How Far can the New BMW i3 Drive on One Charge?

BMW has announced the release of the BMW i3, an EV that builds on the design of the BMW 3 series.

Its range is up to 562 miles on a full charge, with DC charging capacities of up to 400 kW. With ultrafast charging, BMW says the i3 can recharge enough in ten minutes to drive 248 miles. 

The new release marks the end of production for the popular i4 amid an uncertain regulatory and sales environment for EVs.

About the BMW i3

The new BMW i3 is a sports saloon, the second in BMW’s Neue Classe range following the iX3. 

It is equipped with bidirectional charging capabilities, meaning users can send excess energy back to the grid or use it as an energy hub for example to power appliances. 

With an 800-volt battery and two electric motors, the vehicle has 345 kW of power.

With a 562 mile range, it is one of the best EVs for range on a single charge.

How the BMW i3 is made

The BMW i3 is manufactured at the BMW Group plant in Milbertshofen, north of Munich in Germany.

Over the last four years, the plant has seen significant modernisation.

Alongside a new body shop, a cutting-edge vehicle assembly area incorporating logistics space has been constructed. The new buildings are in their final stages of expansion. 

Production of the new BMW i3 will start at the site from August 2026 and the first vehicles will be delivered from Autumn 2026. 

In 2027, the production portfolio will be switched to exclusively fully electric vehicles of the Neue Klasse range.

The end of the BMW i4

The i4 has been a popular car in BMW’s range of EVs since its release in 2021, making up a sizable chunk of 4 series sales. 

Speaking to Autocar, Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Jochen Goller, said: “When you look back on the last 20 years, you always had new models coming in and old models phasing out.

"What you will always see is the volumes of the existing cars, in this case the i4, phasing out, and then [the new car], the i3, clearly ramping up. But as with every model, that was already factored into our planning.”

The i4 had maximum charging power DC of 180 kW, with a maximum range of 319 miles, so the i3 builds on its features.

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BMW’s EV sales

Rolls-Royce, a BMW Group owned brand, has announced it is cutting its targets for the production of EVs due to customer demand being lower than anticipated. 

The lower than expected sales figures for EVs is combined with a shifting regulatory landscape, with tax credits for EVs expiring in 2025 and pressure on the production of EVs from US President Donald Trump, for example, in his executive order "UNLEASHING AMERICAN ENERGY” which seeks “to eliminate the electric vehicle mandate”.

However, there is still some growth in the sector. According to BMW’s Group Report for 2025, BMW Group delivered more than 640,000 electrified vehicles worldwide (+8.2%), while EVs now account for 40% of all BMW’s new vehicle sales in Europe.