Flexible Mobility Loaner

[TomMoloughney]

I3 owners have been promised gas BMW loaners if they needed them for long trips that their i3 couldn't conveniently make. I have the just released program details posted here:

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2014/11/bmw-i-flexible-mobility-program.html

 

[WoodlandHills]

Thanks for the info, Tom. The devil is, as they say in the details...... Dare I say it, but this looks like another idea that was rolled out before it was fully thought through. How hard would it have been to actually poll their dealers about the Mobility Program BEFORE making a big announcement? Now BMW just looks lame again for raising expectations and sending them crashing to the ground. Typical of the whole i3 program IMHO, they promised way more than they can deliver.

 

[mindmachine]

Thanks for the info, Tom. The devil is, as they say in the details...... Dare I say it, but this looks like another idea that was rolled out before it was fully thought through. How hard would it have been to actually poll their dealers about the Mobility Program BEFORE making a big announcement? Now BMW just looks lame again for raising expectations and sending them crashing to the ground. Typical of the whole i3 program IMHO, they promised way more than they can deliver.

Looks like a trend for sure.

 

[stumbledotcom]

Typical of the whole i3 program IMHO, they promised way more than they can deliver.

I don't understand why you are so bitter. I wasn't promised anything in regards to the flexible mobility program. The BMW USA site has stated that the program was in development. When I bought my car in May, my dealer made it clear there were no further details so the loaner program had no bearing on my purchase decision. Now that an announcement has been made, the possibility—even remote—of borrowing an alternate car at no cost or a discount is a bonus to my way of thinking.

The global site does have a more elaborate description of a loaner program. Stating you can choose from convertibles to SAVs but it also says the service would be included in your i3 contract, meaning there it's an additional cost—much like the maintenance program that is extra in European markets but bundled in the US.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I am not bitter, I am disappointed and a little bit annoyed that BMW seems to have dropped the ball on the rollout of the first pure EV by an old-line manufacturer. This is a hugely important vehicle for the Main Street acceptance of EVs everywhere, if BMW screw this up they hurt an entire industry.

BMW have cynically compromised the functionality and safety of the vehicle by striking a deal with CARB to swap full control of the REx for greater profit on the sale of gas Guzzlers. They chose to set up the vehicle so that it has a far higher chance of suddenly coming to a near stop on the freeway than the same model sold in other markets, simply in order to make greater profit. Clearly this is a straight forward case of corporate profit trumping public safety.

BMW have promised a level of connectivity and control over our charging that they cannot deliver upon. While iRemote has pretty pictures, can anyone say that it is reliable and easy to use? Does it offer the functionality that people seem to have been led to expect?

BMW chose to sell a vehicle with 20" summer tires and then purposefully chose to not make winter tires available forcing customers to buy new wheels as well as tires. BMW could have easily contracted for 20" winter tires just as they did for 19", by not doing so they have imposed a stealth price increase on a large percentage of their customers. Or simply forced them to drive on unsafe tires in the winter instead.

BMW chose to develop a software driven vehicle that needs several hours at the dealer for simple updates. The vehicle has enough connectivity to report our driving data to BMWs servers and to stalk our cars location via the iRemote app, but they cannot do a wireless update like Tesla? What will happen in 5 years when the fleet is larger and there is a mandatory recall for a safety update, how will they process 10's of thousands of cars?

BMW chose a delivery and prep company that is overwhelmed by the demands of delivering a vehicle with up to date software. If reports are correct, cars are backing up at the port, yet the prep company is working a 40hr week with no overtime. Where is the sense of urgency?

BMW have advertised all sorts of things from 3 day test drives to free ICE loaners for trips and have walked them back after getting resistance from their Dealers. How difficult is it to get your Dealers on board BEFORE the press release telling us about all the wonderful stuff you ultimately cannot deliver on?

BMW have made range promises that real people, in the real world cannot achieve. In an ICE, if the range is less than implied, you stop and buy gas, in a BEV, you just stop. Using the same hocus-pocus as for ICE MPG ratings and saying that YMMV is unacceptable for an EV. Saying that it gets cold is no excuse either, didn't they do arctic testing before coming up with their range numbers? Surely the reduced range in winter is no surprise to BMWs engineers, why is it a surprise to their customers? Perhaps Marketing had more to do with the range number than Engineering?

Finally, do we even want to get into the whole KLE issue and the lacksidasical way BMW has responded? Shall we start a lottery on how many more months we have to go with our charge rates dialed back by 30%.........

 

[i3Alan]

I am not bitter, I am disappointed and a little bit annoyed that BMW seems to have dropped the ball on the rollout of the first pure EV by an old-line manufacturer. This is a hugely important vehicle for the Main Street acceptance of EVs everywhere, if BMW screw this up they hurt an entire industry.

