BMW i3

[SmartElectric]

you need a reliable 120 mile range - minimum - to cover typical commuter usage.

Not my commute, nor that of the vast majority of the people I work with. They could commute in my Smart ED. The range is a reliable 80km round trip in all weather conditions, this is worst case, running defrost and seat heaters in -20C with no plugging in during the day (the Smart ED conditions the battery, and the cold soak during the day does not reduce range at all). In summer, round trips of 130km are no trouble.

Again, I realize this Tesla forum has members who generally have much longer commutes than the average, because they bought a car with the longest all-electric range, they perceive others cannot live on less, but we can!

I certainly would like a long range EV to replace our Mercedes SUV, and then we could drive 100% on electrons. But the MB never goes on a commute, the trips in that car are <10km during the week, and >300km on the weekends, there is no "in between".

The other option is to have two small electric cars (Smart + BMW perhaps) and just save the gas car for the long weekend trips. And that just might be more practical once our oldest reaches driving age, as handing the keys over to a Model S to a teen...I don't want to think about it.

 

[Doug_G]

Not my commute, nor that of the vast majority of the people I work with.

Did you read my post? My point was, if the ONLY thing you do is a 40 mile round trip commute, then a 60 mile EV is fine. But no one I know drives to work and back every day without any side trips. The factor-of-three multiplier is what a practical daily use EV would require to cover 99.5% of usage.

 

[jerjozwik]

the wife an i manage to live normal lives driving our commute and all over greater los angeles with 80 mile range compliance cars. sure we will be upgrading to a tesla, but it is doable.

 

[Doug_G]

That's fantastic, but most people aren't that adventurous. If you want masses of people to adopt electric cars they have to meet their expectations. One of the biggest expectations is that you don't have to watch the fuel gauge every single moment you're driving the thing.

 

[Dylanpete]

That's fantastic, but most people aren't that adventurous. If you want masses of people to adopt electric cars they have to meet their expectations. One of the biggest expectations is that you don't have to watch the fuel gauge every single moment you're driving the thing.

Doug_G, that's exactly in a "nutshell" the justification why I decided to go for the Tesla Model S85!
Having a commuting return distance of about 180km (112 miles) with a bit of extra distance for shopping etc. along the way, no charging possibility at destination and very poor charging infrastructure around Brisbane (without DC chargers) the choice of EVs was very limited.
I tested the Nissan Leaf, the BMW i3 REX and the Tesla Model S85 in the USA and Europe and all 3 have enough positive features to speak about for hours...
What I loved with the Nissan Leaf is that Nissan also can provide you with the Leaf to home and when your intention is to use the EV as a second car that adds tremendous value especially in case you produce your own solar energy.
I drove the BMW i3 in the city and suburban area and felt it's a great city car packed with attractive features such as ACC and autoparking, good UI for the electronics, great visibility etc...but again the BEV version lacks the range we need.
Now the Tesla Model S85 easily covers my range needs and I must say that once you have driven it you'll fall in love with it. But it remains a big car with a big budget and less agile in the city.
So I started to consider the BMW i3 REX, although I would prefer to refrain from pumping any fuel, but doing a bit more DD about the REX I finally decided to buy the Tesla Model S85:
The BMW i3 and its REX version perform well at lower speeds but at higher speeds the Tesla Model S85 with its low drag coeff of 0.24 has an obvious advantage over the BMW i3 REX with a drag coeff of 0.30 (0.29 for the BEV)
Given that 85% of my commuter return trip is on roads with speed limits >80km and majority 100km I wanted to figure out how this would affect range in comparison to the Tesla.

references: Tesla Model S85 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------BMW i3: ref 1 & ref 2
Tesla Model S85 Available energy for range driving: 75.9 kWh --------------------------------------------BMW i3 Available energy for range driving: 18.8 kWh

 

[theganjaguru]

Pretty sure the US version of the i3 doesn't have fog lights. (my "giga world" doesn't, and I cannot find any mention of them in any trim) The two lower lights on the i3 ARE the "high beams" (which is an odd name as in this case they are physically lower than the main lights). But they do appear to illuminate higher and wider than the main head lights.

The only mention of "fog light" in the manual is the non-US version which seems to have a single yellow light in the back called a "fog light".

