You'll still have an extender option in North America and Japan, where demand is reportedly higher. That's not completely surprising. North American drivers in particular tend to have more ground to cover between cities -- they need as much range as they can get.

Whether or not you'll lose the feature, it's a milestone for BMW. The i3 has struggled in recent times as cars like the Chevy Bolt (plus its Opel Ampera-e equivalent) and Tesla Model 3 offered significantly more range without resorting to a gas backup, and sometimes at a lower price. It's now easier to choose the BMW without feeling like you're sacrificing so much to put a roundel-badged EV on your driveway.