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  1. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    The i3 sales figure came in at 1,022 units in the month of September: Click to open
  2. surfingslovak

    EVSE ICE Bucket Challenge

    http://bit.ly/juiceboxbucketchallenge
  3. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Yes, but it's incorrect to assume that the Air Resources Board simply took everything that BMW wanted, and wrote it down in the form of BEVx regulation. There is always a baseline you can assume to be safe, and you can work off in terms of design, and if a certain rule is overturned or a lower...
  4. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Don Parsons from Denver, CO has recently taken a trip to the summit of Mt. Evans, which is the highest-elevation paved road in the US. The trip took him over 14,000 feet above sea level, and has pushed the range extender beyond its limit. Here is his write-up: http://bit.ly/donparsonsmtevanstrip
  5. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    At REFUEL on Sunday? That would have been my ActiveE. It was driven by a friend of mine, Jeremy Whaling. To be clear, all ActiveE lessees were allowed to keep the car while they were awaiting the delivery of their i3. Although my car should have gone back to BMW on June 9, I was able to keep it...
  6. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Thanks for sharing! I think I may know the owner.
  7. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    That's correct, but I think some of these cars display m/kWh for brevity on the dash. And forum members likely use the same shorthand, however incorrect it may be formally.
  8. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    For what it's worth, my average over the first 950 miles is 263 Wh/mile. The majority of my driving is on the freeway at speeds between 70 and 80 mph. I'm sorry but this is just blatantly incorrect. If you would like to write off a vehicle as a glorified golf cart, go ahead, but please don't...
  9. surfingslovak

    SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

    Will do! There are few here in the Bay Area, who are interested as well. To be clear, the e-NV200 shares the drivetrain with the LEAF, and due to the aerodynamics it likely has less range than the LEAF in freeway driving. The LEAF is supposed to get a larger battery pack by 2017, and the e-NV200...
  10. surfingslovak

    SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

    Yes, Dennis, there was some controversy around the project, which has been covered pretty widely in the press. I will ask about it tomorrow at the event. I'm under the impression that Nissan is committed to the vehicle and is testing the waters with partners, dealers and consumers in the US.
  11. surfingslovak

    SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

    Gene, I think there is a good chance that the e-NV200 will be available to consumers before long. I'm not familiar with all the details of the project, but the electric version of the NV200 was part of Nissan's bid for the Taxi of Tomorrow project in NYC. They trialed the vehicle fairly...
  12. surfingslovak

    SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

    Please join us tomorrow evening meeting at the Nissan Research Center – Silicon Valley. Nissan has graciously agreed to host us, and will showcase an e-NV200 prototype at their facility. This is an unique opportunity to get a sneak peek. Refreshments will be provided. May Meeting at the Nissan...
  13. surfingslovak

