I am probably going to pass on the i3...

[Plug]

Yes, always best to err on the side of caution when it comes to manufacturer's claimed figures and even more so when you know this figure is going to deteriorate over time. I erred so much I ended up with a petrol engine in the back.

 

[Sranger]

I think I made the best decision for my situation in going with the Model S vs the i3, but after spending some time on some of the Tesla Forums, I can say that I greatly prefer the quality and level of discussion on this Forum....

I came over here to read a little sanity...

 

[woof]

after spending some time on some of the Tesla Forums, I can say that I greatly prefer the quality and level of discussion on this Forum

Have you tried http://www.teslamotorsclub.com? I find that a much better choice for Tesla related discussions than the official forums on the Tesla site. If you are speaking of teslamotorsclub.com, then never mind...

--Woof!

 

[TomMoloughney]

Those figures are for i3 indoors (warm!) on a rolling road with no wind resistance!

Why then would BMW say "real world range" when referring to those figures.

If they aren't REALLY achievable then they are going to have some miffed customers.

I agree Ross, but the thing is what is real for you, isn't real for me for instance so what is REAL?

I've been in BMW's e-mobility trial lease programs for nearly 5 years now. 2 1/2 years with the MINI-E and a little over 2 years with the ActiveE and I communicate regularly with many of the other participants. I'm not a particularly efficient driver. I accelerate briskly off the line and probably don't take advantage of long gradual stops to really capture as much regen as possible. Therefore I regularly report less range than many of the others that are driving the same car in the same conditions as I do. One friend of mine gets as much as 20% more range than I do consistently, throughout all the seasons. So what is the real range of the car? What I get or what he gets?

I totally understand what you are saying though. Perhaps manufacturers should offer a wider range estimation like "60 to 100 miles depending on conditions and driving habits". I just want to point out that this isn't a simple cut and dry answer. If many people can easily achieve 80 to 100 miles but you and I can't then is it our fault or the cars?

 

[AndrewDebbie]

The NEDC range for the i3 is 118 miles while BMW's materials say 80 - 100 miles.

Being an old cynic, when I was working out whether the i3 had sufficient range for us I used 65 miles as my range estimate. Hopefully this is too pessimistic (unless hammering it on the motorway, in winter, uphill and fully loaded!)

NEDC range for 2013- Leaf is 124 miles. Nissan foolishly used to claim the car would go that far.


Looks like the leaf and i3 will have about the same real range. Depends on conditions and how the cars are driven.

 

[ecoangel]

Having driven both BEV and REX on same UK A and B road commute with minimal dual carriageways, I think San Serrif is correct real word EV range from 18.8KWh battery is around 60 to 65 miles in mild winter conditions (5 deg C), light winds and EcoPro (set at 70 mph maximum) and averaging 38 to 40 mph.

EP+ will better this but take a hot water bottle and wear gloves!

However, lets remember that ICE cars rarely live up to their claimed MPG.

Same route in a new 3 door Audi A1 1.6TDI I managed 46.2 mpg (imperial) and the manufacturer claimed combined EU cycle of 74.3 mpg (imp). Again average speed was 40 mph over a 29.1 mile commute in rush hour.