Official BMW i3 thread

[scottf200]

http://insideevs.com/2014-bmw-i3-priced-from-41350/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

For those in California, the state-level credit drops the i3's price down to $31,350.

Think of all the Volt drivers who have posted on MNL, saying they "never" use gas, and just want the "security" of the ICE?

I suspect some i3 owners will use gas weekly.

Many volt owners use gas. I've started take road trips in mine in the past 1.5 years. Many use a tiny bit of gas daily.

http://www.voltstats.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Fleet" Total:
15,639,495 - EV/battery only
21,099,820 - gas
74.1% EV/battey usage (I'm at 78)

In the winter I used some on long days. Now in the high 80's low 90s with AC on 75 I'm getting over 45 miles on the battery / charge so I'm not using any.

 

[Valdemar]

Given the miniscule number of total EV sales at this time on the large scale of things, I don't think competition in this segment matters much for anything but the need for more disk space to hold the database that backs up the MNL boards.

 

[TomMoloughney]

New i3 video released today. Shows the production car for the first time:

I tried embedding the video here but can't seem to do it. I put it up on my blog though if interested:

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2013/07/bmw-i3-teaser-video-released.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Clippy]

New i3 video released today. Shows the production car for the first time:

Thanks, Tom.

This vehicle gets uglier and uglier the more I see of it. I honestly can't think of any angle you could photograph this thing from to make it even look like a car. The video of it going though corners is enough to make me go out and kiss my 3 wheeled beach bicycle as a pillar of beauty.

They'll sell a bunch of these in Europe. Here, who knows. They've sure shilled it enough. Speaking only for myself as an all but abandoned Electro-naught still searching for some sucker to take over my Active E's lease, no-way, no-how would I ever consider this abortion on wheels.

For Fidy grand you can get a perfectly wonderful Leaf and a perfectly adequate Versa in a one-stop shopping event that would make some poor salesman's day and would give you flexibility up the where's the tailpipe.

 

[TomMoloughney]

New i3 video released today. Shows the production car for the first time:

Thanks, Tom.

This vehicle gets uglier and uglier the more I see of it. I honestly can't think of any angle you could photograph this thing from to make it even look like a car. The video of it going though corners is enough to make me go out and kiss my 3 wheeled beach bicycle as a pillar of beauty.

They'll sell a bunch of these in Europe. Here, who knows. They've sure shilled it enough. Speaking only for myself as an all but abandoned Electro-naught still searching for some sucker to take over my Active E's lease, no-way, no-how would I ever consider this abortion on wheels.

For Fidy grand you can get a perfectly wonderful Leaf and a perfectly adequate Versa in a one-stop shopping event that would make some poor salesman's day and would give you flexibility up the where's the tailpipe.

You're welcome. It certainly isn't for everyone, but neither is any other EV out there either. However it's good to have more and more choices introduced. Even if people don't like it it's still good for the overall plug-in market to have more and more OEM's introduce EV's. However controversial styling and all, I suspect BMW is going to sell a lot of them and I believe they'll hit their goal of 30,000 per year worldwide. Regardless of whether of not they hit targets, every EV they sell a positive for the EV movement. I promise you, you won't be forced to buy one if you don't want to.

 

[Valdemar]

Did BMW have to extend ActiveE leases so that current AE owners can transition to the i3 when it's finally here?

 

[TomMoloughney]

Did BMW have to extend ActiveE leases so that current AE owners can transition to the i3 when it's finally here?

That hasn't been discussed yet. I do suspect the majority of the lessees that want to go right into an i3 won't need an extension though. A couple people like myself got the cars early in January, but the vast majority were in late Feb through May. We will likely have priority ordering so my guess is we'll be getting deliveries a few weeks before the general public so there won't be much of a gap to worry about. If so BMW will let us hold onto the ActiveE's if we want until the i3 is delivered for sure.

 

[evnow]

So, 3 or 4 times the price of my current Leaf. No CHAdeMO. Hard to justify.

Three or four is probably exaggerated. Double is more like it. Doesn't affect your conclusion.

Hmmm ... 125 x 3 = 375. Or are you saying I can get an i3 for $250 a month ?

 

[MrIanB]

I don't know about everyone else , but I like the look better than my Leaf.

Ian B

 

[jhm614]

I don't know about everyone else , but I like the look better than my Leaf.

Ian B

I agree -- the i3 is catching some grief but I think it looks good, especially the cooper color with the new wheels. Need to see one in person, though.

 

[GRA]

I'm more interested in the utility of a car than its looks, which is a good thing as the i3 would be ruled out on the latter count.
At least it beats a Juke - you couldn't pay me to have one of those!

 

[evnow]

I think people (esp. in the US) are VERY conservative when it comes to looks. They want a classic (sedan) looking car - no change is permitted.

This presents a big dilemma to makers of smaller cars that want to be aerodynamic. They have to either make it less functional (i.e. lower headroom in the rear like Focus) or less aero (like Mini).

I think in 10 or 15 years people will embrace the new look.

ps : SUVs can be as ugly as possible, but apparently people don't complain.

