The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) with more range, now available in Singapore!

BMW Asia and Performance Motors announced the availability of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah), the latest addition to BMW i’s range of compact electric cars that offers significantly increased battery capacity.

Higher storage density of the the battery cells.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) sets a new benchmark in its segment with 94 Ah cell capacity, approx. 33 kWh battery energy thanks to the higher storage density of the lithium ion cells and an electric range increase of over 50 per cent from 190 km to 300 km according to the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) in combination with hallmark BMW driving performance.

Even in everyday use, in bad weather conditions and with the air conditioning or heating turned on, the range of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah), on a full battery charge has been significantly increased to 200 km in everyday use. The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) strikes the ideal balance between efficiency, performance and range. From standstill to country-road speeds, the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is on par with sporty, conventionally combustion engine powered cars.

The driving performance figures of the 125 kW/170 hp hybrid synchronous electric motor remain virtually unchanged. The motor propels the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds. This makes the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) both the sportiest and most efficient electric vehicle in its segment.

The high-voltage battery of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) consists of eight modules with twelve storage cells each and its capacity has increased significantly without any changes in exterior dimensions. By optimising the cell-internal packages with more electrolyte and adapting the active material, BMW and Samsung SDI have succeeded in increasing cell capacity to 94 Ah and overall battery energy to 33 kWh of which 27 kWh can be effectively used. The battery of the BMW i3 (60 Ah) produces 22 kWh (gross)/ 19 kWh (net).

Optimised performance delivery, more efficient drive.

The BMW i3 is by far the lightest car in its segment. Despite of the weight increase to 1,245 kg, the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is characterised by driving performance. This has been achieved by modifying power electronics and systems management and results in an optimised performance curve. In addition, there is the physically related improvement of the voltage curve under load for the new 94 Ah battery.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is also powered by the hybrid synchronous electric motor developed by the BMW Group. The power unit generates an output of 125 kW/ 170 hp and delivers 250 Nm of torque which is available from standstill. The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) reaches a speed of 60 km/h within a mere 3.8 seconds.

The sporty elasticity performance figure of 5.1 seconds for accelerating from 80 to 120 km/h, a decisive factor for enabling fast and safe passing manoeuvres, is normally only achieved by combustion engine powered cars with considerably higher outputs. Power is transmitted to the rear wheels via the single-speed transmission which the BMW i3 uses to accelerate without torque interruption to 150 km/h (limited top speed for reasons of efficiency). This applies to both battery variants.

The electricity consumption of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) has also been reduced by a large number of detail improvements including revised electric motor management as well as advanced low-resistance tyres.

New, faster charging electronics: three-phase charging up to 11 kW.

In principle, a 50 per cent higher battery capacity would also mean longer charging times – if the charging technology had not been adapted to the new requirements. In order to keep up with the increased battery capacity when charging with alternating current (AC), the AC fast charging system was developed. With the new 94 Ah battery, multi-phase AC charging is extended to 11 kW charging capacity and thus is in line with the charging capacity standards widely used in the public charging infrastructure.

The new, higher-performance charging electronics of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) can use three-phase charging currents with 11 kW. This represents a 50 percent increase compared to the BMW i3 (60 Ah). The 60 Ah model can be charged using single-phase alternating current at 7.4 kW. This means the charging time for the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is less than three hours, in spite of the significantly larger battery capacity – which is the same time it takes for today’s 60 Ah battery at 7.4 kW charging current.

The BMW i3 is equipped with a charging cable as standard for connecting it to an industrial socket (IEC 60309-2). The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) can be recharged in less than 10 hours at a charging current of 2.8 kW. The BMW i3 (60 Ah) battery requires approximately eight hours for this. Core elements such as range, hallmark BMW agility thanks to low weight and overnight battery charging remain in place.

Today, the BMW i3 is equipped with the future-proof 50 kW direct current (DC) fast charging technology. When the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is connected to a DC fast charging station, the battery cells are charged up to a minimum of 80 per cent of their capacity within less than 40 minutes. In the BMW i3 (60 Ah) this takes 25 minutes. This means that the BMW i3 (94 Ah) achieves a charging speed of 4 km/min which corresponds to 24 minutes charging time per 100 km of range.

Range Extender for even greater range.

BMW i also offers a Range Extender for the new BMW i3 (94 Ah).The range of the BMW i3 is extended by a 650 cubic centimetre 2-cylinder petrol engine which is located in direct proximity to the electric drive above the rear axle. The Range Extender delivers a maximum output of 28 kW/ 38 hp and powers a generator in order to produce electricity. It operates on a needs-based and highly efficient principle.

As soon as the charging level of the lithium ion batteries drops to a certain level, the Range Extender kicks in to keep the charging level constant thus extending the range by 150 km under everyday conditions. Fitting the car with the Range Extender has no influence on the available luggage volume: the nine-litre fuel tank is installed in the front section. The luggage compartment volume remains unchanged at 260 litres and can be extended to 1,100 litres with the rear seats folded down.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) with Range Extender may weigh in with an extra 120 kg of weight but is also characterised by a high level of agility and offers impressive performance figures. It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.1 seconds. This puts the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) at the top of its segment with regard to performance figures – whether as a purely electric vehicle or equipped with Range Extender.

New equipment.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) will be instantly recognisable in Protonic Blue metallic, which is available exclusively for this model version. Up until now this was reserved for the BMW i8 hybrid sports car, but is now also available for the BMW i3. When configuring the new BMW i3 (94 Ah), the customer can choose from two nonmetallic paintwork colours (Capparis White and Fluid Black) and in addition to Protonic Blue, from three additional metallic paintwork colours (Mineral Grey, Platin Silver and Ionic Silver).

