BMW i3 Range Extender

No longer available

This electric vehicle is no longer in production and not available to buy new. The BMW i3 Range Extender was available from November 2017 until October 2018. Financial data like price, leasing and company car tax were applicable to the final year of availability of the BMW i3 Range Extender.

Pricing

The BMW i3 Range Extender had a Recommend Retail Price (RRP) of £36,490 and an On The Road Price (OTR) of £37,220. The OTR Price includes VAT, first year of VED, vehicle first registration fee, number plates and delivery. The BMW i3 Range Extender was eligible for a Plug-In Car Grant (PICG) of £4,500. The OTR Price including the PICG for the BMW i3 Range Extender is £32,720.

Drivetrain and Performance

The BMW i3 Range Extender is a electric vehicle with range extender (EREV). The maximum power of the BMW i3 Range Extender is 125 kW (168 hp). The maximum torque is 184 lb-ft. The BMW i3 Range Extender is rear wheel drive and can accelerate from 0 to 62 miles per hour in 8.1 seconds. The top speed is 93 mph.

Battery and Charging

The battery of the BMW i3 Range Extender has a total capacity of 33.2 kWh. The usable capacity is 27.2 kWh. A range of about 95 miles is achievable on a fully charged battery. The actual range will however depend on several factors including climate, terrain, use of climate control systems and driving style.

For example: sustaining high speeds in cold weather could result in a range of around 65 mi. However, driving at low speeds in mild weather will increase the range to around 145 mi.

Charging is done using a Type 2 connector and the on-board charger has a maximum power of 11 kW. This charges a fully depleted battery back to full in around 3 hours. However, a 3-phase grid connection is needed to achieve this. The majority of homes and charge points currently do not have this connection. In most cases the maximum charging power will be 7.4 kW, allowing for a charge time of 4 hours 30 minutes and a charge rate of 22 mph. Charging the car using a regular wall plug will take around 14 hours.

Rapid charging is possible through a CCS connection. The maximum rapid charge power is 49 kW. The battery can't be charged continuously at this power. In an average rapid charge session the average charge power will be around 46 kW. This charges the battery from 10% to 80% in around 30 minutes. A rapid charge like this will add about 65 miles of range.

Energy Consumption

The combined (motorway and city) energy consumption of the BMW i3 Range Extender is about 285 Wh per mile in electric-only mode. By comparison, this energy consumption is the equivalent of a fuel consumption of 141 mpg in a traditional petrol car.

The actual energy consumption will depend on several factors including climate, terrain, use of climate control systems and driving style. For example: sustaining high speeds in cold weather could result in an energy use of around 415 Wh per mile. However, driving at low speeds in mild weather will increase the efficiency to about 185 Wh per mile.

Fuel Consumption

The BMW i3 Range Extender has a combined (electric and fuel) range of about 163 mi, of which about 95 of fully electric range. When driving in full-electric mode the petrol engine will never kick in; the car will drive fully electric until the battery is depleted or if 'range hold' mode is selected.

When the battery is empty or 'hold charge' mode is engaged, the fuel consumption is about 35 mpg on the combined (motorway and city) cycle. When starting off with a full battery and applying a moderate driving style, no fuel is consumed over a 15 mile trip and fuel consumption is about 0 mpg over a 30 mile trip and 0 mpg over a 60 mile trip.

The combined average consumption of petrol of the BMW i3 Range Extender will therefor depend on the average trip distance and whether the car is charged before each trip. Climate, driving style and route will have a further impact on the actual fuel consumption. The official figures in accordance with the NEDC driving cycle for fuel consumption of 475 mpg and a range of 89 mi are irrelevant in practice.

CO2 Emission

While driving in full-electric mode, the BMW i3 Range Extender will not emit any CO2. When the battery is empty, the internal combustion engine will be used. As fuel consumption and CO2 emissions are directly proportional, the average CO2 emssions of a BMW i3 Range Extender will depend greatly on several key factors that determine fuel consumption. Note: CO2 emissions are calculated per kilometre.

When driving using only the petrol engine, CO2 emissions will be around 190 grams of CO2 per kilometre on the combined (motorway and city) cycle. However, if the average trip distance is relatively short and the car is charged between trips, the average CO2 emissions will be reduced significantly.

CO2 Emissions will drop to 0 g/km on a 15 mile trip, 0 g/km on a 30 mile trip and 0 g/km on a 60 mile trip. This only includes tailpipe CO2 emissions. The energy needed to charge the battery might have been (partly) generated by the use of fossil fuels. Additionally, CO2 is emitted during the production and transport of fossil fuels. The offical figures in accordance with the NEDC driving cycle for CO2 emissions of 13 g/km are for comparison of vehicles only and have no relevance in practice.

More information from BMW

The link below will open the page of the i3 on the official BMW site.

Go to the i3 on the official BMW website.