2027 BMW i3 EV revealed with 440 miles range

[ATLRivvy]

It doesn't matter how many cars are released with 800V capable of faster charging at faster DCFC rates IF the DCFC sites cannot deliver. Too much focus on the cars and not nearly enough on the infrastructure. It's like going gah-gah over a sports car that could deliver amazing performance if on race fuel, but you can't buy said race fuel everywhere you go.

Plus, R2 is a critical inflection point for Rivian and they absolutely had to nail price targets (and we now see they have done it). The most efficient path to that is to scale, streamline and enhance existing architecture. Had they chosen to chase the 800V trend, it likely would have added cost, time and incurred delays.

I personally like that they aren't chasing fads, but sticking to their plans in a thoughtful and methodical manner.

Calling 800V a “fad” is wild.. it’s not some speculative new tech, it’s the obvious next evolution of what is largely current tech. It’s like arguing 128K DSL was unnecessary because 56K over dial-up was already good enough.

It’s very debatable whether they have “nailed” price targets - proof will be in the pudding I suppose. They are still priced well into the premium segment but the launch package is already near end of life tech on multiple fronts. Serious question of how many “premium” buyers will take old tech vs paying an extra $5K sales price or $20 per month lease price for new tech

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I remember people saying the exact same thing in 2017 about why it was pointless to have a 200kw charging on a model 3 vs the 55 kw charging on the Bolt since there was no infrastructure. It is your money and your choice but for me, a vehicle is a multi-year horizon. Gemini tells me there are 10,000 800V ports today (Mostly EA, EVGo, Ionna, Mercedes, and small number of Teslas). By 2028 it tells me there will be 30-35k with the biggest shift coming from the Tesla v4 upgrade. Since I am not even planning to get a new vehicle until next year (when the real R2 starts shipping) I have a strong perspective that the difference is worth it.

I will let you have the last word on this but my 2c is that for us through hard won experience, range and charging matter a lot. (Indeed, range matters even more now that we have put solar in. It gives one the flexibility to wait to charge until the vehicle is naturally parked during the max solar production time rather than a stupid inefficient battery draw.) But different folks, different priorities.

I think you are conflating me not agreeing with you as me saying "800V and 400+ mi range is not important". To be absolutely clear, I am saying that is only one part of a two part equation. Addressing both parts is more meaningful than just one. And so far too much attention on just one part, because the car is a shinier, sexier object than infrastructure. And infrastructure in this country is still not good enough.

 

[Alan in Tempe]

• It’s a BMW, so a few options will hike prices well above starting
• It’s a BMW, and like any other legacy OEM, inventory at starting price will be rare.
• It’s a BMW, you deal with dealers

stats on paper. But don’t forget reality.

• It’s a BMW, so the Sword of Damocles will be hanging over your bank and brokerage and retirement accounts the minute the warranty expires. (My AC repair quote was over $23K for a failed compressor.)

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

• It’s a BMW, so the Sword of Damocles will be hanging over your bank and brokerage and retirement accounts the minute the warranty expires. (My AC repair quote was over $23K for a failed compressor.)

It can get that bad, yah. I know peeps who were dealer techs, then went on to operate their own independent shops specializing in BMWs. They all recommend "dumping" once the cars reach a certain age. My own experience is that they are fairly reliable, until they aren't. When that happens the bill is at least 4-figures at a time. Reasons for cost: BWM hubris, over-engineering and the typical industry practice of "it's going to be a problem, but we're too far along in development to correct it for good until the next generation". I could have held out longer for PDM-Max, but my E70 diesel started developing electrical gremlins at 90k miles, so it was time to cut ties and take a in-inventory gen 1 QM-Large. The diesel particulate capture system was also a ticking time bomb—replaced under warranty, as a courtesy, at just before 40k miles (would have cost over $7k).

 

[Gen(R3)Xer]

And people think Rivian’s front ends are ugly (I, for the record, do not). The BMW i3 looks like Die Fledermaus from the Tick and Turbo Teen had a baby! You can even pay extra to make the nostrils glow.

Joking aside, the specs are amazing. Kudos to BMW’s engineers for continuing to develop top-notch EVs, while other Legacy automakers cower in the corner and make excuses about the Chinese dominating the market.

 

[takrdown]

I see a lot of shade in this thread which is odd to me. I owned an i4 M50 before I traded it in for my R1S. The R1S is my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned with the exception of an E90 M3, but the i4 was the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. It was EXTREMELY reliable. Most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Well put together, fun to drive, a much more advanced highway assist than I have now with the R1S. I really had zero complaints about it and just needed something bigger for some life changes and the BMW iX was ugly as sin so that was a non starter.

