Hacker News Reader

Comment by Tade0 | Hacker News Reader

I have a feeling that half the reason they're doing this is that they don't have a good idea how to increase energy efficiency.

Case in point:

2026 BMW i3 - 900km WLTP from a 108kWh battery.

2026 Denza Z9 GT - 800km WLTP from a 122kWh pack.

The former charges at a maximum of 400kW, while the latter at over twice that which saves... about 10 minutes at the charger after 450km of driving(12 vs 22 minutes approx).

Many such examples with Chinese manufacturers putting 700kg battery packs into the vehicles just to be able to say it's this and that kWh.

I don't know about anyone here but after 400km or so I'm done and want to at least stretch my legs.

View on HN

> 2026 BMW i3 - 900km WLTP from a 108kWh battery.

I had to do a double take: remembering the i3s as the little almost SmartCar-sized EVs. Great cars, I still see a few around here, but I couldn't imagine them extending the range of those to 900km!

Turns out they just released the i3 sedan, which is like a 3-series. And good to see they're making the design similar between the new 3-series and the new i3. I like the i4, but really need something more 3-series in size.

Yes that new one is not an i3, not even in spirit. The original i3 was super light, quirky, fun, innovative in so many ways. They just didn't sell enough. People wanted more boring cars.

It was also $50k for a car that only got 120-150mi of range. It was a joke car. The reason it didn’t sell well is because it was a compliance car, not because it didn’t innovative. If it had a reasonable range (say, Chevy Bolt 200-250ish) in all electric for the same price, I bet it would have sold much much better.

On the up side i3 are great second hand bargain at current ~$5K price point.

$20k at least here in South Africa. $5k sounds like insane value.

I have an i3 though and the range is perfect for my use. Town, school, office etc. I just put it on charge when I get back, or the next day.

Sure, it’s useful for that, but its absolutely a horrendous deal compared to other EVs on the market at the same time. Anyone buying one for MSRP either loves BMW way too much or just was not aware of the market at the time.

A Chevy bolt, albeit not as nice inside, had nearly twice the range and cost half as much.

If you get one second hand for cheap, sure why not.

They also have an iX3 SUV, if reusing i3 isn't confusing enough.

This is an NMC vs LFP battery comparison.

They have different trade-offs but LFP is gradually taking over from the bottom of the market and heading up market in a classic disruptive manner.

They are heavier but cheaper and safer and better longevity.

I think one of the reasons for this is to have very high throughput charging stations in dense urban areas (like central Beijing).

Reply on news.ycombinator.com