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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
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- Electric Vehicles
I'm 9th (that is not a typo) on the reservation list for a i3 as of today at 12:42pm. No money down, just an email address was required.
tommolog
Member
At an i3 event with a "Client Advisor" for BMW. He knew all the reservation holders by name/car-they-currently-drive. All 8 of them.
rolosrevenge
Dr. EVS
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Its performance is more than enough. 0-60 in 7 seconds beats all non-Tesla offerings. Only the Spark EV is close.
The only thing holding it back in terms of handling is narrow tires.
And frankly I don't think people care as much about performance as they do range. Right now it's still a sub-100 mile compact EV and we have plenty of those (compliance or otherwise). Adding more batteries will help them break that barrier.
I'm happy to try it out for free!
But after seeing the ridiculously low cargo space (maybe a cubic foot in the frunk and maybe 10 in the trunk) it wouldn't suit my needs (must fit a golf bag) so I doubt I would buy it. But I really want to see the production model and be one of the first to drive it so I put my name down.
rolosrevenge
Dr. EVS
tommolog
Member
My dealer in NJ has more than 8 people on their waiting list so I suppose he a client adviser for a local dealer in Seattle.
Article 1: "This just in, BMW i3 has over 1,000 reservations from WA state."
Article 2: "And the whispers are that they are coming from Tesla owners."
Article 3: "Tesla stock tumbles on the news."
Article 4: "Tesla owners apparently just messing with BMW. Showing that the 'no cost' reservation is laughingly useless as a measure of demand."
Article 5: "Tesla stock rises on the news."
Article 6: "TMC forum mints 27 more millionaires on the latest stock drama."
And so it continues.
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Put me down for one too. Heck, I might even spring for a Sig despite the 700% premium of deposit fee (bringing it to $0).
gnelson
Member
Guys, my only problem is the aesthetics with this car. Having driven over 44,000 miles (tommolog is the only one to have driven more) with the same motor and batteries in my ActiveE, I know that BMWi will be great with the much lighter, bigger i3.
BMW built this thing in a different segment than Tesla with either the Roadster or Models S. It is inane that the media compares the two.
The Active E is plenty luxurious compared to the Roadster and the i3 will be more luxurious than other EVs. Frankly the choices are awesome and the more EVs that are out there the better for all.
Besides, pick up an i3 as the car to take to the cleaners in. You can actually hang your dry cleaning in the darn thing.
BMW built this thing in a different segment than Tesla with either the Roadster or Models S. It is inane that the media compares the two.
The Active E is plenty luxurious compared to the Roadster and the i3 will be more luxurious than other EVs. Frankly the choices are awesome and the more EVs that are out there the better for all.
Besides, pick up an i3 as the car to take to the cleaners in. You can actually hang your dry cleaning in the darn thing.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Yes and what's holding the i3 back there (handling) are the ridiculously skinny tires/wheels. That's something that can be easily changed aftermarket by anyone who cares (and there's a 20 inch wheel option). Even the brakes and suspension can be changed. The small battery size, on the other hand, can't be addressed aftermarket.
Also keep in mind that the competition (Leaf, Focus, Spark, etc.) aren't exactly great handlers either.
gnelson
Member
If the i3 requires these mods, a buyer would be smart to buy a better car. You didn't mention a really good option which is a Volt or an Ampera. I own a Volt and can vouch for its handling. The only reason the i3 will accelerate faster is the lower weight that would be compromised with a larger battery. I guess there are folks that need to buy a truly ugly car like the i3. We also don't know how well the i3 battery will survive heat like we experience in TX. The Leaf battery dies prematurely here in TX unlike the liquid cooled Tesla or Volt battery. If your signature is correct,
the i3 may sell well.
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
This can be solved by easily added factory/dealer options too. But it's not as easy to add more battery capacity without planning for it well ahead.
The Volt is only slightly better than the Prius in handling (Leaf is slightly worse). This is again due to the tires. Plus the Volt will compete with the REx version of the i3, but not with the EV version of the i3. The Spark EV is what is competing with the i3 and the i3 does not offer much of an improvement precisely because it uses the same battery capacity. Plus I'll wait for the actual handling numbers to come out instead of the subjective impressions of reviewers (which seems mixed so far).
The 170hp motor helps a lot too (this is 20hp more than the Volt, 40hp more than the Spark EV). The current 22kWh pack weighs 500 lbs, 10kWh will weigh 250 lbs. With a curb weight of 2700 lbs, even with the extra capacity it'll still weigh less than 3000 lbs. The power to weight ratio would still be better than all its competitors.
