AustinPowers
Total Smeghead
You do realize that ManuVince was talking about the Fiat 500e, not the i3.
Or does the 500e also use carbon fiber in its bodywork?
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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
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- Electric Vehicles
You do realize that ManuVince was talking about the Fiat 500e, not the i3.
Or does the 500e also use carbon fiber in its bodywork?
Tedkidd
Member
+1
Doesn't comparing compliance cars to real EV's do disservice to potential EV buyers, and companies willing to get behind EV?
+1
+1
Tedkidd
Member
Very nice orange... That was my pick of colors, compromised with the better half for Ionic Silver.
How's the ride compared to the ActiveE?
Different. First, the driving position in the i3 is way higher than the ActiveE. And while the i3 is lighter, they seemed to have delayed the full power to the wheels a bit so it doesn't seem as zippy off the line. Once moving it gets the EV grin going, but there's a second or two lag to full power which I find odd. It also aggressively backs off regen on non-perfect surfaces. I find myself using the friction brakes more often as the regen is often not doing what I anticipate it should do, especially around corners.
That said, the regen to full stop is great, and I like the adaptive cruise very much in traffic, as well as the new style cruise controls on the wheel instead of the stalk.
The i3 is is much more efficient than the ActiveE was. I easily get 14 kWh/100km (4.4 mi/kWh). The farthest I've driven yet is my 60 mile commute in the nice weather in eco-pro mode, and the GOM shows 20+ more to go. I probably could travel 90 miles in eco-pro without trying hard, while in the ActiveE I could travel 100 miles in eco-pro without trying that hard. We'll see what colder weather brings. I'm expecting (hoping!) the heat pump will make a big difference in the cold.
The new iPhone app is light years ahead of the old one, though there are some times it doesn't seem to get updates from the car in a timely manner.
Thanks for the feeback, have you seen the 80 mile comparison that Tom and Michael did last weekend.
I wonder if the drop in range after heavy driving will be more pronounced since there is less kWh to start with.
I really enjoy single pedal driving and have gotten used to the somewhat aggressive, but less aggressive than the ActiveE, standard Tesla regen on my Model S. (I concede that sentence was not as well written as it sounded in my head, but Woot and other drivers of the same profile understand what I mean).
Looking forward to a side by side comparison against the Model S for a daily commute as well as recreational drive.
I wonder if the drop in range after heavy driving will be more pronounced since there is less kWh to start with.
I really enjoy single pedal driving and have gotten used to the somewhat aggressive, but less aggressive than the ActiveE, standard Tesla regen on my Model S. (I concede that sentence was not as well written as it sounded in my head, but Woot and other drivers of the same profile understand what I mean).
Looking forward to a side by side comparison against the Model S for a daily commute as well as recreational drive.
AC1K
Member
The rear doors require the front doors to be open before they will open. So not really a 4 door, not really a 2 door.
Yes that is correct. This article outlines the process a little ways down the page.
BMW i3 Design, Especially Its Doors, Requires A Learning Curve | PluginCars.com
They work like a '3rd door' on the Mazda RX8 and the Hyundai Veloster and some pickup trucks.
gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
And the Mini Clubman (my wife's car). That third door is a real PITA. Not fun at all to get in or worse, get out.
Hey, I had a compliance car and it was a real EV, with a Tesla drive train, to boot. (RAV4EV)
Tedkidd
Member
Sure, you get to have a really cool ev because you live in CA. But there really IS life East of Sepulvida.
From a "brand" perspective, a car very few can see, drive, buy,... it could be argued, dilutes Electric Vehicle understanding and recognition by the broader public.
"Ev's must not be going anywhere, I've never seen an"... Electric Honda, rav, mini, smart, fiat, etc...
Then Toyota pulls out and says electric is going nowhere, hydrogen is the future. (How ya feel about that? Driving a car your mfr implies is an abortion?) Honda too, right?
" These companies were in the business and say EV is a fail, better just get another ICE melter."
Just seems to me compliance cars hurt EV adoption way more than they help. Not sure how to measure to know for sure.
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anticitizen13.7
Not posting at TMC after 9/17/2018
I don't understand why automakers like to saddle their products with these inconveniences. It really speaks to where BMW places the i3 in its lineup: a niche car for eccentrics. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, given that the i3 looks to me like a descendant of the Honda Element.
Tedkidd
Member
Suicide doors are ok, but those other details... Wow, in my 98 Dodge RAM Quad they knew enough to put a vent window in back. And the seatbelt was attached to the seat, not the door.
dennis
Model S Plaid
Rather than criticizing the manufacturers for providing CA compliance cars, how about questioning the other states who are not doing as much to promote EVs as CA is doing? Remember when there were CA cars and 49 state cars because CA was more aggressive in reducing emissions? Eventually the Feds adopted those more aggressive standards for the entire country. It is unlikely Tesla would exist as a company if the CARB regulations were not in place in CA.
It's not that the states aren't doing things to promote EVs. Georgia offers $5000! and HOV/HOT free access (big deal for lots of Atlanta). The fact that Georgia doesn't penalize a manufacturer for not producing ZEV is the problem.
Compliance EVs aren't there to meet demand, they are there to avoid/mitigate financial penalties. I'd most likely be buying a Fiat 500e instead of at Ford Focus Electric next weekend if they were offered in GA.
Tedkidd
Member
Hmmm. I suppose if more states adopted minimum EV sales, MFRS would simply say "may as well go all in..."
How do you drive that kind of change?
RobStark
Well-Known Member
Elon believes that BEVs are inevitable regardless of government policy. Government policy only makes the transition faster.
Tesla has always maintained their business plan was to succeed without government subsidies, that they were the gravy not the meal.
Hard to say because we can't run a controlled experiment to find out what would happen in this alternate reality.
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