BMW i3 50 drawing showing proportions

BMW i3 Neue Klasse Battery

We have already looked at the BMW iX3 Neue Klasse Battery and the BMW Gen6 EV Battery Technology behind it. The second Neue Klasse model, the BMW i3 (badged NA0, reviving the i3 name for an all-electric 3 Series), uses the same Gen6 battery system, so this is really a companion piece rather than a new teardown.

A detailed analysis of the dimensions, structure and resultant battery pack integration will be really interesting once we get more data.

Pack Data

BMW has officially confirmed the usable capacity. The detailed sub-specs (total energy, voltage, configuration) carry over from our iX3 analysis since BMW states it is the same physical pack. It would be best to treat these as inherited estimates rather than i3-specific confirmed figures until BMW publishes a dedicated i3 spec sheet.

  • Usable energy = 108.7 kWh [1][4]
    • Total energy = 113.4 kWh (est., shared pack)
    • Usable window ~ 96%
  • Nominal Pack (est., shared pack)
    • Voltage = 698.9 V
    • Capacity = 162.3 Ah
  • Configuration = 192s 5p (est., shared pack)
    • Total number of cells = 960
  • Chemistry = NMC, cylindrical cell, cell-to-pack design [4]
  • Charging
    • Peak DC fast charge = 400 kW [1]
    • 400 km (249 miles) of WLTP range added in 10 minutes [1][3]
    • 10–80% SOC ≈ 21 minutes (carried over from iX3 figure; not yet separately confirmed for i3) [5]
    • 800V architecture, splits into two 400V modules for compatibility with 400V DC chargers [9]
    • V2L, V2H, V2G capable [1]
  • Physical (est., shared pack)
    • Mass ≈ 597 kg
    • Gravimetric energy density ≈ 190 Wh/kg

i3-Specific Notes

  • Curb weight (i3 50 xDrive First Edition) = 2,205 kg, which is 80 kg lighter than the equivalent iX3 50 xDrive (2,285 kg), despite sharing the same battery pack, pointing to body/structure savings rather than pack-level differences [6]
  • WLTP range = up to 900 km / 563–567 miles depending on spec, versus 805 km / 500 miles for the iX3 50 xDrive; the sedan’s better aerodynamics (lower, sleeker body) extract more range from the identical pack [1][3][6]
  • EPA estimate ≈ 440 miles (preliminary, BMW internal testing) [9]
  • Battery produced at BMW Group Plant Debrecen, Hungary; i3 vehicle assembly at BMW Group Plant Munich from August 2026, first deliveries autumn 2026 [1][2]

Variants and Roadmap

  • i3 40: a lower-power, smaller-battery variant is on BMW’s roadmap. Not yet officially specified for the i3, but the iX3 40 (same platform) uses a confirmed 82.6 kWh usable pack, single rear motor (235 kW/320 hp), 300 kW peak DC, and 637 km WLTP range [7][8]. If the i3 40 inherits this pack as expected, it would be roughly a 24% reduction in capacity versus the 50 xDrive.
  • i3 Long Wheelbase: a China-market long-wheelbase variant was teased alongside the iX3 Long Wheelbase, stretching the wheelbase by 108 mm for that market [10].
  • i3 20 / LFP: industry reporting (unconfirmed by BMW) points to a future entry-level i3 20 and LFP pack options being trialled in Germany, both still supporting full 800V ultra-rapid charging [10].
  • i3 M60 / electric M3: a performance-oriented variant is expected to trade some pack energy density for higher discharge/charge rate capability [10].

Unconfirmed leaked data, first surfaced in the comment thread on our iX3 article, references four Gen6 pack variants at 87.8 kWh, 113.4 kWh, 137 kWh and 148 kWh, with the two larger options using a different cell case sized for larger-format cells. None of this has appeared in official BMW material, so it should be treated as speculative. That said, the four-variant structure fits the modular construction kit description that BMW’s own battery production lead has used when discussing the Gen6 platform [10].

This post has been built based on the support of and sponsorship from: illumion, Custom Power, Quarto Technical Services, Eatron Technologies and About:Energy

References

  1. The new BMW i3. Second model of the Neue Klasse, BMW Group PressClub, 18 March 2026
  2. The new BMW i3: The second Neue Klasse model, BMW Group corporate news
  3. The BMW i3 50 xDrive First Edition: Orders now open, BMW Group PressClub UK, 18 June 2026
  4. The start of a new era. The new BMW iX3, BMW Group PressClub, 5 September 2025 (confirms 108.7 kWh usable, cell-to-pack and pack-to-open-body design)
  5. The All-New BMW iX3, BMW Group PressClub USA, 5 September 2025 (charging and motor detail)
  6. BMW i3 Specs Released: Here’s Everything You Need To Know, BMWBLOG, 19 June 2026
  7. New entry-level BMW iX3 added to the range, BMW Group PressClub UK, 31 March 2026 (confirms iX3 40 at 82.6 kWh)
  8. BMW model updates summer 2026, BMW Group PressClub, 13 May 2026
  9. BMW Revives the i3 Name for an Electric Sedan With 440 Miles of Range, BMWBLOG, 18 March 2026
  10. BMW i3 range to grow fast: cheaper RWD 40, M60 and electric M3 all coming, Chasing Cars, 1 April 2026

See also: BMW, Benchmarking Battery Packs, 46xx Cylindrical Cells, 800V Architecture

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