It'S Official: The 2017 Bmw I3 Will Take New Battery, Moonroof Selection, Novel Colors & More

The 2017 i3 comes with xl% more than than gain than the electrical electrical current model. It'sec also available inwards a overnice novel colour: Protonic Blue

The worst kept underground of the BMW i3 is officially no longer a "underground". BMW has formally announced that the 2017 i3 will direct a novel, longer range battery pack. They are indeed using the novel Samsung 94 Ah battery cells that I speculated they would v months agone.

Just every fleck I predicted the novel battery pack is increasing from 21.i-one-half dozen kWh to 33.4 kWh, which inwards an increment inwards capacity of nigh 50%. However the achieve of the i3 BEV will solely increment yesteryear twoscore% from 81 miles per accuse to 114, which is less than i predicted. That'sec because BMW is at present using a larger buffer (the deviation between the total battery capacity as good as the usable capacity) as skilful as likewise because the automobile straight off weighs more than (more than or less 100 lbs more than than) because the novel higher capacity cells weigh slightly more than than the ones they supersede.  The slight increment inward weight testament inward all likelihood solely Pb a existent tyke issue on performance, if whatsoever. The old battery used sixty Ah cells as good as had a capacity of 21.vi kWh, of which xviii.viii kWh was usable. Which way BMW allowed the 87% of the capacity to last accessed. The novel pack uses 94 Ah cells, has a total capacity of 33.iv kWh, together with 27.ii kWh is accessible. That agency only 81% of the total novel battery capacity testament survive usable.

The reduction of usable capacity could just hateful BMW only wants to hold out more than than conservative, too amongst more than than than available capacity they didn't require to squeeze every possible kWh out every chip they did with the much smaller 21.1-one-half-dozen kWh pack. Or, quite mayhap the novel battery cells don't fare also as the electrical electric current cells practise when they feel frequent deep discharges, together with and then it's necessary to make inwards a larger buffer.

The novel gain rating for the REx model hasn't been announced even so, as it is all the same undergoing official EPA attain testing. I lead a theory nigh why this is so, merely I'one thousand going to facial expression until nosotros become the reach rating of the novel REx earlier I elaborate. I build hold back the REx to concur a smaller percent of arrive at increment than the BEV i3 did, but I'm going to give-upwards the ghost out it at that for at in ane instance. I'll dedicate a novel mail service service to this bailiwick inward i instance the official EPA hit for the novel i3 REx is announced.

The novel Protonic Blue volition likely live a popular pick

While the increased gain is the biggest word for the 2017 i3, it'sec non the lonely changes. The i3 will endure available inwards a novel colour, Protonic Blue. At the same 4th dimension the pop Solar orangish is existence discontinued. So the colour options for 2017 on, testament be: Fluid Black, Protonic Blue, Capparis White, Mineral Gray, Platinum Silver together with Ionic Sliver.

One interesting nugget which was announced inward the BMW AG press unloose, however non inward the the States press liberate was the BMW i battery retrofit design:

"With the introduction of the novel 94 Ah battery, BMW gives i customers the accept chances of retrofitting their purely electric BMW i3 (lx Ah) with the new 33 kWh battery every scrap role of a high-voltage retrofit programme. This computer programme is available inward selected markets. The 22 kWh batteries traded-inwards by customers are used to build stationary storage battery modules thence starting their instant life. This effectively proves how sustainable BMW i engineering is across its entire production together with life wheel" 

This is real exciting news, l-fifty if it appears that initially solely BEV i3 (non REx) owners testament live on able to upgrade their battery, inwards improver to initially at to the lowest level, the the States market place place won't last able to participate. I'd live rattling surprised if this upgrade reckoner programme isn't made available to the U.S. marketplace at near 4th dimension inward the fourth dimension to come, but I believe the existent inquiry is what will the toll live? I would imaging the entire pack, including the thermal management organisation as adept as packaging in all probability costs BMW somewhere betwixt $seven,500 as well as $x,000. If they offering a $3,500 discount for the former pack every bit a merchandise inwards, than the client'sec cost is somewhere betwixt $iv,000 as well as $ane-half-dozen,500 without adding the price of projection for swapping the packs. So unless BMW subsidizes a big chunk of the toll it'second going to live a actually costly upgrade, peculiarly considering the possessor is replacing a battery that is less than iii years old.

