A New i3 Rex owner with questions

[RN4609]

Ok. After looking at all of the current electric vehicles available in my area, Leaf, Volt, Prius, and Cmax I decided on the BMW i3 Rex. I purchased it Monday, 10/26/15 and I have to say I am happy with it, but I do have a few issues.

1. The BMW is very limited on storage space in the cabin. Coming from a full size truck I was used to having a large center arm rest with all of the storage space, but now I feel as I have none at all. How are others coping with this or is it something you just get used to.

2. Charging stations are not in abundance in my area, but their are several Tesla charging stations. I have looked online for a converter to convert a Tesla charger to a J1772, but all I find is the ability to convert the J1772 to fit the Tesla. Is there an adapter available for the Tesla chargers or are we all out of luck?

 

[janner]

You can buy an extra cup holder for the middle. Keeping lots of things in the vehicle is discouraged as the extra weight decreases range. With the armrest, the two door bins, the holder on the front bulkhead between the seats, and the trough on the dashboard (fit a non-slip mat between), I feel I have plenty of storage. The boot (trunk) is small but OK for me. The frunk (boot at the front) can also be configured to carry things but you'll need a waterproof bag. For me the rear seats are occasional only so when I need extra space I fold the seats down.

As far as I'm aware you can't connect a Tesla charger to the i3.

 

[i3Alan]

Coming from a full size truck I was used to having a large center arm rest with all of the storage space, but now I feel as I have none at all.

Are you sure this rather short compact car really has less cabin space than your full sized pickup cabin? What about the rear cargo space compared to your truck bed? You know, it's not fair to compare cargo height limits in the hatch to that in the truck bed. Don't forget to include the frunk as part of the cargo volume of the i3. Kind of weird that I'm having the same kind of problem with rear seat legroom in my Audi TT as compared to my previous Suburban. Also, my rear passenger on my B17 Brooks saddle on my new bicycle complains she doesn't have as much room as she had on my prior Harley Electra Glide. </sarcasm mode off>

You just made a huge trade regarding different vehicles. Get used to your i3, and you will wonder how you ever felt safe in your truck with brakes that hardly work at all (by comparison), and likewise with the ease and fun of hard cornering that would quickly roll your truck, parking and U-turns in spaces your truck never dreamed of going, driving costs (fuel and maintenance) that will make you wonder how you ever afforded to keep your truck fueled, and tons of other significant differences, all for giving up some utility. I am pretty sure that the real utility of the pickup, such as off-road prowess and cargo hauling awesomeness are things you don't need, or you would not have ever considered the i3. I am also reasonably confident that you will find less arm-rest storage is not hard to accommodate with reasonably little personal adjustment. For me, moving from a Sienna minivan to the i3 mostly showed me how much junk I kept in the center console which was rarely touched and simply not needed to be carried right next to me while I was driving.

Best of luck adjusting to, and LOVING your new i3.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Tesla essentially has people prepay for charging at their Tesla Superstations, and it's only available for Tesla owners. Owners that use them regularly close to their home have been reported to have gotten letters from Tesla telling them please stop...it is designed for people making long trips, not convenience charging on a regular basis. Their protocol is proprietary, while J1772 is a published standard, so while maybe not easy, it would entirely be possible for Tesla to design a converter. Reverse engineering the Tesla standard would break some copyright laws, and would need permission. It is not in their best interest to potentially clog up a superstation with other make cars unless there's something in it for them...right now, that has not happened, but periodically, it does get discussed.

 

[RN4609]

Coming from a full size truck I was used to having a large center arm rest with all of the storage space, but now I feel as I have none at all.

Are you sure this rather short compact car really has less cabin space than your full sized pickup cabin? What about the rear cargo space compared to your truck bed? You know, it's not fair to compare cargo height limits in the hatch to that in the truck bed. Don't forget to include the frunk as part of the cargo volume of the i3. Kind of weird that I'm having the same kind of problem with rear seat legroom in my Audi TT as compared to my previous Suburban. Also, my rear passenger on my B17 Brooks saddle on my new bicycle complains she doesn't have as much room as she had on my prior Harley Electra Glide. </sarcasm mode off>

You just made a huge trade regarding different vehicles. Get used to your i3, and you will wonder how you ever felt safe in your truck with brakes that hardly work at all (by comparison), and likewise with the ease and fun of hard cornering that would quickly roll your truck, parking and U-turns in spaces your truck never dreamed of going, driving costs (fuel and maintenance) that will make you wonder how you ever afforded to keep your truck fueled, and tons of other significant differences, all for giving up some utility. I am pretty sure that the real utility of the pickup, such as off-road prowess and cargo hauling awesomeness are things you don't need, or you would not have ever considered the i3. I am also reasonably confident that you will find less arm-rest storage is not hard to accommodate with reasonably little personal adjustment. For me, moving from a Sienna minivan to the i3 mostly showed me how much junk I kept in the center console which was rarely touched and simply not needed to be carried right next to me while I was driving.

Best of luck adjusting to, and LOVING your new i3.

Thank you. You are correct I did carry a lot of "just in case" junk in my interior cabin. (The downside of being a Boy Scout growing up.) I guess I need to chalk it up to growing pains and get over it.

 

[barrychan]

I fold down the rear seats most of the time for cargo space, drive a lot, use no gas, help saving the planet.
I use my suv to haul people or something big and long trips.