    Altcar Expo 2014 Norcal Owner Meet by San Francisco BayLEAFs

    If you were in the Bay Area, please join us for an EV owner meet on Saturday morning, March 15. The gathering will be hosted by the AltCar Expo at the Craneway Pavilion at 1414 Harbour Way South in Richmond, CA. The Expo has built a good reputation in Southern California, and is expanding to the...
  14. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Updated ride & drive schedule: Click to open Steve Thomas BMW in Camarillo, CA will have a test drive event on March 1 between 10 am and 5 pm.
  15. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Thank you for the summary. Yes, agreed, the current run rate is reportedly 70 per day, 1,400 per month and 17,000 per year. It will be interesting to see how the US market will respond, given the controversial exterior styling and limited availability (2,000 to 3,000 cars is the first year)...
  16. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Here is an updated ride & drive event schedule compiled by members of our i3 Facebook group. The German publication Manager Magazin, which appeared on newsstands yesterday, reports that i3 production is ramping slower than anticipated. You can read a summary of their research in the article...
  17. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    And for those that haven't seen this episode of Fully Charged yet, Robert Llewellyn had an opportunity to drive the i3 couple of weeks ago at the Brands Hatch racetrack:
  18. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    A different review entirely from a Sandal BMW Huddersfield employee, and an article from Parkers in the UK, which suggests that the production version of the i3 automatically engages the range extender at 18% SOC. This would make it more similar to the Volt, and easier to operate in hilly...
  19. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    I'm confident in my numbers. Let me ask you in return, where did you get yours? Most of these alarming posts are based on incorrect assumptions. Yes, but in your original post, you did not assume wintry driving conditions. You stated that 20 kW of power output are needed to propel the i3 50 to...
  20. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Between 11 to 13 kW are needed to propel the i3 at speeds from 50 to 55 mph on flat terrain. You stated that 20 kW were necessary. This is a significant miscalculation, almost by a factor of 100%, and you won't be able to pass it off as a rounding error by assuming higher air or rolling...
  21. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Four words: California Air Resouces Board. The i3 was designed to fit the new BEVx category, hence the small tank size. Also the battery must be depleted before the REx is engaged to qualify for this classification. I don't believe that this is correct. You don't need 20 kW to go 50-55 mph...
  22. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    This is correct. However, in Europe manual REx operation is permitted, and the range extender can be engaged below 80% SOC, much like the Volt. This should allow the i3 to climb mountain passes of several thousand feet at 75 mph. A sustained gradient of 10% is an extreme use case, and the...
  23. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Yes, you are absolutely correct. Even though BMW wants to move a lot of the sales process online, and hire new product specialists, it looks like dealers will still be in control of the overall sales experience. Since the question of the 5th seat came up, I thought I would post this photo from...
  24. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Definitely! I'm under the impression that BMW would like to change the retail experience dramatically, and has taken a page out of Apple's and Tesla's book. How that will look like exactly, I don't know, but I believe that new sales centers are being established. Hopefully, it will be enough to...
  25. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Good one! Yes, the lack of the 5th seat is one if the biggest shortcomings of the i3, along with the lack of a larger battery option, and the controversial looks. Although the latter seems to sit better with European prospects. A friend of called it an "unforced error". The BMW dealers are all...
  26. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    I'm sorry, but the i3 is not a compliance car, no matter how often that's repeated. Yes, same here. I love the US, but never understood the lure and culture of trash talking. Agree on the physics and math of the REx. Wish BMW had offered a larger pack option, but weight, handling and...
  27. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    So don't drive one then :-)
  28. surfingslovak

    Nissan Asks “How Much of a Premium Would You Pay For a 150-Mile EPA-Rated LEAF?”

    Yes, please don't forget workplace charging in the general condemnation of public charging. I know Rob said that these are his opinions, and they are not so humble, but they are just that, his personal opinions. I think it's misguided when someone takes their use case, and tries to generalize it...
  29. surfingslovak

    Nissan Asks “How Much of a Premium Would You Pay For a 150-Mile EPA-Rated LEAF?”

    Where did you read that, Rob? Please beware of misinformation. - - - Updated - - - Thank you for mentioning it. A new Facebook group for gen 2 owners has been recently formed. Perhaps some of those owners might be interested in participating: http://www.facebook.com/groups/rav4ev/
  30. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Yes, I helped Eric Loveday with the translation of the source document. Those numbers don't look very encouraging. One explanation is that BMW vehicles are often taken out on a lease by businesses, both small and large. That would be then classified as a commercial registration. We have...
  31. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    I don't believe that the final US spec car has been produced for certification yet. Virtually every large market has a different way of calculating cargo space. - - - Updated - - - I will post a list of ride & drive events from our Facebook group below. The ActiveE Field Trial: The Final...
  32. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    To my knowledge, there is only one i3 with REx in the US as of this writing, so chances are that this was a BEV. The giveaway is the fuel door on the passenger side front quarter panel. (photo credit: Tony Williams, San Diego)
  33. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    EPA Range The EPA Range of the BMW i3: A Prognosis - Torque News
  34. surfingslovak

