The new battery pack developed for BMW’s first mass-produced electric vehicle, the i3, has increased the vehicle’s range threefold to 400 kilometers. Launched in 2013 and initially offered for sale with an 18.2 kWh battery, the model has come back to the agenda with its improved battery capacity.

BMW i3’s range has increased threefold

The original i3 model offered a range of 130 km with its 60 Ah capacity Samsung-made battery. Over time, this model was updated with 94 Ah (27.2 kWh) and 120 Ah (37.9 kWh) batteries, and its range reached 309 km. However, the aging of the batteries, especially in the first generation i3s, over the years caused users to be satisfied with a range of around 100 km in practice.

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In order to solve this problem, China-based Martigi Manufacturing (MTG) has developed a battery pack that triples the first generation battery of the i3. The new pack is compatible with all versions of the i3 and provides 156 percent more capacity than the original 60 Ah pack and 28 percent more capacity than the 120 Ah version.

MTG provides a reprogrammed battery management system (BMS) and new connectivity hardware to make the system work. Although it is designed so that users can perform the cell replacement themselves, the company recommends that the battery upgrade be performed by a qualified service provider.

With the upgraded battery pack, the i3 can travel approximately 400 kilometers on a full charge. In a test video released by MTG, an i3 driving on the highway at 100 km/h reached a range of 300 km.

The new battery packs are available for sale on Alibaba. The price of the 154 Ah version is set at $5,800 excluding shipping, while a 120 Ah alternative is sold for $4,800. What do you think about this? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.