100,000th BMW i3 rolls out, 25 new EVs to come by 2025!



BMW celebrated a significant milestone in their journey for electric mobility with the 100,000th BMW i3 successfully rolled out of the production in Leipzig, Germany. As electric mobility becomes an integral part of their business, the company has laid out sustainable plans to dispose off these high-voltage batteries.

Since the introduction of the i3 back in 2013, annual production of the electric supermini has expanded to 26,631 vehicles in 2016. The i8 hybrid sportscar which shares the same production facility, saw 2,783 units leaving the production floor in 2016. Production capacity will continue to grow as the company releases more electric vehicles in the future with the next i-model set to be the i8 Roadster, slated for market release in 2018.

With electrified vehicles paving the way for future mobility, BMW has introduced a new business model called “Battery2ndLife” to reuse used batteries for a large-scale battery storage in Leipzig. The new battery storage farm can house up to 700 used i3 high-capacity batteries, equivalent to an electric range of 100,000 km for an i3. The battery farm, which is connected to the public power grid acts as a stabiliser for the grid by absorbing excess electricity and release electricity when there is not enough power.

The battery storage farm at Leipzig will open up new potential for cost and energy efficiency, as well as CO2 reduction in the energy sector; demonstrating an innovative, sustainable and profitable application of used high-capacity batteries after a vehicle reaches the end of its lifecycle.

In line with BMW Group’s plans to offer electrified variants for all MINI and BMW models, the company has expressed that by 2025, BMW will have 25 electrified models (hybrids and electric vehicles) by 2025.


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