Six years of BMW i3.

Designed for local emission-free mobility, the BMW i3 has already demonstrated
its impressive everyday capability and durability with its original battery.
Since its market launch, it has been the most widely sold electric vehicle in the
premium compact segment with more than 165,000 units already sold worldwide.

The BMW i3 convinces in everyday use with a future-oriented interpretation of driving pleasure and versatile qualities reaching far beyond driving short distances in major metropolitan regions. This is underscored by the experience gained by electric car pioneers who regularly travel longer distances in their BMW i3s and have each completed more than 200,000 emission-free kilometres.

ONE HAPPY CUSTOMER.

To Shaun Maidment from South Africa, one of the global BMW i3 pioneers, “range anxiety” is completely unknown. “I once drove the BMW i3 from Johannesburg to Cape Town. It took slightly longer, but it was okay,” he says. On normal workdays, he drives up to 300 kilometres, making use of customer visits to charge the battery. In 2014, Maidment opted for a BMW i3 (60 Ah) with Range Extender. However, he now considers the petrol-driven “emergency power generator” dispensable. “The Range Extender is essentially just a kind of assurance.” In order to further promote electric mobility in his home country, Maidment has launched a crowd funding platform designed to support the installation of further public charging stations in South Africa.

New generation battery.
With the latest generation of battery installed in the BMW i3 (120 Ah), whose gross energy content has now been extended to 42.2 kWh, it was possible to increase the vehicle range to values between 285 and 310 km as per WLTP test cycle and to 260 kilometres in everyday use. This equates to an increase of around 50 percent vs. the BMW i3 featuring a high-voltage battery of the first generation.
If you’re considering your next move, the environmental implications of upgrading or switching out well-used batteries simply shouldn’t be a concern as the BMW Group has also developed solutions for re-using batteries that are no longer suitable for demanding use in vehicles. After a long life in cars they can still provide valuable service as stationary energy storage units. High-voltage batteries from pre-series vehicles and those handed in by customers participating in the BMW i3 retrofit programme are used on the grounds of the BMW plant in Leipzig as storage units for the green power produced there by
means of wind turbines.
Time-tested track record.
Even after many years of all-electric driving, customers are still fascinated by the spontaneous power and torque of the electric motor and the one-pedal feeling with which their vehicle decelerates by means of recuperation – not to mention the incredible range.
Customers who had their BMW i3 delivered within the first year of its original launch have since subjected both the vehicle and its original battery to a real-world endurance test. They have used sustainable mobility not only for daily commuting between home and the workplace, but also regularly for longer distances and even holiday trips. And they emphasize above all the reliability, durability and the practicable range of the BMW i3, whether in the heat of South Africa or in the cool north of Sweden.
What the BMW Group has believed since launch and now proven is that the decrease in range over time is marginal, and to date - not one BMW i3 high-voltage battery has had to be replaced due to premature ageing.
To the future.
BMW i3 owners and fans can rest easy. Thanks to its role as a visionary technology carrier and unbroken sales success, the BMW i3 has already achieved the status of an icon since its market launch in 2013. The BMW Group will therefore continue to develop the vehicle and is currently planning to extend production
to 2024.