The second year of BMW i3 production also brings a price increase in the US. The fully electric i3 (BEV) gets a price increase of $1050, for a total MSRP of $42,400. BMW of North America has also raise the destination and handling charge to $950, $25 more than previous year. The price increase also applies to the i3 REx which now sells for $47,200.
The MY2015 production has begun in January and first i3 units are expected to reach U.S. dealers in February.
The price increase accounts for some standard features now available on the 2015 models. Previously, i3 owners had to shell out dollars for DC Fast Charging capability, heated seats and satellite radio.
No other changes are reported “under the hood”, the i3 retains the same battery pack and range extender, but a new software update is in works which will bring some much needed fixes. One of them is the previously omitted state of charge display. Up to this point, unlike in Europe, US customers have not had the ability to manually turn on the range extender once the state of charge dips below 75%.
2015 is also the year of infrastructure for BMW and the expansion plans of fast charging stations is under way. BMW, VW and ChargePoint have just announced a partnership to bring fast charging to EV drivers.
[Source: GreenCarReports]
