake of EVs.
He kept studying materials with energy-related applications while he was in college and eventually completed a PhD on the subject of radiation damage in high temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors. Since then, he has switched to working in the solar and storage sector, and his obsession with batteries has made him a proponent of electric vehicles.
Regarding: How many miles are on your i3?
Since February 2014, we have traveled more over 25000 miles (see signature for current milage). Although there have been a few issues, we’re still having fun. Make an effort to lengthen your test drive to determine whether you will enjoy the car’s personality. The suspension is good but not outstanding; it’s a little rough. No issues there, according to our assessment of the road holding. In the beginning, both the steering and the accelerator can feel a little too touchy, especially when the regen engages. After some time, you do become used to both. However, because to the car’s light and direct steering, which makes it too simple to overcompensate, the car will continue to be susceptible to crosswinds.
The other aspects, like as design, internal layout, and practicality, are mostly up to personal preference, therefore those are left to you.
Range of the i3 – Explanation
Your i3’s range may occasionally appear to be lower than the predicted value after completely charging. You see 65 miles (BEV model) as opposed to 85–100 miles. So what is happening?
Based on your driving history, the settings in your car, and its computer, your range is predicted. Additionally, it’s possible that your previous driving experience—perhaps with an icy or misted windscreen at the start—will have an impact on the range you’ve calculated for your upcoming trip. Hilly terrain increases battery drain as the car climbs; windy conditions, even if very marginally, require more electrical energy to drive through a headwind, and all that extra energy has to come from someplace. Nighttime and rainy weather also require headlights and wipers.
You’ll need to re-train the range-o-meter to start giving you a greater mileage if you’re only getting 65 miles of range on a full charge. It will be necessary to make a few driving style adjustments and make a few menu adjustments, which should change your anticipated range over a few days or recharges.
What is the lifespan of a BMW i3?
After three years and three months of ownership and more than 130,000 kilometers of driving, a BMW i3 owner says that the battery has only decreased by 4%.
Many potential buyers are concerned about battery deterioration in electric cars, especially those with shorter ranges, especially given the higher purchase price for the (relatively) new zero-emissions technology.
For its i3 batteries, BMW provides a warranty of eight years or 160,000 miles, whichever comes first.
And it appears, at least in the eyes of one owner, that BMW’s engineers were successful in ensuring that the i3 has a battery that performs above expectations.
He claims that since purchasing the vehicle, he has only spent $160 on electricity thanks to a combination of rooftop solar and a Zappi charger that only takes power from the grid when the sun is out.
“We have now traveled 134,055 kilometers,” adds Cathcart. “Not bad for an older EV, with a rather modest 33kWh battery & range of little under 200 kilometers on the highway and approximately 250 kilometers around town.”
The total amount of energy we utilized to get this far was 18,871kWh, which only cost us $160.45. Averaging out to 14.08kWh for every 100 kilometers. I’m recording kWh input, not kWh output, for the automobile. The lifetime consumption rate for the car’s computer is just 12.7 kWh/100 km.
“So why are our electricity prices so remarkably low? This is due to the fact that we invested in a Zappi charger for our home, allowing us to charge the car almost entirely with solar energy. Our charging charges would have been $1,972 if we had to use the grid in place of solar power, he says.
“We just completed the car’s third scheduled service, which only involved replacing the cabin filter and flushing the brake fluid and cost us $249. Thus, in addition to 6 new tires, our total servicing expense now comes to $550, according to Cathcart.
We’ve only experienced a few small problems with the car, including a broken door actuator, pealing door trim, discoloration of the steering wheel, noise from the steering wheel column, and intermittent window squeaking. All of these problems were resolved by BMW while still covered by the warranty.
After more than three years, he continues, “I genuinely still love driving this car, the EV grin isn’t any smaller.”
“We continue to find any justification to travel and experience this wonderful nation. About 40 minutes north of Brisbane is where we live. Whether it’s a trip to Cairns or just a different route to the locations we frequently visit.
“Driving in the comfort and quiet of an electric car is just a delight. Every time we give someone a ride, they are in awe of the engine’s power and torque as well as how quiet it is.
The degeneration of the battery is another issue that many EV customers run across, he adds.
Accordingly, the 94Ah battery in my car has degraded by 4.23% over 134k miles, according to the computer.