BMW i3 EV set to get a facelift and FURTHER increased range in 2017

The BMW i3 – BMW’s electric city car – will get a facelift in 2017, but it will also get a further increase in range as BMW reacts to new cars in the EV market.

It’s a fact that early adopters of technology pay through the nose for their impatience, and end up with a product that’s obsolete in a very short time.

That’s not so bad when it’s the latest gadget, or you manage to buy a Betamax video when the world went with VHS. But it’s a bit more painful when you spend £30k or so on an electric car and it’s superseded five minutes later.

That’s what happened with the BMW i3 electric city car last year, when BMW decided to fit new batteries with a greater density effectively doubling the EV’s range in the process. All very well, but what’s the old i3 with 100 mile range (if you’re very lucky) going to be worth now?

But those gloating buyers who waited to buy an i3 until BMW had given a range that had a chance of making it properly practical are going to be in for a bit of a shock. The BMW i3 is getting a facelift next year, and a further increase in range.

According to Reuters, German weekly Welt am Sonntag reports BMW insiders confirming the upgrade, which will see the range of the i3 increase by up to a further 50%, potentially giving it a range of pushing on 300 miles (although more like 200 miles in the real world).

What the news will do for BMW’s already slow sales of the i3 is anyone’s guess, but if they’re going to come out with a car with increased range every year, it’s probably best to hang on for another couple of years before taking the plunge.