The 2019 BMW i3, a four-door electric hatchback, is getting a higher-capacity battery that offers up to 153 miles of driving range. Combined with the optional range-extending gasoline engine, the i3 could potentially approach the range in popular EVs like the Chevrolet Bolt EV (238 miles) and entry-level versions of the Tesla Model 3 (220 miles) — though it still wouldn’t get there on plug-in power alone.
Related: 5 Ways BMW’s Vision iNext Autonomous Electric SUV Sees the Future
Both the standard and sport (i3 “s”) version of the updated i3 now have a 42.2-kilowatt-hour battery pack, which provides a substantial increase in driving range. It’s nearly double the battery output of the original i3.
BMW has made continual improvements to the quirky-looking i3 since it first arrived in 2014. When it was brand new, the i3 came with a 22.6-kwh battery with only about 81 miles of driving range. That put the rear-wheel-drive hatchback towards the lower end of the electric vehicle spectrum, below mainstream rivals like the Nissan Leaf.
When BMW increased the battery to 33 kwh in 2017, the i3’s range climbed to a more practical 114 miles between charges. An optional range-extended model included a small two-cylinder gasoline engine that was paired to the electric powertrain. When battery power was depleted, this engine would engage and provide about 60 miles of added range — and with its Lilliputian 2.3-gallon fuel tank, that was about all you could ask of it.