BMW has upgraded the battery on its i3 electric car model.

The latest BMW i3 now features a 42.2kWh battery with more oomph as its cell capacity has been upgraded to 120Ah. That’s twice the capacity of the original i3. But with no additional weight penalty.

Baffled by the techtalk? Well don’t be. It means you can go further than ever in a battery powered i3 – according to the official WLTP figures that’s 192 miles.

But expect just over 160 miles on a single charge is what BMW reckons is a really usable range.

At the same time as we see the new BMW i3 120Ah made available from December, the older i3 Range Extender (REX) has been dropped from the range. It went a similar distance as the new i3 120Am model.

With more cell capacity there is a change to the i3 charging times:

• To charge a BMW i3 to up to 80 per cent of its full power takes approximately 15 hours via a domestic three-pin plug with a charging capacity of 2.3 kW
• To charge via a 7.4 kW homecharging point – such as the BMW i Wallbox – will achieve an 80 per cent charge of the large-capacity high-voltage battery in 4.9 hours.
• Using a rapid-charging station that run on DC power, the charging capacity is 50kW and this way the high voltage battery will reach 80 per cent of its total power in just 42 minutes.

More powerful i3s version

If you want your BMW electric motoring to be swifter than the standard i3’s 170hp electric motor, then there’s the 184hp i3s version available.

The i3s also features sports suspension and black wheel arch surrounds. Range on the WLTP cycle is reduced to 177 miles as a pay off for the greater electric motor performance.

Both i3 and i3s models qualify for the latest Plug-in Car Grant of £3500 towards the cost of the car.

There are also government grants available for homecharging installations.

BMW i3 120Ah pricing and performance