BMW I3 (Way off topic)

bkeich 2017-08-24 21:12:56 UTC #1

Anyone have any experience with a BMW I3 (with Range Extender)? I am looking at buying a 2014 in the very immediate future, possibly as early as Saturday, 8/26. Just thought I would ask to see if any of you had any positive or negative impressions on the vehicle.

DurhamBull 2017-08-25 00:14:49 UTC #2

My neighbor has one, and she really likes it. However, she's a big EV advocate in general, so take her praise FWIW. She might praise a Lada if it was electric. Me, I'm saving up for a Chevy Bolt.

Ars Technica had an interesting writeup on i3s not long ago. On Ars, the article comments are usually worth reading if you sort by "Best Comments".

bkeich 2017-08-25 01:01:39 UTC #3

Interesting read, and of course I am probably buying a 2014 which is the battery before they were extended. My drive to work is going from a few miles to 32 one way, so the 80 mile range works out quite nicely.

There is only 1 charging station anywhere near me, but that will expand in the next few years as Bolts, etc. start showing up. Right now they are only being sold in a few places and their $35K price (minimum) is not going to be negotiated at all. I should be able to get this 3 year old I3 for about $15K, so the difference is pretty significant. Having the gas engine as a backup makes the car essentially infinite range, as opposed to the 230 mile range of the Bolt (if I could get one, which really I can't).

DurhamBull 2017-08-25 15:12:58 UTC #4

A 3 year old w/range extender for $15k sounds like a good deal. If i3s with range extenders area available that cheaply, I might re-think the Bolt. A quick search for i3s with range extenders available around here shows prices around $20k, but I'm sure I could drive that down if I shopped carefully.

I really like having a hatchback, I have a single-car household, and a few times per year I visit family that's 200-250 miles away. Until the Bolt there hasn't been an all-electric car that would meet my needs, and even the Bolt would probably require a battery top-off at a DC fast charger somewhere along the longer family trip.

I currently have a Sonic which gets 35-40MPG and that's been good enough. I work from home, so I don't drive a lot, but like most people I still make a lot of local trips. The Bolt would be great, but the i3 might do 75% of what the Bolt would do for $15-20k less. I could buy two, tow one behind the other, and switch to the backup when the first one runs out of battery!

bkeich 2017-08-27 05:56:37 UTC #5

So I figured out why the one was only 14.9K, it did not have the DC fast charge option. There are none of those around me, but I am hopeful in a year or two they will show up in the Allentown - Jim Thorpe area.

Bought a 2014 extended range for $17K with 23K miles. Going to be fun, the constant calculating and trying to maximize electric usage over gasoline appeals to my engineering mind.

Now I am going to put solar panels on top of my work shed and garbage mini-shed and but a 2.4 kWh battery to capture as much as I can for $550 and charge from that during the day, top it off at night.

My girlfriend thinks (correctly) that I am nuts.

First day driving impression:

Little car, but very spacious, I am 6'3" and am quite comfortable.

This car has very surprising power and acceleration had a Audi A4 and it blows the doors off that. Puts you back in the seat.

The regenerative braking is fun to learn, but not everyone will like it.

The gasoline engine is not nearly as loud as people complain about. Much quieter that a regular gasoline engine (should be, it is very small)

Fun. Yes, I am a little odd

DurhamBull 2017-08-27 16:36:32 UTC #6

Congrats on the new purchase! Adding a small solar install + battery is nuts from a purely economic perspective, but that’s a pretty limited point of view. There’s reasons other than money to do things.

I read a review that said the regenerative braking in this car isn’t as well implemented as it could be, and that the Bolt does a nicer job of it. Glad to hear your comments about the gasoline engine being not too noisy. That’s one of the things that I’m concerned about.

If by “odd” you mean curious and thoughtful, then I agree. Personally, I don’t want to be average.