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      02-18-2017, 01:34 PM   #1
bailyhill
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i3 vs i3s Speculation?

Hello

I wonder with the rumors of an i3s and a bigger battery, and with the spi shots showing the LCI is not a big styling bump from what we see,

Could it be that the 2018 i3 will have the 94Ah battery

And the I3s have the 125Ah battery? and a 3 gallon gas tank in the REX giving the magical 300 mile range?

Plus other minor goodies? What do you think? What has BMW done under the "S" banner. Only know of Pcar "S", but not recently.

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      02-18-2017, 06:50 PM   #2
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      02-24-2017, 10:21 AM   #3
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I definitely believe they will upgrade the battery again. Could be the new 120Ah Samsung cells (most likely) because they are the same physical size as the 60Ah and 94Ah and this isn't the 2nd generation i3, just an LCI refresh.

I also expect the i3s to have more power, lower stance with improved handling, wider tires and at least one new color that's only available for the i3s. Thinking red, but I'm a bit biased I guess!
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      02-26-2017, 01:25 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bailyhill View Post
I wonder with the rumors of an i3s and a bigger battery, and with the spi shots showing the LCI is not a big styling bump from what we see,
Given the the spy shots show dimensionally the same car (with updates to bumpers and lights), the battery tray size will likely stay the same.

Battery capacity may, or may not, change for MY18, but the overall size will probably stay the same.


Quote:
Originally Posted by bailyhill View Post
Could it be that the 2018 i3 will have the 94Ah battery And the I3s have the 125Ah battery?
If history is any indicator, BMW will keep at least one older model in the lineup. If/when new 120Ah / ~42 kWh batteries become available, then at least the latest 94Ah / 33 kWh will be carried forward.
The older 60Ah /22 kWh battery offering may not survive (would be too confusing).

BTW, at ~42 kWh, the L2 charging time (@7.4 kW) will become 5.7 hours!
Not impossible, but certainly pushing the limits of practicality (vs. ~3 hours for 22 kW and ~4.5 hours for 33 kW batteries).


Quote:
Originally Posted by bailyhill View Post
and a 3 gallon gas tank in the REX giving the magical 300 mile range?
It might reach ~263 miles, at most:
EV miles = (~4.3 m/kWh) * (42 kWh battery) * .85 (15% remains reserved to maintain battery life) = ~154 miles
Gas miles = 3 gallons * ~36 mpg (heavier car!) = ~108 miles.

That would require an actual hardware redesign for the car.
It seems possible, but will be trickier then just restricting, in software, the utilization of the world-wide 9L gas tank down to 7L for the US.

Note - I don't see anything magical about 300 mile range.
It's just another number!


Quote:
Originally Posted by bailyhill View Post
Plus other minor goodies? What do you think? What has BMW done under the "S" banner. Only know of Pcar "S", but not recently.
BMW has historically reserved "s" for a better handling and, occasionally, faster versions of the same car: better suspension, meatier tiers, better seats, few styling enhancements, a HP boost.
See examples going back to the 80s.


Quote:
Originally Posted by tommolog View Post
I definitely believe they will upgrade the battery again. Could be the new 120Ah Samsung cells (most likely) because they are the same physical size as the 60Ah and 94Ah and this isn't the 2nd generation i3, just an LCI refresh.
I agree about battery capacity boost, but not sure about the timing.
It could be forthcoming in MY'18 (October 2017), or MY'19. I guess it will depend on Samsung's production ramp up for 120 Ah cells,


Quote:
Originally Posted by tommolog View Post
I also expect the i3s to have more power, lower stance with improved handling, wider tires and at least one new color that's only available for the i3s. Thinking red, but I'm a bit biased I guess!
An interesting question is whether these "S" options will be an optional "performance package" for all existing models, or a stand-alone "i3S" model.

a
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      02-27-2017, 02:58 AM   #5
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Wider tyres = shorter range.
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      02-28-2017, 02:19 PM   #6
tommolog
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Verdi View Post
Wider tyres = shorter range.
Yes. However if there is an i3s, and it has 20+ more HP & torque, plus better suspension and wider tires, I'd personally sacrifice the 10 to 15 miles per charge penalty. Especially if the new 120Ah cells are used. The EPA range will likely be ~150 miles per charge on the standard i3 BEV. I can definitely live happily with 130 - 135 MPC that an i3s might have.
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