Four different interior designs are available for the new BMW i3 (94 Ah). Apart from the Atelier basic line: Loft, Lodge and Suite. In the future, more combinations of the interior designs will be available for the new BMW i3 (94 Ah). The new elegant dark oak trim is a standard equipment in the Suite interior design. In all other interior designs, the Dark Oak wood trim and the eucalyptus wood trim are available as options. The materials used are a mix of naturally treated leather, wood and wool as well as other renewable raw materials. These make the sustainable premium character of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) both visible and tangible.

The Driving Assistant Plus equipment package is also available in the Suite equipment line. Driving Assistant Plus consists of camera-based cruise control with Stop&Go function, traffic jam assistant, speed limit info, pedestrian and collision warning with city brake function and proactive driving assistant.

Comfortable home charging: the new BMW i Wallboxes.

With the introduction of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah), BMW i will be offering a new BMW i Wallbox for comfortable and fast home garage charging or charging on a private parking space. This Wallbox has been adapted to the new charging technology and in addition to single-phase operation now also offers a charging capacity of up to 22 kW in three-phase operation. The new Wallbox is characterised by a flatter and more compact design compared to its predecessor, but thanks to its increased performance can now charge the battery of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) in two hours and 45 minutes. The charging process starts automatically as soon as the car and charging cable are connected. The BMW i Wallbox is operated using an LED interface.

Among other things, the BMW i Wallbox Plus automatically detects the connected vehicles and associates the relevant charge data using a local smartphone app. Different amounts of electricity are not only recorded for different vehicles but the data can also be emailed instantly after completion of the charging operation and thus used for accounting purposes.

In addition, the BMW i Wallbox Plus helps save battery electricity as they can precondition the vehicle battery when connected up. During this preconditioning process, the air conditioning in the car and the heating of the high-voltage battery can be activated via smartphone. Prewarming the battery ensures optimum battery conditions even at low outside temperatures. This ensures highest-level battery performance, range and longevity. If the preconditioning is carried out using the BMW i Wallbox Plus, the required electricity is not taken from the car battery, but from the energy supplier’s mains system thereby not cutting down on the car’s range.

BMW i also provides a unique installation service including onsite installation assessment at the customer’s, the supply and installation of the charging station as well as maintenance, consulting and other services.

Charging infrastructure in Singapore.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) recently launched an electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing programme that will see 1,000 EVs and 2,000 charging points being rolled out from 2017 till 2020. Up to 20 percent of the charging points will be available for public use. A different charging plug standard, known as “Type 2”, was also introduced this year. While it is not mandatory for existing vehicles and home chargers to switch from Type 1 to Type 2, in the longer term, it is anticipated that most vehicles and charging points in Singapore will follow the Type 2 standard.

BMW Asia is working with Greenlots to build up the charging infrastructure in Singapore. There are currently 60 public EV charging stations at 37 locations spread across the island. Drivers can locate the charging stations nearest to them within the ChargeNow network quickly and easily by making use of BMW ConnectedDrive Services in their vehicle’s navigation system for real-time status, pricing information and turn-by-turn directions. Powered by Greenlots, ChargeNow is a mobility service from BMW i and it is the largest public charging network in Singapore. BMW ConnectedDrive, the BMW ConnectedDrive app and the Greenlots app make locating and using charging stations run by partners an extremely fast and easy process, while the ChargeNow card allows convenient electronic billing and payment.

ConnectedDrive: Setting standards through Connectivity.

Standard on the BMW i3 (94 Ah) with Range Extender and optional on the BMW i3 (94 Ah), navigation system Professional provides BMW ConnectedDrive Services especially developed for BMW i. The range assistant follows the planned and currently driven route. If the destination selected in the navigation system is beyond the car’s range, the driver receives the suggestion to shift to the ECO PRO or ECO PRO+ mode. Additionally, the system calculates a more efficient alternative route. Should it be necessary to recharge at a public charging station, the driver is shown all the available stations along the planned route.

A dynamic range map is another central element of the connected navigation unit. Apart from the current charging status of the battery, the driving style, the activated electric comfort functions and the selected driving mode, the topographic features, the current traffic situation and the outside temperature are all taken into consideration. The Real Time Traffic Information (RTTI) data is used for this purpose. The data is provided by the BMW ConnectedDrive Server.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) also sets standards when it comes connecting driver and car. The BMW i Remote App provides useful vehicle-related mobility planning data available on the customer’s smartphone, too. Apart from pedestrian navigation for finding their way to their destination from the parking space and back, BMW ConnectedDrive offers a so-called intermodal routing system for the first time in combination with the navigation system Professional. This also incorporates public transport connections for drivers to reach their destination quickly.

From the actual trip in the new BMW i3 (94 Ah), looking for a parking space, changing on to a bus or underground line to the last stage covered on foot, the BMW ConnectedDrive services take the customer to his destination precisely and efficiently.

As before, the comprehensive range of standard equipment of the new BMW i3 (94 Ah) and the BMW i3 (60 Ah) includes: the iDrive operation system, the BMW i RemoteApp functionalities, Driving Experience switch, Radio Professional, hands-free telephone operation, air conditioning, leather steering wheel, LED daytime driving lights, Park Distance Control (PDC) with rear sensors and the charging cable for connecting to a domestic power socket.

The new BMW i3 (94 Ah) is now available for viewing at Performance Motors’ showroom.