That's a larger improvement in range than I've seen in prior speculation.
BMW will boost the range of its i3 electric car by about half for the 2017 model year.
This summer, the lithium ion battery pack of the compact EV will be improved, "which puts it into a much more usable range," Ian Robertson, BMW AG board member for sales and marketing, told Automotive News at the Detroit auto show.
BMW doesn't have the exact figure yet, but a 50 percent increase means about 120 miles on a single charge, up from the current 81 miles. The i3 will get other improvements, which BMW has not yet disclosed...
http://www.autonews.com/article/20160118/OEM05/301189994/bmw-will-boost-i3s-range
I hope BMW can do it without increasing the curb weight or price significantly.
If so, it will probably put BMW back on top of my own
most likely to replace my 2011 LEAF list.
I'd almost certainly want to get the BEV version, as for the reasons I've stated before, IMO, adding the ICE to the i3 only makes a lousy BEVx out of a very good BEV.
And it sounds like Nissan may offer another (and hopefully better) BEVx within ~a year, if I decide I want an ICE in my next BEV (x).