Incorrect my friend... Please look at the instructional videos and manuals on BMW's own website. They specifically refer to these lights as "fog lights". My car (which is a base model) is missing the switch.....

http://cache.bmwusa.com/Video_ae08685f-044f-4319-a06e-f4439fddd23b_MP4.arox

BMW USA

 

[wart]

Refer to the "Headlights" video on the BMW USA i3 Owner's Manual site.

In the "Headlights" video the narrator shows the fog lights button to the left of the headlight control knob, and she states that "the parking lights or low beams must be turned on to operate the fog lights."

I suppose it's possible that the video was made with a European market i3 and that it's out of date for the US model, but since it's on the BMW USA Web site I think it's reasonable to think it should be correct for the US model.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

For academic purposes (mostly?). Especially the last ~30 seconds (!)... And my memory is getting really bad when it comes to these little snippets, but as I remember it, Mr. Muzio seemed to fancy it.

 

[Dchint]

BMW I3 Most Revolutionary Car

BMW i3 called 'most revolutionary car' since Ford Model T


I'm baffled....

 

[Raffy.Roma]

I'm baffled....

+ 1

I saw the I3 in Rome. It's ugly. :scared:

 

[mikeash]

It's from a plastics conference, and they're calling it that because of the materials used in the i3, which uses lots of advanced plastics. It's nothing to do with the car as a car, per se.

 

[hiphenry]

I can't agree more. I'm no artist or car designer. I believe Elon once said that why wouldn't car manufacturers put good looking cars from car shows? And here contrarily how could they put something this unpleasantly looking car to production? Did I miss something?

 

[Dchint]

It's from a plastics conference, and they're calling it that because of the materials used in the i3, which uses lots of advanced plastics. It's nothing to do with the car as a car, per se.

I realize that but then they should call it the most "revolutionary car made out of plastic since the model T" and not "the most revolutionary car." Even so, I can think of a few cars made out of carbon fiber/plastic that are more revolutionary than the i3...

 

[MarkR]

YOU GUYS JUST DON'T GET IT! The "revolution" that the BMW i3 has brought is a revolt against beauty, a revolution against aesthetics, a violent rejection of all things pleasing to the eye, and an avoidance of pleasant functionality. There are good revolutions and bad revolutions. I'm rather fond of the looks of the i8, but the i3 is a loser.

 

[ecarfan]

No need to shout. I think most -- though not all -- forum members agree that the i3 is not an aesthetic victory.

There are a few i3 owners who have contributed to discussions here, and no doubt they disagree. But beauty is generally a subjective judgement...

 

[WarpedOne]

But beauty is generally a subjective judgement...

That is a loser's excuse.
One might not find a miss world "a pure 10", but no one in his right mind can say she is ugly.
For i3 i have not trouble declaring it a "fugly beyond description, a face only blind mother could love"
And there is zero doubt in my mind i3 without a BMW badge would be worldwide laughing horse.

i3 is an insult to intelligence and design.

 

[Vitaman]

Have to go with ecarfan on this one.
My wife is hardly a stranger to aesthetics (she was a model in her 20's and is an interior designer by trade) loved the look of the i3 enough to buy one.
This is in spite of the 70 mile range and iffy ride characteristics at 80mph on skinny tires.

 

[ecarfan]

Some people prefer to live in a world of certainty and absolutes.

Others see the world in shades of gray and relative scales, the exception being pure mathematics while appreciating quantum uncertainty in the physical world.

That is a loser's excuse.
One might not find a miss world "a pure 10", but no one in his right mind can say she is ugly.
For i3 i have not trouble declaring it a "fugly beyond description, a face only blind mother could love"
And there is zero doubt in my mind i3 without a BMW badge would be worldwide laughing horse.

i3 is an insult to intelligence and design.

 

[ckessel]

Parked next to an i3 yesterday and looked at it for a bit. Meh, not atrocious, but not attractive either in any sort of classical sense. Box shaped, lots of squared off lines, no real flow to the exterior. A real departure from what I'm used to seeing from BMW aesthetically.

 

[Cal1]

BMW buys i3 superbowl ad

Charged EVs | BMW buys Super Bowl ad for i3