It looks like Tesla has given the established car companies enough of a shock to get them taking electric cars seriously. Now BMW has upgraded its i3 battery to extend the range to a respectable 195 miles on a charge.
Tesla announced its Model 3, the first affordable electric car from the company, which led to it getting millions of pounds worth of pre-orders. The BMW i3 is already placed at an affordable price point but didn't deliver the range, unless the Range Extender was added. This battery upgrade should make it more appealing.
The new BMW i3 94Ah, as the name suggests, uses a 94Ah battery over the current 60Ah offering. That means fast charging for a full charge in under three hours, 170hp, a 0-62mph time of 7.2 seconds and a 195-mile range when it arrives in July.
All that and it'll fit inside the same physical space as before thanks to a more densely packed battery for a 33kWh setup. The motor is efficient too and in fact, BMW says, makes this the most economical electric car of its size and class.
The BMW i3 94Ah model, available from July, will be £27,830 while the Range Extender, which tops out at 276 miles and is a little slow off the mark, will be £30,980. Both prices are after deducting the £4,500 OLEV government grant amount.