BMW says i3 REX is done!!

[Deutsch100]

:-O
https://insideevs.com/news/384546/bmw-i3-rex-done/

 

[alohart]

… or maybe not in North America.

 

[jadnashuanh]

The engineers didn't want it in the beginning, it was pushed by marketing. IMHO, if they really did want it, they would have made other design considerations and probably made a higher output engine as part of the scheme so there wouldn't be a power deficit under some common situations, or at least fewer of them...and, probably had a larger fuel tank. It doesn't surprise me that they're eliminating it, at least in some markets. Since the engineering is already done, it doesn't cost them all that much to keep it, except where the emissions standards may be getting stricter (the rest of the world's requirements on this seems to be outpacing those in the US, but only having to match up to one country's standards is easier than many).

 

[Deutsch100]

Thanks aloha and nadna! I like the "safety blanket" feeling having my Rex, but I have only used it one time on its own, meaning I did not try and purposely drain my battery and use the Range Extender. On a full charge I get between 130-150+ miles, so the Rex is not that needed for me.

If I were to buy or order an i3 today, I would NOT choose the Rex. Speaking of this, does anyone know when the 2020 i3 will drop? I believe there are no changes for 2020, but it is now basically Dec 2019 and the BMW website still shows 2019 and what small inventory is at dealers is of course only 2019.

 

[arodi3]

I think the REX is a great option and would be sad to see it go. There is no way I would have bought an i3 without it.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Most people that have owned a REx seem to say they never really use it. So, considering you're carrying around over 300# of stuff, increasing the wear on the rear tires, decreasing efficiency because of the weight, decreasing the acceleration, and adding maintenance issues, unless you REALLY need it, it seems to me, it's a poor choice. For the increase in price, you could rent a lot of days to get you on longer trips and likely still be ahead of the game.

 

[Deutsch100]

I do agree with you jadna! I got the Rex mainly due to the devastating fires we had in Nov. 2018. Many of our areas had no power for weeks, but we could get to a few semi local gas stations. Charging at home would have been impossible in a BEV i3, but I figured the Rex would give me security! As much as I love my '19 i3S, my next electric car will be 100% electric only!

 

[Fisher99]

Ditto arodi3. Wouldn't have bought such a short range electric without the REX. It will take a true 250-300 Mike range to get me to buy a BEV. Meaning I need that range cruising at 75 while running the heat or AC. Right now that means a Tesla Model 3 long Range. And then just barely.

But different strokes for different folks. I can understand that there are many who can easily get by with shorter battery range.

 

[arodi3]

Yeah, just going to the dog park, the gym, then making it to my parents' in time for Thanksgiving would have required some planning in a ~70 mile BEV, or a lengthy L2 pitstop. No problem with the REX. I used the REX about 5-10% of the time, but for me, it is totally worth it since the i3 is my only car and I don't like the idea of the "battery camel" approach. Even with its limitations, the REX has got me through a few unexpected turns like a girlfriend moving to San Antonio (I live in Austin) without much sacrifice. Renting a car for trips like that is a non-starter and even if BMW would have a solid "flexible mobility" program, the dealers would have a no-dog policy, which wouldn't work for me. Plus, it is nice to be able to hop in your car and go, without making phone calls, scheduling, dealing with availability, etc.

I'd prefer a Mr. Fusion, but the REX really adds a lot to the i3, imho.

 

[jadnashuanh]

In a one-car family, the REx can work. My personal experience even with my BEV is that about the time the battery is nearly discharged, I'm ready to get out of it, so a longer range wouldn't be a very useful thing.

As a one-car family, I'm toying with the new X5, as it has a large enough battery so I'd not be needing the engine most of the time, and with it, unlimited range with quick refills at any gas station along the way.

One engineer says he can make a non-rechargeable, but quickly replaceable, aluminum-air battery that could go about 1500-miles between replacements which would clip in and out. No nasty environmental chemical issues as hopefully, we won't run out of air, and aluminum is one of the most plentiful elements on the planet. It has about 8-9x higher energy content than LiOn batteries.

 

[3pete]

It's an interesting conundrum: if you need less than 60 miles 90% of the time, then lugging around the range extender is a waste. But, the same argument could be made that lugging around 300 miles of range in batteries for 'around town' driving is a waste and yet no one criticizes Teslas or ICE vehicles for their long range. On the flip side, if you need 82 miles of range in a car with 81 miles of range, extra battery range or a range extender is invaluable.

