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Graphic shows projected sales of electric cars from 2015 to 2040.
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MOTORING

Decade of the electric car

By Duncan Mil

October 2, 2018 - Within 10 years electric vehicles will cost no more than their gasoline counterparts, driving a liftoff in sales, according to a new analysis of the EV market by Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

BMW says it has improved the theoretical range of its electric i3 City Car to 360km (almost 225 miles) thanks to a bigger battery.

BMW said this means the lithium-ion battery storage has doubled since the launch of the BMW i3 in 2013. The original i3 was sold as a battery-only vehicle, but it was soon offered with a small petrol engine to extend the range. That has been dropped in the new version.

“Doubling in size, the new battery on the all-electric BMW i3 and i3s now has a capacity of 120Ah and a gross energy content of 42.2kWh,” BMW said in a statement.

The combined power consumption of the i3 is 13.1kWh per 100km (62 miles), BMW said.

Prices start at £35,180 when sales begin in December.

The announcement was made at the Paris Auto Show.

BMW said the official range of the BMW i3 is now 360km (223 miles), up from the previous 290-300km (180-186 miles). According to the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) data, the i3 has 310km (192 miles) of driving range. BMW didn’t explain how it calculated its “official” figure.

But both of these figures are based on more perfect conditions than you will find in ordinary every day driving. Before embarking on a long journey, best knock off at least 80km (50 miles) from those totals, as higher speeds drain batteries quickly.

Let’s hope BMW doesn’t regret dropping that range extender engine.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 02/10/2018; STORY: Neil Winton; PICTURES: Other
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