Have somewhat of a rare dilemma right now. Have had EVs at home for a while since 2011 but numbers have been growing and currently have 4 EVs at home (Model X, Model 3, 2 BMW i3). Have 5 drivers, 4 EVs and 1 ICE BMW 435i. The Teslas are bought, while the i3s are leases with one of the i3s getting near the return period. Have 3 40A charging stations at home and it gets annoying making sure each of them has enough charge and there has been instances the i3s didnt get enough charge. Was planning on getting another Model 3 to replace the i3 and make use of the full tax incentive, however I have had some interest looking at the BMW 530e. Its a plug in hybrid and gets the HOV sticker which is main reason for all our EVs. The BMW has a similar MSRP to the Model 3, however there are much better incentives and dealer discounts being offered. I can lease a BMW 530e for $460 a month, or purchase for about $40-45k+taxes. The Tesla is over $60k w/ EAP but gets federal credit back. Getting the BMW would mean if we forget to charge it will still run in hybrid mode and financially it will be cheaper then the Model 3. Only issue I have is whether BMW driver assistance can compare to EAP. Have started to feel having too many EVs in a home also has its challenges. Am I crazy for thinking about a 530e? BTW I do love the Model 3 and X but I love my BMW 4 series too.
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Too many Tesla's/EVs in household - would you get a BMW 530e instead of another Tesla?
- Thread starter turtlesz
- Start date
Not a chance I will ever buy another ice. Hybrid or not.
I will be staying with Tesla.
I will be staying with Tesla.
Since you love EVs; Sounds like you might be better off working out your charging situation. You might consider dropping a single 100 AMP breaker to a junction box with 4 load balanced wall connectors placed more strategically around your parking spaces. Combine that with a few QuickCharge JDapters for the i3s and you'd be in business. (I currently use load balanced Tesla wall connectors between my Model X and i3 with the adapter and it works great.) I wouldn't buy a ICE car just for lack of charging infrastructure; because that can somewhat easily be fixed. That said, it could be convenient to diversify to have an ICE vehicle for certain road trips if your use case actually includes that scenario.
I can look into reworking the charging infrastructure. I am just having a hard time to justify buying another Tesla because they are more emotional/luxury purchase then financially beneficial purchases. Gas savings are there but the cost of entry is still pretty steep after looking around at alternative HOV access cars. I paid $4850 for a 51k MSRP BMW i3 after all incentives and taxes for a 30month 12k mile/year lease. I can search for the best lease deals from leasehackr and repeat that cycle over 10 times before even getting to the Model 3 cost after federal rebates!
I know someone that got one recently. They regretted it within a week. In their own words, you’d buying a petrol engined car with a tiny battery. After 30 miles you’re dragging around a battery you’re not using.
gavine
Petrol Head turned EV Enthusiast
And in the first 30 miles, you’re dragging around a combustion engine that’s not being used.
@turtlesz Part of your dilemma is because of the short range of the i3’s. Those need to be charged daily for the most part, whereas the Model 3 doesn’t. If all of your cars were Teslas, I don’t think you would be having this issue.
S100D
Member
I agree, most of the plugin hybrids are a joke with around 14 to 50 miles. The Chevrolet Volt has a 50 mike EV range; all others are much lower. The BMW hybrid is probably 5K higher than the same model without a battery. If you want a BMW, I would recommend not getting the hybrid version. Check the months needed to pay for the battery and I think you will agree.
Agree with that.
Apart from that, plug-in hybrids can be a good solution if you have a short commute (and/or workplace charging), so you can drive electric for most of the daily errants while having the engine for longer-range travel. Overall efficiency will be much better than the ICE version in this scenario. And of course you get the HOV stickers. Given that the 530e is eligible for a ~$4600 federal tax credit it doesn't really cost more than the ICE version either.
But then, you will only realize the advantages of the hybrid if you charge the car daily, which brings you back to your original problem ...
if you upgrade to m3 with the LR battery, you have less chance of the current i3 user not having enough juice the next day (as the i3 needs to be charged ~daily). I'd definitely upgrade the garage line and connectors -- run the Tesla WC's so that they load share.
Load Sharing - TESLA Wall Connector
full disclosure: personally, I'm not a fan of hybrids --- too many working parts, IMO -- and that's why I waited for an all electric like Tesla. The Jag iPace looks beautiful too, but more pricey than the M3.
Load Sharing - TESLA Wall Connector
full disclosure: personally, I'm not a fan of hybrids --- too many working parts, IMO -- and that's why I waited for an all electric like Tesla. The Jag iPace looks beautiful too, but more pricey than the M3.
Your right, its been the i3s that have had more of the worry about the charging level. Never worried about the Model 3 at all and have been using it the most due to the best range and like it more then the X. The X has free supercharging, but being in socal I do wish it had 50 mile longer range but dont think paying 20K for the 100d is worth the cost. Will probably just get another Model 3 as they are blast to drive and love the size/functionality, but will take a long look at the 530e still.
