Blog about your i3 experience

[Stevei3]

I'm sure many of you have also found your i3 is perfectly suited to live outside the city limits.

Hi Tom,

my guess: most Dutch i3 owners in are, au contraire BMW marketing, burbdwellers or (like us) rural residents as well...

For the exact reasons you mention. For example: there are cities in NL that don't allow applying for a public charging point near your home unless you have an EV, but to be able to use your EV you have to have a charging point... Catch 22. And then you have to wait, sometimes 3-12 months without guarantee that the point will be realised. And in the end, it will be a public point, so no guarantee you are able to charge every night.

Regards, Steven

PS: really nice, contrasty pictures

 

[drb]

At last, picked up my i3 today. The dealership provided me with a very good tutorial in the operations of the vehicle and in the mysteries of the abundant software. Could not have asked for a better send off than what I received today at Sterling BMW. The drive home was a combination of discovery--the software is daunting for an old guy like me--and sheer driving fun. Traveling "up" Pacific Cost Highway from Newport Beach we hit a rough patch of road under construction. The i3 sailed across it. Contrary to some reports about how the i3 succumbs to rough roads, its suspension ironed out the bumps and grinds that in my son's Mini Cooper Countryman is a jarring experience. I got the REx, Terra trim (the so-called Launch Edition) in Ionic Silver and love all the extras although figuring them out is going to require time and patience. The ride home from the dealership was not long, but seldom did I depress the brakes. The regenerative braking is awesome (a word I would smite my students for using but here its use is appropriate). I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow. Can't wait to begin and see how the vehicle performs on the freeway, busy, traffic clogged streets and up a few hills. This is my first EV. The i3 is a colossal first step into a new world. For me, there is no going back.

 

[TomMoloughney]

There's been a lot of Tesla Model S and i3 comparisons. I did a blog post which offer my thoughts on it. In short, they aren't really direct competitors int he EV space right now, but they will be, and pretty soon...

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2014/08/bmw-tesla-taking-different-approaches.html

 

[frankyb]

Great side by side picture, gives a better size understanding of the i3. I was surprised how big it was when I test drove it.

 

[TomMoloughney]

Great side by side picture, gives a better size understanding of the i3. I was surprised how big it was when I test drove it.

Yes I agree Franky. The picture does give a good perspective of the size. The Model S is much longer and lower. The i3 almost looks like a small SUV next to the Model S. I believe the large wheels of the i3 also make it look bigger.

 

[elptex]

Great blog post, Tom--as always, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

We very nearly cancelled our i3 order in favor of the Tesla primarily because of EV range. We weren't willing to spend that much money on a car though. I thought we would resent the i3 after going headlong into almost getting the Tesla. Thankfully I'm more excited by it than ever! The only let-down is the EV range. It'll work for us with the REX but some of your comments, especially the closing thought, proved a 3-year lease the right decision: a 150-200 mile range BMW i4/i5, Tesla Model 3, or even Nissan Leaf will most certainly be our replacement car (unless of course we still find the i3 body favorable and they improve the range).