Who said that long car trips with an electric vehicle meant spending hours at charging stations? BMW drove the new i3 for over 3 days, covering almost 3,700 miles, and it took less than 3 hours to charge.
BMW i3 sets record for efficiency during long electric vehicle journey
BMW put the i3 to the ultimate test of efficiency, charging speed and long-distance EV capability on a pan-European journey of almost 3,700 miles.
The Paneurpeana, as it is called, is considered the benchmark for battery life and charging speed. The route begins at the North Cape in Norway, the northernmost point of continental Europe accessible by car, and ends in Tarifa, Spain, the southernmost point of continental Europe.
BMW drove the new i3 50 xDrive a total of 3,658 miles (5,886.7 km) across eight countries and spent just 2 hours, 45 minutes and 54 seconds at an average charge of 275 kW.
The performance beat the previous record by more than seven hours, according to Mike Reichelt, head of BMW’s Neue Klasse.
BMW said the charging stations were not predetermined and had to take into account external factors such as weather and traffic jams.
The new i3 was impressively efficient during the journey, consuming on average just 12.5 kWh/100 km, exceeding its official WLTP combined energy consumption of 18 to 13.4 kWh/100 km.
BMW said the journey took 3 days, 2 hours and 41 minutes, with an average speed of 79.7 km/h, and that the i3 was charged exclusively at public charging stations on national charging networks.
The vehicle was driven at all times by a single driver and was not modified in any way, in terms of hardware or software, from the standard i3 available for purchase.
BMW’s new i3 uses a 108.7 kWh battery and a Gen6 eDrive system that offers a WLTP range of up to 566 miles (912 km).
With a drag coefficient of just 0.21, the new i3 is BMW’s most aerodynamically efficient vehicle to date.
In the United States, BMW said the new 2027 i3 50 xDrive will offer an EPA-estimated driving range of up to 468 miles.
With an 800V architecture, the electric sedan can add almost 423km of range (WLTP) in around 10 minutes at DC fast charging speeds of up to 400kW. In the US, the i3 has a built-in NACS port.
Like the new iX3, the i3 features BMW’s Neue Klasse interior design. The setup consists of BMW’s massive 43-inch Panoramic Vision display that extends across the base of the windshield and a floating 17.9-inch central infotainment screen.
The new BMW i3 50 xDrive is on sale in Germany from €65,900 with a WLTP range of up to 566 miles (912 km).
In the United States, the 2027 BMW i3 50 xDrive and 2027 iX3 50 xDrive are available for order, both starting at $61,500.
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