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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
- Start date
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- Electric Vehicles
stopcrazypp
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that's a good point. Likely not. What goofy tire sizes. Like something you'd see on a bicycle.
Was Page 2 blank or is it missing?
I decided that I was going to get an EV next year. It was down to the models s and the i3 with a REx. The main advantage for the i3 is that I found it to more more comfortable and easier to get in and out of. (Bad back). Also given the same options, the i3 was $40,000 less expensive (would not buy a 60kwhr model s).
Of course the Model S wins in every other category. The winner was the range... It can do 100% of my daily driving needs on a single charge. I would have to use the REx in the i3 a few times a week for an extra 5-20 miles of range. I work in sales and have to keep a milage log and know my driving habits very well. When BMW announced that the REx was not for daily use, I began to lose interest. You might can use it every day, but that was not a good thing for BMW to announce. In addition, I did did not like the cheap looking ECO friendly stuff they put around the dash and door panels in the i3. It has NO PLACE in a $50,000 car. It look worse than the insulation in most trunk liners.
I eventually chose the Model S, but it was very close. The extra $40,000 for the Tesla is kind of a shock to my system. I also worry at Tesla might not be around in a few years. The reality is that some very powerful forces want Tesla to fail. I think they will survive (I am betting $85,000 on it) but the engineer in me knows that they could still go under and it would not take all that many thing to go wrong for that to happen. I also still find the Model S hard to get in and out of. The air ride at max height helps and I have lost about 15 lb and have been working out to help me live with the car. (A good side benefit).
My my final decision was that I just did not want an ICE engine in my electric car. If the BEV i3 had 150 miles of range however, it would have been an easy win for the i3. There is no way I could have justified the extra cost for the Tesla and I found the i3 to be more comfortable.
Of course the Model S wins in every other category. The winner was the range... It can do 100% of my daily driving needs on a single charge. I would have to use the REx in the i3 a few times a week for an extra 5-20 miles of range. I work in sales and have to keep a milage log and know my driving habits very well. When BMW announced that the REx was not for daily use, I began to lose interest. You might can use it every day, but that was not a good thing for BMW to announce. In addition, I did did not like the cheap looking ECO friendly stuff they put around the dash and door panels in the i3. It has NO PLACE in a $50,000 car. It look worse than the insulation in most trunk liners.
I eventually chose the Model S, but it was very close. The extra $40,000 for the Tesla is kind of a shock to my system. I also worry at Tesla might not be around in a few years. The reality is that some very powerful forces want Tesla to fail. I think they will survive (I am betting $85,000 on it) but the engineer in me knows that they could still go under and it would not take all that many thing to go wrong for that to happen. I also still find the Model S hard to get in and out of. The air ride at max height helps and I have lost about 15 lb and have been working out to help me live with the car. (A good side benefit).
My my final decision was that I just did not want an ICE engine in my electric car. If the BEV i3 had 150 miles of range however, it would have been an easy win for the i3. There is no way I could have justified the extra cost for the Tesla and I found the i3 to be more comfortable.
Tesla has already overcome the greatest hurdles imaginable. I have zero worries that Tesla will continue on. If you lived out here in California where seeing over 20 Model S a day is the norm and where you might be sitting at a light with a Model S next to you and one or two crossing your path, you would feel more confident.
I think you are right, but the Oil companies want Tesla to fail... They own much of the US government...
Sorry to disagree. Oil companies are not threatened by Tesla at all. They have an entire world market demanding their product. And just like any massive conglomerate, oil companies aren't looking twenty years down the line. Tesla is selling 25K cars a year. There are more gas cars being bought around the world than that in a day. So rest assured that they do not see Tesla as even a minor threat at this point.
Dealership associations are the biggest threat to Tesla. They will continue to harass and attempt to legislate against Tesla for many years to come. And oddly enough it's not because they hate Tesla. It's because they are afraid their own manufacturers will cut them out of the loop following Tesla's example of direct sales. And even more strange is the fact that the legislation in place would prevent their manufacturers from doing that anyway. So it is an irrational fear that they are fighting against.
