BMW bids final farewell to the i3

You read it right. BMW is ending global production of its much loved electric cruiser this year. Despite this, the i3 will go down in history as BMW’s first production EV. It’s also the first BMW built with a full carbon-fiber frame, and it could probably be the last, too.

First seen as a concept at the 2011 German Auto Show, production for the i3 began in 2013 at BMW’s Leipzig Plant. It initially came with a dinky 22-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. In 2017, BMW gave it a larger and more energy-dense 33-kWh battery to offer up more milage to the car.

The BMW i3 also came with a Range Extender model by adding a two-cylinder petrol engine into the fray. The all-electric range of the i3 REx is a bit shorter, but the petrol engine extends the driving range a bit further.

By 2018, the BMW i3 got an upgraded 44-kWh battery pack to deliver an even bigger range. So yes, the shorter driving range is a deciding factor for the i3’s impending demise. Still, it’s hard not to see Mzansi’s propensity for taller crossovers and SUVs, even when talking about the electric kind.

If you’re still longing for the BMW i3’s peppy performance, you’ll find a similar electric powertrain in the Mini Cooper SE. Like the BMW i3, the Cooper SE has a single electric motor. It also has a T-shaped 32.6 kWh battery under the floor to deliver about 200km of range.

But unlike the deliciously quirky BMW i3 with rear-wheel drive, the Mini Cooper SE is front-wheel drive. Of course, the Cooper SE makes do without the i3’s extensive carbon-fiber construction, so the latter remains as desirable as ever. But then again, BMW still has the all-new incoming i4 electric sedan and iX SUV if you want an EV with the spinning propeller badge.

According to BMW, the i3 makes way for the next generation of the MINI Countryman will be manufactured at the same location – with a fully electric drive.

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.