2016 BMW i3 range increase for new model only

The fully-electric 2016 BMW i3 has been treated to a near 50 percent range upgrade thanks to a new 94Ah battery that jumped the car’s 190km range to a significantly longer 300km.

Existing owners in overseas markets will be given the opportunity to have the new 94Ah battery retro-fitted. This will allow their current i3s to attain the same increased range as the incoming model. A fast-charging 11kw wall-mounted charging station will also be sold.

At this stage, these options will not be offered locally. Aussies who are after the increased range will just have to purchase the big-batteried 2016 BMW i3 when it arrives late this year.

The current BMW i3 starts at $63,900 and will remain for sale alongside the longer-legged model. BMW Australia stated that it was still in the early stages of working out pricing and specification but we expect a price-tag to arrive towards the pointy-end of the year.