I'm a fan of the approach BMW took with the REX in the i3 and I say that as a non-REX owner. I certainly hope its days are numbered because I'm hoping battery tech will improve to the point it's no longer needed, but I'm not sure when that will happen and I definitely don't think we're there yet. So in the meantime, the development has already been done, so why not keep selling it as long as people want to buy it? It'll be interesting to see how long that actually is.

 

[Jayse]

I think the thing that will improve the most over the next 10 years and make REX less necessary is improved public charging.

Does anyone know if there is an app that connects homeowner charge stations with (desperate) BEV owners?

 

[Fisher99]

In a one-car family, the REx can work. My personal experience even with my BEV is that about the time the battery is nearly discharged, I'm ready to get out of it, so a longer range wouldn't be a very useful thing.

As a one-car family, I'm toying with the new X5, as it has a large enough battery so I'd not be needing the engine most of the time, and with it, unlimited range with quick refills at any gas station along the way.

One engineer says he can make a non-rechargeable, but quickly replaceable, aluminum-air battery that could go about 1500-miles between replacements which would clip in and out. No nasty environmental chemical issues as hopefully, we won't run out of air, and aluminum is one of the most plentiful elements on the planet. It has about 8-9x higher energy content than LiOn batteries.

It is my understanding that the original X5 hybrid only gave about 10 miles of useful battery-only range and the new model still only gives about 25-30 miles. Maybe useful for short trips to the grocery store but not much else. Especially with what cold winter weather will do to that range. Still, if I was buying an X5, that's probably the one I'd buy.

 

[Fisher99]

I think the thing that will improve the most over the next 10 years and make REX less necessary is improved public charging.

Does anyone know if there is an app that connects homeowner charge stations with (desperate) BEV owners?

PlugShare gives homeowners the ability to list their chargers. I know of one person in my area who lists his Tesla residential charger.

 

[Deutsch100]

New X5 has an inline 6 cylinder, which is much better than the 4 cylinder my 2017 X5 had. The 4 cylinder shockingly had enough power, but it sounded terrible for such an expensive car.

2019/20 X5 does have a better all electric range, but depending on temperature and climate usage...range is only 20ish

 

[MarkNo]

I have owned an i3 with REX and hardly used the REX - to me it is the Achilles heel in an otherwise phenomenal design. The REX caused me headaches and I believe it causes a lot of reliability problems over the pure BEV i3. To me the REX was several hundred pounds of added weight that degraded performance and range.

And speaking of range, it is an overrated statistic that ignores the fact that the i3 is a small city car with perfectly adequate range in city driving. The decision to have a smaller battery was an engineering decision considering the intended use of the vehicle as a small every day urban car. Range anxiety is partly a marketing ploy - If you want really long range there is the Tesla Model S, but forget about using this land-yacht as a city runabout.

I am awaiting delivery of a 2020 BEV i3. For my needs no other EV comes close to competing with the i3. Long-live the i3!

 

[Deutsch100]

Thanks Mark!

2020 i3?! In Canada right? Our dealer here in So. Cal says NO 2020 i3! I don't know if he means for all of 2020, or just for a while!

BMW is buying my beloved 2019 i3S back and there are almost NO cars with Tech package, Sport package and the colour I want or like. I would wait for a 2020, but dealer says nope

 

[alohart]

BMW is buying my beloved 2019 i3S back and there are almost NO cars with Tech package, Sport package and the colour I want or like. I would wait for a 2020, but dealer says nope

If this is a lemon law repurchase, what happened?

It does seem late for no official U.S. 2020 i3 configurator. If BMW really does end U.S. i3 sales, maybe it's because the REx model won't be sold anywhere, and BMW feels that U.S. BEV sales would be too low to continue selling them when they could be sold in significant numbers elsewhere. Hope that's not the case.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, seems very odd, that on the BMW-USA site, every single model, including the i8 (of which 2020 is supposed to be the last year of production) shows and has order-able the 2020 year model EXCEPT for the i3, which still is listed as 2019.

 

[MarkNo]

Interesting - I just went to the BMW Canada configurator and it is for a 2018 i3! Have sales been so bad that they haven't bothered to update the website?

I have a 2020 on order for delivery in the new year. I negotiated and signed the sales agreement on Nov 4, 2019 at a BMW dealership in Toronto.