BMW is waving goodbye to any range anxiety issues by giving its all-electric i3 hatchback model a new battery pack which doubles its range to nearly 200 miles.

The new battery will be available on the vehicle line-up from July and will be fitted to both the pure electric car and the petrol/electric range extender version.

The lithium ion battery is rated at 33kWh and has almost 50 per cent more capacity which not only increases the range on a single charge but also keeps the car’s spritely performance capabilities with a 0-60mpg sprint time of just 7.3 seconds.

In the range extender model, which is also fitted with a 647cc two-cylinder petrol engine to generate additional power, the new battery reduces carbon emissions to 12g/km.

As the new battery is the same size as the outgoing one, BMW says the boot capacity remains unchanged at 260 litres, increasing to 1,100 litres with the rear seats dropped flat.

Taking into account the Government grant of £4,500 for low emission vehicles, the starting price for the new i3 is £27,830 (£30,980 for the range extender model) – an increase of some £2,000 over the original model which was introduced in 2013.

Customers will also be pleased to hear that all new versions of the i3 are fitted with rapid chargers which now take just three hours for a full charge.