A larger capacity pack will help it, not hinder it. Tesla has shown this in spades (from the Model S you see that it not only results in more capacity, but also better performance: available battery power is directly proportional to capacity).
So a few things from the i3 event today that I forgot to mention:
1. Flat battery - is this true? Does anyone know what supplier or form factor they are using? However, the pack seems to be about 10 inches high so I doubt they are 18650.
2. 14-50 adapter available at launch - he knew what I was talking about and said yes, there will be an adapter. Can anyone validate?
3. The bottom is not near as smooth as the Model S, but maybe that will change for production
4. The seatbelt anchors on the B pillar are hilariously bolted on, but I guess that will also change for production
5. I wish it wasn't true, but the exterior is even less attractive up close. The lines of the car are disproportionate, clumsy and distracting.
6. The inside, however, seems to be moving more toward Spartan and clean. Can't wait to sit in it.
7. BMW has a full End-2-End spiel for batteries, recycling and being downright green. Very exciting to see BMW going all in with this and hope it spills over to other models as the carbon fiber could very well come from Moses Lake!
8. A gaffe from the BMW presenter made me laugh when he said "...that's debatable" when referring to i3 being the first car built from the ground up to be electric.
9. Another gaffe from the BMW presenter made me laugh out loud. He said "...and when you take a long trip, bring the i3 to BMW and we'll give you a 'normal' car for your road trip".
1. Flat battery - is this true? Does anyone know what supplier or form factor they are using? However, the pack seems to be about 10 inches high so I doubt they are 18650.
2. 14-50 adapter available at launch - he knew what I was talking about and said yes, there will be an adapter. Can anyone validate?
3. The bottom is not near as smooth as the Model S, but maybe that will change for production
4. The seatbelt anchors on the B pillar are hilariously bolted on, but I guess that will also change for production
5. I wish it wasn't true, but the exterior is even less attractive up close. The lines of the car are disproportionate, clumsy and distracting.
6. The inside, however, seems to be moving more toward Spartan and clean. Can't wait to sit in it.
7. BMW has a full End-2-End spiel for batteries, recycling and being downright green. Very exciting to see BMW going all in with this and hope it spills over to other models as the carbon fiber could very well come from Moses Lake!
8. A gaffe from the BMW presenter made me laugh when he said "...that's debatable" when referring to i3 being the first car built from the ground up to be electric.
9. Another gaffe from the BMW presenter made me laugh out loud. He said "...and when you take a long trip, bring the i3 to BMW and we'll give you a 'normal' car for your road trip".
surfingslovak
Member
Yes, I will be looking for those also, and try to get a test drive, if I can. It's too soon to tell.
Indeed, I think this might be the most significant design issue. If BMW can add 300 lbs of hardware to offer a REx trim, they could conceivably add 250 lbs of batteries instead. Assuming that the physical size of the pack would not increase beyond what the current chassis can handle. I think it's a very realistic proposition. This could help make the i3 more desirable in its market segment. Tesla has demonstrated that there is plenty of demand for range, and prospects will associate premium primarily with more range.
A larger capacity pack will help it, not hinder it. Tesla has shown this in spades (from the Model S you see that it not only results in more capacity, but also better performance: available battery power is directly proportional to capacity).
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Yes. It's reportedly from Bosch (via the Bosch-Samsung joint venture SB LiMotive).
Couple of prospects asked BMW representatives at the IAA in Frankfurt yesterday how much a replacement battery might cost, should they need to buy one in the future. Here is the response they have received (corrected machine translation is below):
helmutnn said:
helmutnn said:
Good to see you here, Dennis! I wish BMW would fix the ActiveE forum, it's been down for a small eternity. Meanwhile, TMC is a good refuge to seek
I saved the electronaut forum badge, in case you were interested.
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gnelson
Member
You forgot to include the motor generator in the Volt total horsepower. I have driven a Prius and the handling is far inferior to a Volt. The Volt competes with the i3 with its pricing.
I suspect the only reason people will really buy such an ugly car as an i3 is due to a badge on it.
surfingslovak
Member
You are entitled to your opinion, obviously, but I think you could be mistaken. Beware of self-reinforcing bias.
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gnelson
Member
I think the ugliness is universally proclaimed. It is not a bias. I suggest from your avatar you have significant bias.
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