Refreshed BMW i8 Could Get Increased Power, Battery Range

The BMW i8 plug-in hybrid will soon receive a long list of upgrades, according toAutocar, including revisions to improve horsepower and driving range.

Autocarsays that BMW engineers plan to modify the front-mounted electric motor in the i8, and to tweak its 1.5-liter turbo-three engine, increasing power by about 10 percent, and also will reprogram its six-speed automatic transmission for better performance. That could reportedly improve upon the BMW i8's current claimed 0-to-60-mph time of 4.2 seconds.

At the same time, a more energy-dense battery could improve driving range. The battery pack could be as large as 10 kWh, up from the current model's 5 kWh battery. BMW has already shown it can improve EV driving range with updates to the i3, which recently saw its overall driving range upgraded to 114 miles.

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Other upgrades in the works for the BMW i8, according toAutocar, are inductive charging and lightweight carbon-fiber wheels.

BMW chairman Harald Kruger has already affirmed his company's dedication to plug-in cars and said earlier this year that it will, "see further progress in terms of the vehicles' range, for both BEVs and PHEVs." Kruger also confirmed that the long-awaited BMW i8 Roadster will launch in 2018; that timing is likely coincide with the debut of the refreshed i8 coupe.