The movement towards a fully electric and self-sustaining future is slowly moving forward as automotive companies are also busy trying to come up with their own take on the electric automobile. As it stands, Tesla is currently leading the world in this type of technology, but the German automotive manufacturer, BMW, is likewise reportedly gaining some ground at present. New reports have revealed that BMW is likely to have some big plans for its i3 electric vehicle line up for 2017 which should be of interest to those who want to purchase an electric vehicle with the BMW branding.

The company has been offering its "i" line of electric vehicles for quite some time now, with the company's i8 plug-in hybrid being featured in various movies and television shows. However, the company apparently wants to expand its all-electric i3 line, a model that is relatively within financial reach to most consumers. Tesla is, of course, also poised to release its take on a truly mass market electric car with its Tesla Model 3. However, since Tesla's new model isn't set to be released just yet, BMW currently has the advantage of being the first to release their product. If the company gets the pricing and the hardware of the 2017 BMW i3 just right, then they stand to take a big chunk of the electric car market right off the bat.

Reports from the manufacturer's home country has revealed that BMW apparently plans to redesign its 2017 i3 electric vehicle along with significantly extending its range. With the implementation of new battery technologies, the next generation vehicle is rumored to have a range of up to 180 miles on a full charge this time around. This is a big leap from the 114-mile capacity of the previous model. While these figures are still a long way off from the 300-mile capability promised by the Tesla Model S, the i3's $47,450 price tag gives it the clear advantage over the Model S which costs around $134,000 before incentives.