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RPM TV Website | March 22, 2024

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Battery upgrades for BMW i3

BMW i3
Adam Schoeman

Mechanical upgrades to an existing car have generally been associated with the aftermarket. But as electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids become more popular and technology advances, it makes sense that there could be a way of keeping the bits on your EV more relevant.

BMW seems to think so: it’s just announced an improvement to the current battery and software employed by the i3 EV and PHEV.

The upgrades, which will be fitted to all new i3s, sees the current battery being replaced with a higher power density model, translating into an extended range for the i3. The improvement will apparently boost the car’s range to well beyond 200 km – a 25 percent improvement.

Because these new batteries are the same size as the previous ones, BMW will not only be fitting them to all new i3s,  but will give all current owners the option of replacing their older model battery pack with the new one.

There is no word on what this will cost, but a 25 percent increase in operating range is significant enough to consider the upgrade. However, it does raise the question if ongoing improvements such as this will become an ongoing theme with electric-powered cars.

The form factor of a battery pack is unlikely to change because it is designed to be positioned into a specific platform with a typical 10-year lifespan, meaning that new batteries will already be designed to fit some of the older cars.

But we all know how much better batteries are likely to become over a 10-year period. To put that into context: the first iPhone was released only eight years ago.

This might create some confusion in the used car market though, as potential buyers will now need to track what changes have been done to the model they’re considering, in addition to all the other factors that go into deciding if a vehicle is actually the one you want.

There is no word on when the technology will be introduced into the mainstream i3 range, but we can only assume that it will be soon.

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