BMW Says Range Extender Technology Is Not Returning Soon

BMW says it has no immediate plans to revive Range Extender systems once used in the i3, focusing instead on long-range EVs, fast charging, and the Neue Klasse platform.

BMW has no immediate plans to revive its Range Extender technology, a system in which a small gasoline engine works as a generator to recharge an electric vehicle’s battery. The solution was previously used in the BMW i3, but after the model’s production ended, the company effectively moved away from this concept.

In the BMW i3, the Range Extender was a two-cylinder gasoline engine with a displacement of 647 cc. It was not connected to the drivetrain and did not drive the wheels. Instead, it served exclusively as a generator producing electricity for the battery. The unit delivered about 25 kW of power and activated when the battery charge dropped to a certain level, allowing the vehicle to continue driving long enough to reach a charging station. The concept was originally designed to address the so-called range anxiety that accompanied early electric vehicles.

According to BMW’s head of research and development Joachim Post, modern electric vehicles can already deliver sufficient driving range without the need for additional generators. As a result, the company is prioritizing improvements in battery technology and charging speed rather than relying on transitional solutions such as range-extending engines.

A key part of this strategy is the new electric architecture known as Neue Klasse. The platform uses an 800-volt electrical system and the sixth generation of BMW’s eDrive technology. This architecture significantly increases charging performance and drivetrain efficiency. It supports ultra-fast charging of up to 400 kW and relies on a new generation of cylindrical battery cells designed to improve energy density.

BMW says future vehicles based on this platform will be able to replenish hundreds of kilometers of driving range within minutes. In practical terms, roughly ten minutes of charging could add around 350 kilometers of range.

The first production model built on the Neue Klasse platform will be the next-generation BMW iX3 electric crossover. The vehicle is expected to offer a driving range of around 800 kilometers on the WLTP cycle. Charging power can reach up to 400 kW, while the battery capacity is expected to be approximately 109 kWh. In all-wheel-drive form the system output may reach about 345 kW, enabling acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in roughly 4.9 seconds.

Despite ruling out an immediate return of Range Extender technology, BMW has not completely dismissed the concept. Such systems could still prove useful in regions where charging infrastructure remains limited. If the technology does return, it could potentially appear in larger vehicles such as the BMW X5 or X7.

At the same time, the company continues to explore alternative propulsion technologies. BMW is developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, including the BMW iX5 Hydrogen prototype created in cooperation with Toyota. These projects are being studied as a complementary path alongside battery-electric vehicles.

BMW’s strategy therefore increasingly centers on fully electric platforms with longer driving ranges and dramatically faster charging. If the performance targets promised by the Neue Klasse architecture translate into real-world production models, the need for range-extending generators may gradually disappear.