BMW i3

[baldylox]

On the subject of the electric car and more specifically the new BMW i3 which I recently had the opportunity to try and kind of liked it.
I had a meeting in Bath and needed transport for three and was offered the use of the BMW i3 (I think I was the first to use it on official business).
The claimed range on electric only is around 70 (safe) miles and this is about the distance to the offices in Bath so fully charged we set off.
It's weird at first; silent until you pick up a bit of speed where the road rumble kicks in which is kind of comforting in that it reminds you that you are in a car and not a space ship. The interior is all carbon fibre, leather and eucalyptus wood and very er, digital... looks a bit retro, ikea and possibly a tad fugly...
However, it'll get to warp factor if you boot it! off the mark it's like a rocket and the overtaking surge is very impressive, my passengers were surprised by the smoothness and comfort although the ride is a bit harsh over uneven surfaces (familiar to any BMW shod with run flats and particularly M-sport suspension) but remember this is not a sports car, skinny tyres remind me of a 2CV!
All was good but with the knowledge that the offices in Bath had no fast charging point (a particular issue with this car - planning!) and at around 40% charge remaining, we stopped off in Warminster for a top up charge.

The navigation system in the car has POI for charge station so took us direct to the (free) charge point.
It took around 20 minutes to get to 80% charge (from ~40%) but over 40 minutes to reach 90% (so be warned), the whole procedure is fairly easy but needs to be planned for if you're on a tight schedule.
After we got to Bath the car was plugged into the mains for the duration of the meeting and topped up to 92% charge which was enough to get us back to Southampton with around 12% charge to spare but I needed to be careful with the available drive modes to ensure we weren't playing "fuel light bingo" on the return journey.
Would I recommend the i3? definitely as a town car but you need to carefully manage your longer journey both to and from your destination.

 

[Steve UKLSRA]

I've seen a couple of the i8 BMWs on the road and really fancy one...I'd imagine they're not cheap but what a beautiful piece of art meets technology

It won't be long before the IC engine is retired to museums and children will wonder at them like todays kids do with steam engines

 

[tillson]

I've seen a couple of the i8 BMWs on the road and really fancy one...I'd imagine they're not cheap but what a beautiful piece of art meets technology

It won't be long before the IC engine is retired to museums and children will wonder at them like todays kids do with steam engines

With fuels such as petrol and diesel, it's possible to store a lot of energy cheaply and in a small space. It's also quick and convenient to replenish the energy by filling up at a garage. Batteries can't get anywhere near to this level of energy density or replenishment speed. Sadly, that means the IC engine is going to be around for a long time.

I think greater efficiency is on the way with F1 waste energy harvesting technology eventually feeding into road cars. 50% efficiency maybe?

 

[flecc]

Thanks for the report on your i3 experience. I recently tried the latest Nissan Leaf and came away with remarkably similar impressions. The Leaf isn't as fast as the BMW but still has hot-hatch like rapid acceleration from a standstill. It's rather smoother and quieter than the BMW thanks to softer suspension damping any road noise and a very silent motor.

The interior is not quite as progressive as the BMW's but still left me with similar feelings of it being vaguely ugly and the dash not as easy to live with as a traditional one.

Same range anxiety problems on the open road, but my use would be mainly in town so of little consequence.

The game changer is likely to be the impending Tesla 3 with it's 200 mile plus range and very high performance, especially since the indications are that it will be the same price as the basic BMW i3 and only a little above the Leaf.

With regards to Steve UKLSRA's comment, there is a big impediment to e-car adoption, the home charging necessary. In my case and for a large proportion of homes it's not possible, with no access to one's home supply. There's arguments about how many are affected in this way, but even the exponents admit to 25% and I consider it's probably at least 30%.

The important factor is that it's the city and town dwellers most affected in this way, and they are the very people who would be best suited by an e-car.
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