 

[kovalb]

The i3 uses skinny hard tires to minimize rolling resistance and maximize range. I read that the ride is hard and that it doesn't handle corners like... well... a BMW. What is everyone's opinion of this tradeoff? How many extra miles would it have to gain for you to say it was worth it? Would you want that on your LEAF? I personally do not believe it is worth it and would rather go the opposite direction and give up a few miles to get better handling. :?:

 

[Boomer23]

Motor Trend's tester didn't like the handling. He wants the car to handle as well as other BMWs do. Many other testers have liked the car and haven't set the handling bar as high. I recommend that you read as many reviews as you can. My guess is that it won't handle any worse than the best handling LEAF, which is the 2013 SL with the 17 inch wheels and Michelin tires.

My guess is that the i3 will handle as well as any non-Tesla, non-exotic EV. They all have hard, LRR tires. The proof will be in your own personal test drive, which likely won't happen for a year. That, plus the reports of the early adopter base will help me make my decision.

 

[surfingslovak]

It starts early: 5:15 PDT and 8:15 EDT.

Click to open

 

[Boourns]

No big surprises that I noticed. Pricing will be the biggest factor for me. With three trim levels I could see the top-of-the-line i3 approaching Model S territory fully loaded. It appears that the base model (the Mega) will be nicely equipped, though. And the futuristic stuff like traffic jam assistant will be an option on any model. I like the looks, especially the interior.

If you haven't seen the coverage:
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/07/29/2014-bmw-i3-official-worldwide-launch/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://jalopnik.com/2014-bmw-i3-this-is-it-948984245" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[edatoakrun]

...The automaker claims it can double the overall range with a 2.4-gallon fuel tank, but the downside is that it adds 330 pounds to the i3's curb weight. And $3,850 to the sticker...

Autopia-The i3 is BMW’s Ultimate Electric Driving Machine

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2013/07/bmw-i3/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A video here suggests "20%" is the set-point for starting the ICE:

Carscoops New BMW i3 Officially Introduced, Sales Begin this Fall [136 Photos + Videos]

http://www.carscoops.com/2013/07/new-bmw-i3-officially-introduced-sales.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As a BEVx, it less than ideal, IMO, as it restricts the operators control of the (too large and heavy) ICE, uses the wrong fuel, and, most importantly, the I3 does not have the DC port that can use the vast majority of all the chargers that will be available in the near-future.

The “range–extended” EV (BEVx) considered

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=6847" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's interesting that BMW has built a car that might ultimately be most appealing to a demographic they are not seeking with their "city" BEV design, the "RBEV" (Rural BEV) market.

The I3 actually would probably work pretty well for me, as I'm quite sure I could make the 200 + mile trip to the greater SF Bay Area on a single charge + tank, and even at (slower) freeway speeds with a long lunch while using L2.

Of course, once there are one or more CHAdeMO's (probably long before any SAE DC's show up) between Vacaville and Red Bluff, the drive time advantage will shift back to my 2011 LEAF.

And once I reach the Bay area (or Ashland, Oregon, to the north) the DC's are already relatively plentiful today, while the I3 is (unfortunately) incapable of using them.

So, had the I-3 showed up ~three years earlier, I probably would have been much more interested.

 

[surfingslovak]

Jay was able to get more information from BMW on the REx. The weight quoted in the press release was incorrect.

BMW i3 Range Extender To Offer Up to 87 More Miles, Decreases Performance

 

[Boomer23]

Pricing will be the biggest factor for me. With three trim levels I could see the top-of-the-line i3 approaching Model S territory fully loaded.

That's a tempting assumption, and one that most of us find ourselves thinking, but I speced out a base 60 Model S with options that I would have to have and I'd have to write a check for $85k including tax and all fees (includes leather, mid-grade paint, supercharging but no Tech package, extra charger, wall box or wheel/tire upgrade), and then wait for my rebates to get it down to $75k. If you option up an i3, it appears that it might max at $65k including all taxes and fees before rebates, and I think that's a stretch. So maybe still a minimum $20k difference.

The other big difference is that you can lease an i3 but not a Tesla, so you have to come up with the big bux up front.

EDIT I really think that it will be hard to hit $60k with a fully optioned i3 all in with taxes and fees, so we're talking at least $25k more for the Model S, and I bet it'll be closer to $30k difference for most of the i3 that are actually bought or leased, compared to a lightly optioned Model S 60.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Jay was able to get more information from BMW on the REx. The weight quoted in the press release was incorrect.

BMW i3 Range Extender To Offer Up to 87 More Miles, Decreases Performance

They're doing pretty well if they really can get an EPA range of 90 miles with a 22 kWh battery The weight of 1195-1270 kg (2629-2794 pounds) likely helps. (The Cd of 0.29 is about the same as the LEAF.)

I'm a little disappointed in the electric only version. I was hoping that BMW would go for a range of 100 miles at freeway speeds for the EV only version. Not that I could afford it anyway at $41K. I suppose that the range extender version is supposed to fill that 100+ mile range niche.

Interesting, nonetheless.