BMW is expected to release a longer-range i3 electric vehicle next year.

Citing company sources, German weekly Welt am Sonntag tipped a new battery to increase the EV's range beyond its current 300 km (186 miles) maximum.

The luxury carmaker recently gave its i3 battery a 50 percent boost, but it is unlikely the 2017 upgrade would surpass that; Welt suggested the new update "will not bring another 50 percent increase."

Which means drivers can expect the next-gen model to land somewhere below the 280-mile-range line—probably on par with EV rivals like Tesla's Model S (234 miles) and Model X (257 miles), or the Chevrolet Bolt (238 miles).

According to the translated Welt article, BMW's refurbished i3 will also feature a altered front and rear exterior design, though no further details were revealed.

BMW did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

The company's first all-electric vehicle debuted in July 2013, boasting a 22 kWh lithium-ion battery pack for up to 100 miles of driving (plus a gasoline-powered range extender), and a $41,350 price tag.

BMW's five-door hatchback takes about 7.5 hours to charge via a domestic power socket, or less than 30 minutes for an 80 percent refill at a 50 kWh fast-charge station. An in-car sim card, meanwhile, unlocks the BMW ConnectedDrive series—i Remote app, pedestrian navigation function, and intermodal route guidance with local public transit connections.

Despite "extremely high" initial interest, Reuters reported meager sales of only 25,000 i3s last year. With a significant range increase and a new design, BMW must surely be hoping for much more interest in this new model when it arrives.

In June, the Los Angeles Police Department ordered 100 BMW i3s to join 68 other electric vehicles in the LA fleet, making it the largest municipal squadron of EVs in the country.