1,213 km without a single charge! BMW's new i3 completes its Thousand-Mile Horse range challenge

At the rollout event for BMW's sixth-generation battery, BMW announced that its i3 50L electric sedan completed the Thousand-Mile Horse no-charge extreme range challenge.

Official figures show the car ran 1,213 km (about 754 miles) on a single charge and still had 1 percent of battery left at the finish, with combined consumption as low as 8.8 kWh per 100 km (about 238 MPGe) and a range achievement rate of 118 percent, setting a new long-distance road test record for the brand's electric sedans.

The new-generation i3 used for the challenge packs a 113.4 kWh cylindrical battery and an 800V high-voltage platform with BMW's sixth-generation eDrive system, with official CLTC range above 1,000 km (about 621 miles).

The whole electric drive system is deeply optimized for efficiency, with energy recovery strategy and aerodynamic tuning working together to bring down driving consumption.

The 800V platform also supports up to 400 kW fast charging, adding 400 km (about 249 miles) of range in 10 minutes under ideal conditions, balancing long range with quick top-ups.

The Thousand-Mile Horse challenge follows the extreme road testing approach used earlier on the new-generation iX3, starting with a full charge and never plugging in along the way, running continuously over a mix of highways, national roads and city streets to simulate real long-distance travel, with the driver staying smooth and efficient throughout to finish with a range figure above the official rating.

The new-generation i3 previously made its global debut, and the car is an electric 3 Series developed specifically for the Chinese market on the native Neue Klasse electric platform, due to enter production and launch at BMW Brilliance in the fourth quarter of this year.

The car tested here is the rear-drive version, and a dual-motor all-wheel-drive version will also be offered with a maximum system output of 345 kW (about 463 hp) and 645 Nm (about 476 lb-ft) of peak torque, also using the sixth-generation eDrive system with an EESM motor on the rear axle and an ASM motor up front.