I LOVE my R1S, just think that BMW shouldn’t be dismissed as easily. They have EVs figured out and I’m interested to see what options they bring to the table. Competition is a great thing!

obligatory i4 M50 shot included.

 

[phaduman]

I hear the i3 has a 112KWh battery to get to 440miles, so a few things - they are putting a lot of "cost" into the car to get to the range victory (over Tesla, Rivian etc.), so unless they recover that cost through various upgrade options, they will run into margin challenges. My guess is with various packages, this car will run into 65/70K for the 440mile range variant.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I see a lot of shade in this thread which is odd to me. I owned an i4 M50 before I traded it in for my R1S. The R1S is my favorite vehicle I’ve ever owned with the exception of an E90 M3, but the i4 was the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. It was EXTREMELY reliable. Most reliable car I’ve ever owned. Well put together, fun to drive, a much more advanced highway assist than I have now with the R1S. I really had zero complaints about it and just needed something bigger for some life changes and the BMW iX was ugly as sin so that was a non starter.

I LOVE my R1S, just think that BMW shouldn’t be dismissed as easily. They have EVs figured out and I’m interested to see what options they bring to the table. Competition is a great thing!

obligatory i4 M50 shot included.

I have a friend who is seriously considering an i4. Seems like overall reception of the car is that it is amazing and problem free.

I do have a few questions though, if you don't mind answering - How was the software on it? Did you use PAAK and was it reliable? How was the app? How was the ride quality?

Honestly, given how expensive gas prices are and how much the i4 has depreciated, trading my 2 series for one is also not out of the question for me either lol I've always been a BMW fan and am excited for the iX3 and the new i3. An iX5 would be in the cards for me. Hopefully that is also announced soon.

 

[takrdown]

I have a friend who is seriously considering an i4. Seems like overall reception of the car is that it is amazing and problem free.

I do have a few questions though, if you don't mind answering - How was the software on it? Did you use PAAK and was it reliable? How was the app? How was the ride quality?

Honestly, given how expensive gas prices are and how much the i4 has depreciated, trading my 2 series for one is also not out of the question for me either lol I've always been a BMW fan and am excited for the iX3 and the new i3. An iX5 would be in the cards for me. Hopefully that is also announced soon.

The software was pretty great. I like the R1S much better and I had a 2024 so the newer stuff is supposed to be even better. CarPlay was native and worked very well. Handling was good. Not M3 good by any means and you could tell it was a 4000 lb car but good all things considered. The app was pretty good as well. There are things that I could do with that app I can’t do with the R1S. No show stoppers but little things. Software updates however were few and far between. I think I may have gotten 2 over the time I had the car and nothing had a wow factor like the Rivian software updates.

 

[Great Gatsby]

The software was pretty great. I like the R1S much better and I had a 2024 so the newer stuff is supposed to be even better. CarPlay was native and worked very well. Handling was good. Not M3 good by any means and you could tell it was a 4000 lb car but good all things considered. The app was pretty good as well. There are things that I could do with that app I can’t do with the R1S. No show stoppers but little things. Software updates however were few and far between. I think I may have gotten 2 over the time I had the car and nothing had a wow factor like the Rivian software updates.

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. This has all aligned with my expectations but good to have it reinforced. I'll let my buddy know and see if he finally pulls the triggers. You can comfortably find an i4 M50 in $30-35k range with not too many miles on em. I say these are an absolute bargain at that price point.

 

[DuoRivian]

I hear the i3 has a 112KWh battery to get to 440miles, so a few things - they are putting a lot of "cost" into the car to get to the range victory (over Tesla, Rivian etc.), so unless they recover that cost through various upgrade options, they will run into margin challenges. My guess is with various packages, this car will run into 65/70K for the 440mile range variant.

Similar size battery to the $60k iX3 and the i3 is smaller and would if anything be slightly cheaper. The battery is 24kWh larger than the R2 so that equates to $2500 - some cost but not prohibitive.

 

[TexasBob]

Leaked images over the w/e of the M 3 EV

 

[takrdown]

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. This has all aligned with my expectations but good to have it reinforced. I'll let my buddy know and see if he finally pulls the triggers. You can comfortably find an i4 M50 in $30-35k range with not too many miles on em. I say these are an absolute bargain at that price point.

Absolutely! If you have any other questions feel free to reach out! It’s been a year now since I’ve had the car but I’ll recall what I can!

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