    SAE vs CHAdeMO

    Yes, and about as many in the SF BayArea. Additional stations are in LA and in Arizona. We kept a pretty close count in the following thread: My Nissan Leaf Forum View topic - J1772 combo plug (aka CCS aka Frankenplug) charger counts
  35. surfingslovak

    The Three CARB-ZEV Compliance Car Classifications

    Wow, I had no idea that a simple statement would lead to further speculation. I'm pretty certain that what I said up-thread is based on fact, and not fiction. Please don't make me get the tinfoil hat!
  36. surfingslovak

    The Three CARB-ZEV Compliance Car Classifications

    Thanks, appreciate the comment and humor. The i3 will launch as a 2014 MY next spring.
  37. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    While the disappointment is palpable, that particular information is not new, Jay. The base MSRP was announced in the summer. The US trim is optioned differently though. I think an interesting question would be, why exactly is the price relative to the base model LEAF so much higher in the US...
  38. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    The US pricing list has just been released. (via bimmerpost and the i3 Facebook grop). Click to open
  39. surfingslovak

    The Three CARB-ZEV Compliance Car Classifications

    Thanks Tony! Does this imply that BMW is at least one year early with their compliance car, and there was no pressing need to run either the MINI-E or the ActiveE field trial from this perspective?
  40. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Thanks, Rob. I appreciate your point of view. I'm afraid that I might not have expressed what I meant with conquest buyers properly. I think most established automakers would rather bring in buyers from other brands than to cannibalize existing sales generated by their other models. That's why I...
  41. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    I agree with the assertion that BMW should have aimed higher in terms of their pure BEV offering. A 30 kWh battery would have likely carried a price and weight penalty comparable to the REx. It looks like, for whatever reason, their product managers and planners decided that the REx will cover...
  42. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Please enlighten me, is the EV market so mature and are the ranks of ICE drivers and potential EV drivers so limited that a marketing and advertising spend will have no effect? Are we at a point where we have to fret about stealing "potential" buyers from other EVs? I'm curious how you can make...
  43. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    I think the sales numbers and production ramp up is comparable to what we have seen with the Zoe, which is priced very competitively, in part thanks to the battery rental scheme, and has been universally well received. Remember the slow start Tesla had with the Model S last winter and how Elon...
  44. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    No, I don't believe that the majority of i3 buyers will come from "other EVs"; most of them will be recruited from the ranks of ICE drivers. That said, the percentage of conquest buyers coming from other brands will be very significant. We have seen something similar with the LEAF in the past.
  45. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Well said! I hope so too, Tom. I was quite impressed with the presentation Lars Thomsen recently delivered at a conference in Graz, Austria. He verbalized very poignantly a few things the audience needed to hear, I believe, and mentioned Tesla and Elon a few times. Lars thinks that the next...
  46. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Dan Neil reviews the BMW i3 for the WSJ. Please read the full article online: BMW Takes Positive Step in Electric Vehicle Field With i3 - WSJ.com
  47. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    New video review by CarBuyer in the UK. It's pretty balanced; the reporter uses a flapjack and a brownie to explain the LifeDrive architecture.
  48. surfingslovak

    BMW i3

    Yes, there are at least three i3s in the Bay Area as of this writing. They are likely being shuttled to various test drive and show & tell events.
  49. surfingslovak

    Nissan Leaf

    Good to hear that your battery is doing well. Would you be at liberty to share your LEAF's mileage? For what it's worth, 80% vs 100% charging has not been demonstrated to be of any significant benefit. If you look at the data from the field, LEAF owners with comparable mileage and age of the...
  50. surfingslovak

    Nissan Leaf

    Thanks for posting this, and for the insightful comment. Would you know how long the test might have lasted, and what the final mileage was on those vehicles?