BMW boosting range of the i3 electric car in 2016

AutoNews reports Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member for sales and marketing, saying that BMW will increase the i3’s range this year. This summer, the lithium ion battery pack of the compact EV will be improved, “which puts it into a much more usable range,” Robertson said. No specific features have been announced.

The current model consists of 8 x 2.7 kWh packs cells with 12 x 3.75 volt, 60 Ah actual cells each, wired in series for a nominal capacity of 21.8 kWh, 360 volts, of which 18.8 kWh are usable. The new battery is expected to have a 94Ah battery and the higher energy density will give the i3 an expected range of 120 miles.