Rifleman
Now owns 2 Model S's!!!
It would be awesome to see that! I am lucky if I see 1 Model S in the wild per month.
gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
Also means we are not that "special" around here anymore
Not many people - except those seemingly waiting out their BMW/Merc/Audi leases - throw a second glance these days...
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
Anne Hathaway and/or her significant other allegedly got one. First confirmed ’household name’ in an i3? More about the online media outlet TMZ’s angle and Master suppression techniques here (post #1723):
More anti-ev gibberish - Page 173
And the TMZ link:
Anne Hathaway -- Check Out My New Smuggy Buggy | TMZ.com
Edit: Apparently 'merely' a test drive car (Post #1724):
More anti-ev gibberish - Page 173
More anti-ev gibberish - Page 173
And the TMZ link:
Anne Hathaway -- Check Out My New Smuggy Buggy | TMZ.com
Edit: Apparently 'merely' a test drive car (Post #1724):
More anti-ev gibberish - Page 173
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The problem with BMW going after the current EV crop is that the market is so tenuous. I agree that competition will force better products but when the existing product is living by a thread it may be just as easy to stop production.
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This starts out gimmicky but ends with some nice stats.
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This starts out gimmicky but ends with some nice stats.
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gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
Love the moniker "smuggy buggy"! @Swedish, do you have a standing subscription to TMZ's very enlightening news feeds?! :tongue:
SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
You noticed! :wink: No, but maybe somewhat of a bad habit I probably should kick. :redface: But could be worse. At least it’s not smoking. Or pot…
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That feels like one of the top EV promotions. Kudos to BMW.
The cargo cap is nil on the i3. And the frunk can fit may one bag of grocery - maybe. I highly doubt I would be able to put anything in the frunk. For a 45k car, I think BMW failed here. Using carbon is also not very ideal for a mass market vehicle especially when it comes to repairs. BMW, it seems to me, tried too hard with this car and did not carefully consider its practicality.
Rifleman
Now owns 2 Model S's!!!
To me, it seems when BMW designed the i3, they said "Whats the best car we can make with a 22 kWh battery". The small battery requires a really light car to go with it, otherwise range will be insufficient. As a result, the car is tiny and made of carbon fiber. The less than ideal rear doors are a result of the need to save weight. The funny styling is a result of needing to put the smallest possible car on the skateboard. The weight and money spent on the range extender would have been better spent on an additional 10 kWh of battery, and would have made for a much more compelling vehicle.
BMW appears to have done a great job of making a 22 kWh EV. By all reports, the i3 drives well and is well made. The price point is even decent, for what it is. The only problem is that BMW made a car to work with their battery, and not a battery to work with their car.
I agree. I drove the i3 twice. It is a fun little car to drive. It is comfortable and handles well. If it had a 30-40KWhr battery with a range of about 150 miles I would have bought it over the Model S... However, I just could not stand having to have the REx version with the little ICE engine. I just did not want t have to put gas in my electric car...
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
The problem with that is if BMW had done that they would have risked other people buying it over a 1 or 3 series, and they can't have that happening or their dealers and shareholders would be up in arms.
purplewalt
Active Member
Well said.
IMO, Either Go Big or Go Home.
The idea of Missing the Mark with the battery capacity, and then possibly to compensate with a gas engine to extend the range is just 2011 Thinking (oh wait: it's already 2014?).
The i3 is maybe cute, but is below the acceptable level in terms of overall range and usage.
I don't see why the dealers or investors would have a problem with i3 sales replacing other sales, as long as the profit margins are comparable. If I were an investor in BMW I would be happy to see them selling i3s, even if it were replacing sales of their other cars. The future is electric, and if BMW can't make a compelling EV, I'd sell my stock.
Then again, I'm not a BMW investor and if I had money to invest at present, I'd invest in Tesla.
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