The novel 94 Ah Samsung battery cells are the same physical size as the electrical electric electric current lx Ah cells, but they weight slightly more. 

I think that'2d partially why BMW of North America isn't rushing to guide the battery upgrade programme hither. The i3 just passed its 2 yr anniversary hither inwards the U.due S.A., as well as so fifty-fifty the earliest buyers even so hold got a relatively novel battery. I bear ane of the highest mileage i3s inward the USA, inward addition to currently guide only nether fifty,000 miles on my machine. My battery fifty-fifty so has good-nigh xviii kWh of usable capacity, afterward starting with almost xix kWh. So in ii years, I've recharged the vehicle well-nigh i,200 times, driven most 50,000 miles as well as my battery has alone lost virtually 5% of its master capacity. I'i yard definitely non cook to driblet $5000 close to on a novel battery only to add together together thirty or twoscore miles of achieve.

I do aspect BMW of North America to eventually offering a battery replacement computer programme, but honestly it'sec precisely non necessary yet. I could definitely consider myself buying the replacement pack inward another ii years, when I take virtually 100,000 miles on the automobile. I'd also live on interested inwards buying dorsum my i-fourth dimension pack, in 1 instance it'sec been refurbished into the stationary gratis energy storage unit of measurement of measurement, as well as using it inwards my home. My solar array could accuse the unit of measurement of measurement during the mean solar day, as good as when I come upward abode house at nighttime I'd usage the stored complimentary energy to recharge the novel pack inwards my machine. I don't know if BMW has plans to make this cast if place free energy storage units, exactly if they did, I'chiliad definitely interested, especially if I could reuse my ane-quaternary dimension battery pack.

Atelier will hold out called Deca World for the North American marketplace together with volition last the novel base of operations of operations interior cut back dorsum

The new Dark Walnut woods dash cut back dorsum

There are also a few interior changes on the novel i3. Finally (Let me repeat that!) FINALLY, the the States of America marketplace testament last able offered the moonroof choice. Much to the chagrin of i3 owners across the state (also specially the ones inward California), until forthwith the moonroof pick that was available on the i3 everywhere else inward the globe, wasn't available inwards North America. It will straight live offered inward 1 example the 2017 i3 begins transportation old inward deadening August. There is likewise a novel interior pick beingness called Deca World (to acquire along amongst Mega, T\era & Tera Worlds). Deca World replaces Mega World as the base cut down dorsum together with is an attractive Black material amongst BMW 1 Blue trim. It has been available inwards Europe since the i3'infinitesimal launch, where it'sec called "Atelier". There'sec likewise a novel nighttime oak forest choice to drop dead with the lighter Eucalyptus woods dash panels. Customers who social club other of the ii tiptop interior cutting downward levels (Giga or Tera World) volition right away alive able to select which wood bring down dorsum they prefer.


             BMW'sec "Born To Go Further" video advertising for the 2017 i3

In all it'sec pretty much what I expected the 2017 i3 would offering. BMW calls this diversity to production refresh an LCI (Life Cycle Impulse). That'2nd a mid generation refresh for the vehicle where they brand improvements, but don't create a novel vehicle. The battery upgrade is the large deal of this LCI, inward improver to volition belike the biggest improvement the kickoff generation i3 has during its lifespan, which testament likely survive until virtually 2019. I concord dorsum a totally novel minute generation i3 to emerge most that fourth dimension, along amongst the adjacent generation of batteries that Samsung is yet working on. These new hereafter cells are depression profile, are 125Ah amongst a specific energy of nigh 250Wh/kg. They pack most 33% more than gratis energy than the novel 94 Ah cells BMW volition introduce inwards the 2017 i3. So slice 2017 brings around squeamish improvements for the i3, the next large bound frontwards inward battery tech is ane time over again solitary a pair years away. It'second non hard to encounter how similarly priced EVs testament earlier long gain cost too utility parity with internal combustion engine vehicles. It'second all nearly the batteries.

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