BMW have cynically compromised the functionality and safety of the vehicle by striking a deal with CARB to swap full control of the REx for greater profit on the sale of gas Guzzlers. They chose to set up the vehicle so that it has a far higher chance of suddenly coming to a near stop on the freeway than the same model sold in other markets, simply in order to make greater profit. Clearly this is a straight forward case of corporate profit trumping public safety.

BMW have promised a level of connectivity and control over our charging that they cannot deliver upon. While iRemote has pretty pictures, can anyone say that it is reliable and easy to use? Does it offer the functionality that people seem to have been led to expect?

BMW chose to sell a vehicle with 20" summer tires and then purposefully chose to not make winter tires available forcing customers to buy new wheels as well as tires. BMW could have easily contracted for 20" winter tires just as they did for 19", by not doing so they have imposed a stealth price increase on a large percentage of their customers. Or simply forced them to drive on unsafe tires in the winter instead.

BMW chose to develop a software driven vehicle that needs several hours at the dealer for simple updates. The vehicle has enough connectivity to report our driving data to BMWs servers and to stalk our cars location via the iRemote app, but they cannot do a wireless update like Tesla? What will happen in 5 years when the fleet is larger and there is a mandatory recall for a safety update, how will they process 10's of thousands of cars?

BMW chose a delivery and prep company that is overwhelmed by the demands of delivering a vehicle with up to date software. If reports are correct, cars are backing up at the port, yet the prep company is working a 40hr week with no overtime. Where is the sense of urgency?

BMW have advertised all sorts of things from 3 day test drives to free ICE loaners for trips and have walked them back after getting resistance from their Dealers. How difficult is it to get your Dealers on board BEFORE the press release telling us about all the wonderful stuff you ultimately cannot deliver on?

BMW have made range promises that real people, in the real world cannot achieve. In an ICE, if the range is less than implied, you stop and buy gas, in a BEV, you just stop. Using the same hocus-pocus as for ICE MPG ratings and saying that YMMV is unacceptable for an EV. Saying that it gets cold is no excuse either, didn't they do arctic testing before coming up with their range numbers? Surely the reduced range in winter is no surprise to BMWs engineers, why is it a surprise to their customers? Perhaps Marketing had more to do with the range number than Engineering?

Finally, do we even want to get into the whole KLE issue and the lacksidasical way BMW has responded? Shall we start a lottery on how many more months we have to go with our charge rates dialed back by 30%.........

Why don't you tell us how you really feel? With a good dollop of exaggeration, And, with extreme redundancy. And, over and over and over again.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Why don't you tell us how you really feel? With a good dollop of exaggeration, And, with extreme redundancy. And, over and over and over again.

If you disagree feel free to rebut.

 

[jadnashuanh]

I bought my i3 for what it was, not for what may be, or may have been indicated prior to release. One has to realize that until the product is actually on sale in your home market, and, the fact that BMW (and nearly every other manufacturer out there) says features can change...buying something for what it MIGHT be is sometimes just wishful thinking.

If I was really depending on the loaner program, I'd have waited until it actually had been rolled out to see what the real features and implementation level was. BMW changed the way the REx was implemented prior to it's actual release in the USA...so, in accordance with the statement, things can change, they were entirely within their rights to do so. That you bought the car after that happened, or took delivery, you accepted those terms. If it did not meet your needs, you had legal grounds to rescind the deal, but you did not. Continued sour grapes may help you if you vent, but probably won't get you much sympathy, if that is your goal.

I'd really like to be able to buy my BMW a la carte like you can in Germany, only ticking the boxes of things I really want, but that isn't likely to happen. Lots of things in life I'd rather be different...I change those I can, and live with those I can't...you'll be happier in the end if you follow!

 

[rtanov]

When we bought our i3 the CA told us they have just got into the FM program. I did request a car for a week around New Year's Eve and just received a confirmation that I would have one.

 

[drb]

Enough already. I am too busy enjoying the fun of driving my i3 REx (now almost 4,000 miles on it) that I haven't got time to dwell on the "sins" of the past. If the roll out was a mess and it certainly was, it is over and we are well past the roll out phase with plenty of inventory to choose from and deals being made by the various dealerships. Will there be hiccups with something as innovative as the i3? Of course, but let us ride with these, offering positive suggestions as to how we can overcome them. Let us now focus on sharing our stories about our i3 experiences (the bad with the good), and our suggestions for making improvements. I bought the car fully loaded so there is nothing in the 2015 model that I don't already have. I am interested in how we can improve the vehicle without adding weight to it as its light weight is a significant factor in its efficiency, range and drive quality.