For both of its variants, the 2021 BMW i3 has an all-electric driving range of 153 miles. With the aid of a backup combustion engine and an optional range extender, the i3a’s overall driving range can be increased to 200 miles. A
In order to increase all-electric car research and manufacturing, BMW introduced the BMW I brand in 2011. The sub-brand’s first entirely electric vehicle, the BMW i3, debuted for the 2014 model year. This first EV was retired in 2021, but it prepared the way for other models like the 2022 i4, 2022 iX, and the much awaited 2023 i7, which were all new and improved. A A
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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.
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.
Additional Highway Range Test Findings
As always, we make every effort to exert as much control over the test’s variables as we can. Prior to each drive, the tires are always inflated to the manufacturer’s specifications. BMW suggests 39 psi for the front tires in this situation and 44 psi for the bigger rear tires.
At the beginning, it was 87 F (30 C) and by the time we were done, it was a humid 95 F (35 C). The fan speed was set to 1, which is the lowest level, and the air conditioning was on the entire drive with the temperature set at 70 degrees. We were driving in the Comfort drive setting with a mild wind of 4–5 mph.
The 2019 and 2020 BEV i3s have an EPA range rating of 153 miles. It’s odd because, according to a 2018 listing from BMW, the i3s has a shorter range than the i3 in general. The i3s’ range rating was 7 miles shorter, at 107 miles, than the 2018 BEV i3, which had an EPA-rated range of 114 miles.
But when BMW unveiled a new, larger battery pack in 2019 with a capacity of 44.2 kWh, they claimed that the i3 BEV and the i3s BEV had the same EPA-rated range of 153 miles. We anticipate that the range will be slightly lower than in 2018, as was the case with the i3s, given that it has wider tires and greater power than the standard i3.
When the test was over, the i3s had a range of 139.5 miles and was still 1% charged. Therefore, we think it’s OK to tack on 1.5 miles and declare this one to be 141 miles. The i3’s usable battery capacity is around 39.2 kWh (39.2 x 3.6 = 141). As a result, the average efficiency was 3.6 mi/kWh (17.2 kWh/100 km), which adds up.
I expected to finish with a little better consumption rate of 3.7 mi/kWh and reach closer to 150 miles because I’ve previously owned two i3s (a 2014 i3 REx and a 2018 i3s BEV), but that wasn’t to be. I never tested my cars’ continuous 70 mph range from 100% to 0%, though, and doing so is different from driving 40 or 50 miles at a fixed speed.
To truly obtain the complete average consumption rating, you must decrease from 100% to zero, or a value extremely near to zero. In many of my highway range tests, I’ve seen that the vehicle’s consumption rating is lower during the first half of the drive but then increases by one or two tenths in the second half.
In relation to the highway range tests:
We like to point out how imperfect these range testing are on a regular basis. Things like wind, traffic, topography, and weather are outside of our control. We nevertheless try to exert as much control as we can. We do these 70 mph range tests to add another data point for prospective clients who are seeking as much information as they can on the driving range. Check out the automobiles listed below that we tested for their 70 mph highway range in the past:
Did the outcomes match your expectations, roughly? Additionally, we’d like to know what readers think of our tests of the 70 mph range. Do you have a favorite EV you’d like us to range test next? Comment below with your thoughts and let us know.
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.
Overview
The BMW i3 from 2021 has amazing aesthetics, but it falls short as an electric car. Competing electric vehicles (EVs) with comparable costs include the Hyundai Kona Electric, Chevrolet Bolt EV, and Tesla Model 3. Customers who aren’t quite ready to give up internal combustion may find consolation in the fact that the i3 can be bought with an optional gasoline-powered engine to make up for its meager 153-mile driving range. However, the i3’s interior is significantly more luxurious than that of its competitors, especially with the available curved wood dashboard and leather and wool upholstery. The future of the i3 is in doubt as the EV movement picks up steam, since BMW is planning more competitive models like the upcoming i4 sedan and iX SUV. 2021 might be your last opportunity to put a brand-new one in your driveway, assuming you like the way the i3 looks and its short driving range fits your needs.
How far can the 2014 BMW i3 travel?
The sole all-electric vehicle in the high-end small car segment is the 2014 BMW i3. A 170-horsepower electric engine with a one-speed transmission and rear-wheel drive powers this four-door hatchback. Overall range of its 22 kWh lithium-ion battery is 81 miles.
How far can a BMW i3 travel?
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.