James May is buying a BMW i3

[spentan]

News article here: BBC Top Gear's James May: I'm Buying A BMW i3 Electric Car

BBC Top Gear’s James May: I’m Buying A BMW i3 Electric Car

MAY 26, 2014 BY NIKKI GORDON-BLOOMFIELD

He’s part of the trio known worldwide for their love of everything petrol, a team which has traditionally taken great pains to paint electric cars as slow, boring, expensive and impractical.
But now BBC Top Gear presenter James May has come out of the closet: he’s buying a BMW i3 REx electric car.

BBC Top Gear Presenter James May is buying an electric car. (Photo: Flickr User Airwolfhound, (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Talking on BBC Radio 4′s You & Yours Bank Holiday Monday special today on electric cars, the 51-year old petrol head not only admitted that he ‘quite likes’ electric cars — but that he’s going to buy one, too.
“We’ve known for a long time that the electric motor is the ideal way to propel an electric car,” he said. “We’re discovering that there’s a different sort of pleasure in motoring in an electric car because of the smoothness, the silence.”

 

[Shumdit]

“We’ve known for a long time that the electric motor is the ideal way to propel an electric car,” he said.

How else would you propel an Electric car?:wink:

 

[spentan]

“We’ve known for a long time that the electric motor is the ideal way to propel an electric car,” he said.

How else would you propel an Electric car?:wink:

LOL the only thing I can think of is maybe a hybrid system. Therefore he is claiming that EV is the way to go.

As a big fan of top gear uk, I'm really hoping they test the model s with supercharging and such. Would be really big for the car company and interesting considering the roadster test went the way it did.

 

[dsm363]

Would be interesting to hear why he didn't get the P85 or P85+. If he's planning on staying within the 80 mile range and only using the range extender for emergencies he could easily use the Model S on one charge.

 

[spentan]

Would be interesting to hear why he didn't get the P85 or P85+. If he's planning on staying within the 80 mile range and only using the range extender for emergencies he could easily use the Model S ok one charge.

considering it hasn't been released in UK yet, that might be the reason,

 

[stopcrazypp]

Well, it's not a secret the Top Gear presenters like PHEVs (they gave a fairly glowing review for the Fisker despite all the flaws). It's significant that May admits the REx choice is "cowardice". It shows if the range and infrastructure improves he would be willing to go pure EV.

 

[dsm363]

considering it hasn't been released in UK yet, that might be the reason,

Ah. That makes sense. I'm sure he can afford whatever he wants so maybe the i3 will lead him to a pure EV.

 

[Merrill]

If he can afford what ever car he wants why would he buy a hybrid that is ugly.

 

[Doug_G]

Mod note: I have trimmed the original post back to a brief quote. Copyright law permits an extract of the article to be quoted, but not the entire article.

 

[spentan]

Mod note: I have trimmed the original post back to a brief quote. Copyright law permits an extract of the article to be quoted, but not the entire article.

Ya no worries, didn't know what the format was.

Thanks

 

[EarlyAdopter]

He's going to feel like a fool once the Model S goes on sale in the UK shortly.

Here's hoping Clarkson or Hammond gets one if nothing else just to embarrass him.

 

[trils0n]

He's going to feel like a fool once the Model S goes on sale in the UK shortly.

Here's hoping Clarkson or Hammond gets one if nothing else just to embarrass him.

That sounds like a good Top Gear episode. I can picture it in my head, lol!

 

[Nubo]

He'll need to keep an eye out for pianos.