BMW reportedly working on i5, promises limited edition ‘Electronaut’ i3

BMW’s i3 was undoubtedly one of the standout cars of 2013. That’s not without reason either. Aside from the fact that it drives pretty damn brialliantly, its battery charges from 0 to 80% in three hours.

And with 10 000 already pre-ordered, it’s hardly surprising that BMW is planning on giving it a slightly bigger sibling in the shape of an i5.

Speaking to AutoblogGreen, head of electric vehicle operations and strategy for BMW Jacob Harb said, “You can probably take an educated guess at the next thought process, something a little bigger, maybe a little more range, relative to the i3. We’ve got everything trademarked and we’re exploring the best, next iteration. It is coming. It’s in development now.”

A greater range means that the i5 could take BMW’s electric efforts out of the city and become a viable option for commuters.

In the meantime though, the i3 still has to roll out properly, with the Munich-based marque paying special attention to the people who’ve participated in its Active E programme.

In fact, it looks like Active E participants will be able to upgrade to a special edition i3 at no extra cost. Quite what’ll make these i3s so special is unclear, but Harb says that they will be “as unique and compelling as possible”.