It also has a special Sport driving mode with "more direct accelerator response and tighter steering characteristics." All of that makes the i3s capable on 0 - 6 MPH in 6.8 seconds, with a 100 MPH top speed. Outside, both the i3 and i3s have new styling tweaks all around to make the car appear wider and match the company's trademark BMW i Black Belt design.

Slightly more important however are the changes to charging, as part of its "360° ELECTRIC" package. The new TurboCord EV Charger is a $500 accessory that works with both cars. BMW claims it's the "smallest, lightest UL-listed portable charger available," ready for Level 1 charging from any regular 120V outlet, as well as 3.6kW charging from 240V outlets, which is 3x as fast as a standard cable.

Features like the gas-powered range extender, ConnectedDrive, iDrive 6 and Apple CarPlay are still around, although there's a higher resolution 1,440 x 540 10-inch touchscreen available with the Professional navigation package. The cars will make their debut next month at the Frankfurt Motor show, while pricing info will be revealed later.