I am a thrilled new owner of a Caprice White metallic i3, with funky two-toned interior, and a 0-60 mph time that will make you respect this EV above any other - except maybe the Pearl White P85 Tesla my husband has ordered and anxiously awaits. Yes, we are soon to be a two EV family, and I am grateful BMW broke the mold with the i3, making it possible for us to fully commit to this lifestyle.
Those of you who criticize the i3 don't know any better, is all I can assume. If you're commenting on the appearance of the i3, you don't know it just won both the prestigious World Car Design of the Year award and World Green Car of 2014; yes, it defies what one has come to expect inside a car, with its minimalist sculpted renewable eucalyptus wood dash (grown in a field behind the wind-powered factory in Leipzig!), its far-out vegetable-based plastic-ish material, and its total lack of new car outgassing smell. The visibility in this car is the best I've ever experienced. The headroom and overall sense of spaciousness is calming and avoids feeling like emptiness. The technology, while certainly not being in the league of Tesla, is on par with the highest level BMW's (which, having owned a 2010 X5M, we are happy to see... that iDrive really needed the improvement it received), and have you seen how my car finds a parking space on a bustling urban street and parallel parks itself???
A hippie friend of mine recently traded her family's cars for one Leaf and one Prius. I had the unfortunate experience of being stuck in a (slooowwwww) ride to the mountains with her and it was all that was spoken about for an hour. Finally she asked me if I would consider an electric car. My reply? No way. I like to drive - fast. Not willing to sacrifice the fun of zippy speed and handling for the cause. Sorry.
This car is a BEAST on the road, seriously. My husband and I had a little drag race on a straightaway, he in his 2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, I in my i3. The i3 held her own, let me tell you. If you had been behind the wheel of this car, I can assure you, you would not be comparing it to a Leaf. This car doesn't just handle well compared to sluggish EV's for people who are happy to slowly trudge the road of the no-emission future, but compared to non-EV's as well.
This car is a blast to drive, and I would highly recommend it for anyone who cannot afford the Tesla, or who doesn't want to be in a big (sorry, as much as I love and respect it), serious-looking sedan. Sure, Tesla kicks the ass of most cars on the road, and their business model is beyond... but all that and price tags aside...... I would still rather have my i3. I will love and respect that P85 Model S when we go out for dinner, or on a road trip, but for my day-to-day in-and-out of traffic, in-and-out of car life, this is the best possible fit.
I am so happy there is a high-level EV out there for people like me, and am a little disappointed to hear such uninformed negative banter about it here on a Tesla forum. Until Tesla shows me the smaller, less pricey Model III, I'll be happily (and quickly) zipping into the future in my i3.
As for the ignorance of charging options, my BMW techie guy was inspired, informed, and really drove home the importance of charging awareness. I think this person blamed the dealership to protect his own ego.
And that's sort of my point (and many others on this thread): nothing against the i3 itself, and there are certainly some BMW dealers who are treating the i3 as a first-class product on the same level as their other vehicles. But the dealers that don't, are doing a major disservice to their customers and to EV adoption in general. Sure, the i3 owner referenced in the OP probably should have done more research, and his local dealer should have at least pointed him toward some helpful charging resources and recommended a home charger. If nothing else, a home charger could be an up-sell item for dealers. I'd hate to lump it in with extended warranties, pin stripes, scotch-guarded seats, etc., but any dealer selling the i3 (or any EV) has an incentive to encourage the buyer to charge at home when that's feasible.
