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from the EVs-are-making-a-charge-on-ICEs dept.
The BMW i3 has been on sale since 2014, and in that time, BMW has seen fit to expand its battery size and, by proxy, its range. For the 2019 model year, it's getting yet another battery upgrade, and it's a big one.
The 2019 BMW i3 will come with a 42.2-kWh battery (120 amp-hours), which should permit for up to 153 miles of all-electric driving. This is a roughly 30 percent improvement over the previous 94-Ah battery, which allowed for 115 miles of range. The i3's first battery was just 60 Ah, offering a range of just 81 miles. Oh, how far we've come.
BMW will offer the battery in both variants of the i3. The standard i3 uses a 170-horsepower electric motor, powerful enough to get the little EV to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds. The i3s, on the other hand, is the sportier trim, offering a 181-hp electric motor and a 6.8-second sprint to 60.
Will EVs (electric vehicles) like this succeed in replacing ICEs (internal combustion engines) as commuter cars?
(Score: 2) by insanumingenium on Friday September 28 2018, @08:12PM
I had one of the first gen i3s for 3 years. No noticeable decrease in range over that time. I primarily charged using L2 (240V, though my home charger was only rated for 20A when I think the car would take 30A), which from 0-100 is about 5.5hr (again, my experience), my i3 had either a 6.6 or a 7.2KWhr charger in it I believe, so you can get a rough idea of the likely charging time with the larger battery, it is the last 20% or so that takes most of the time anyhow, so most of the difference would be closer to full bore. I did make use of free fast charging which was offered a few times (probably 50 or so total at the high end). Fast charge is usually quoted as 80% battery in 30 minutes, and I found that accurate, and the claims there have been very universal (that is what you get up to 50KW at some fast chargers of DC right at battery voltage). The primary thing that is unintuitive to most is that battery charging has an exponential curve, so a full charge fast charging isn't an economic likelihood (90 minutes or so were my estimates), and the first couple of hours as worth a lot more than the last couple. Fast charging absolutely WILL generate more heat and degrade lifetime faster. Reports I have seen of people who exclusively fast charge indicate that it is a noticeable difference in lifetime. In my state all EV batteries carry a mandatory 10y/150k warranty, most manufacturers explicitly state that 80% of nominal charge qualifies as a defect. Your call on whether they are just taking a chance that no-one will complete a warranty claim because they will have moved on before they reach a degraded state.