The 530i and 530e actually have similar MSRP surprisingly.
I have seen dealer discounting them to 10-18%, and if you find an untitled loaner with under 5k miles you can hit 20% if your vigilant. There is $2k loyalty rebate, $500 Costco/Fleet discount, $1k new grad discount which family member can utilize, $1k BMW CCA membership discount which should all be able to stack on top of the dealer discount price. So you can get a $55k 530e for 10 grand off before federal and state discounts. CA gets $1500 and federal is $4668 which can bring the cost to under $40k. This isn't easy to pull off and requires you to know what your doing, but for informed buyers its a great deal that is hard to overlook.
With the current technologies the batteries required to achieve several hundred miles of range unfortunately weigh more than a 4-cylinder engine plus gas. E.g. the 530e is about the size of a Model S, but weighs about 400lbs less even including its smaller hybrid battery.
Thanks. Ya. That would be a good deal to overlook!
But I just built one. A simple one without everything I want already hit $61k!
I know what your problem is and how to fix it. You clearly have too much money. I'd suggest lowering your income so you can't afford as many expensive cars. That will reduce the number of chargers you need. 
For me personally I'm a strong believer in having polar opposite cars.
For awhile I had a Model S as my commuter, and a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as my Mountain Biking/off-road/etc vehicle. But, now my ICE vehicle is a 4x4 Camper Van,
I can't see myself ever going back to ICE car unless it fit some specific application that an EV doesn't yet fill.
For awhile I had a Model S as my commuter, and a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as my Mountain Biking/off-road/etc vehicle. But, now my ICE vehicle is a 4x4 Camper Van,
I can't see myself ever going back to ICE car unless it fit some specific application that an EV doesn't yet fill.
RayK
Active Member
There's 3 drivers and 4 cars in my household at the moment. My Model 3, my 2000 BMW 323i that was replaced by the 3, my wife's 2018 Honda Ridgeline and my daughter's (well, mine actually) 2011 Nissan Murano. Kind of opposite from OP's situation. However, were it me that had more EVs than ICEs, I'd still opt to keep an ICE / hybrid around. I really don't plan on driving my BMW around that much (don't tell the wife or she'll make me get rid of it) but for the times that one of the vehicles is in the shop, I'd much rather rely upon driving one of my own cars than hassle with getting a loaner / rental. Don't get me wrong; for the many years that I've been taking my E46 in for service, BMW of Mountain View has provided me with either one of their own, or something from a local Enterprise office, I really expect that at the prices I'm paying for factory service on a 18 year old car.
Having an ICE, or even a hybrid, opens up the possibility for taking a long trip without the need to plan for charging stops. If time is the more important consideration than money for a particular trip, then the 530e should fit the bill. It's also why I'd dump the i3s as soon as possible. While it may be a great commuter / urban vehicle, it can't be used for even moderately long trips (>300 miles) without paying a time penalty for filling up the 2 gallon gas tank every 60 or so miles; that's assuming it has the REx option. If battery only, then your trips are about 90 miles on a charge if I'm not mistaken.
Having an ICE, or even a hybrid, opens up the possibility for taking a long trip without the need to plan for charging stops. If time is the more important consideration than money for a particular trip, then the 530e should fit the bill. It's also why I'd dump the i3s as soon as possible. While it may be a great commuter / urban vehicle, it can't be used for even moderately long trips (>300 miles) without paying a time penalty for filling up the 2 gallon gas tank every 60 or so miles; that's assuming it has the REx option. If battery only, then your trips are about 90 miles on a charge if I'm not mistaken.
Interesting discussion! Our household has a Tesla Model S (mine) and a BMW 330e (my wife's). We have two EVSEs in our garage, but for us I think even if we had two BEVs we could easily get by with one.
(I haven't been real impressed with the 330e so far...its electric range is pretty feeble (about 19 miles in actual usage, which is slightly less than the my wife's round-trip commute), and we've had a couple of issues with the high-voltage electrical system (covered under warranty but has not really inspired confidence). To me its main value is as a "gateway drug" to a pure BEV (whether Tesla's or someone else's), and honestly I'm hoping my wife wlll move to a Tesla Model 3 when the 330e lease ends in about a year. Interestingly the 330e was not eligible for a California HOV sticker.)
Bruce.
(I haven't been real impressed with the 330e so far...its electric range is pretty feeble (about 19 miles in actual usage, which is slightly less than the my wife's round-trip commute), and we've had a couple of issues with the high-voltage electrical system (covered under warranty but has not really inspired confidence). To me its main value is as a "gateway drug" to a pure BEV (whether Tesla's or someone else's), and honestly I'm hoping my wife wlll move to a Tesla Model 3 when the 330e lease ends in about a year. Interestingly the 330e was not eligible for a California HOV sticker.)
Bruce.
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