Short Road Trip in BWM i3

[vanjwilson]

My wife has had her i3 for a couple of years now, and I've always enjoyed driving it. Yet I've always assumed my next car would be a plug-in hybrid, because I like to go on "hiking weekends" up in to the mountains, and there aren't likely to be convenient fast chargers nearby for a long time.

But once I started looking, it seems like a plug-in hybrid is not worth the extra expense, and double-maintenance, with more and more long-range electric cars being announced almost daily.

So, while I research the new electrics, I thought it would be fun to do a little road-tripping in my wife's i3. Just trips I can do in a day, so they may not technically be road trips, but I still have to fast-charge twice on them.

I made a video of my first one, a trip to visit my son at college, 2 1/2 hours away, and posted it on YouTube.

BMW i3 Road Trip—Charlotte to Chapel Hill

I shot footage of a couple of more, which I'll try to post soon.

If anyone has any advice on road-tripping the i3, or shooting video on a road trip, I'd love to hear it.

 

[Spamouflage]

Watched your video. Thanks for posting. As a new owner, this kind of video is appreciated.

 

[Deutsch100]

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

I am getting read to take my first ever long trip in my i3S. Although this is i3 #2 for me, I have never traveled more than 50 miles one way anywhere. I am planning a 6-7 hour, 420 mile drive from Calabasas, CA to Scottsdale, AZ. I'm planning on using electric for 25% of the battery (activating HSOC at 75%) and then REX driving solely (filling up every 60-70 miles) and not charging. Fingers crossed

 

[Spamouflage]

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

I am getting read to take my first ever long trip in my i3S. Although this is i3 #2 for me, I have never traveled more than 50 miles one way anywhere. I am planning a 6-7 hour, 420 mile drive from Calabasas, CA to Scottsdale, AZ. I'm planning on using electric for 25% of the battery (activating HSOC at 75%) and then REX driving solely (filling up every 60-70 miles) and not charging. Fingers crossed

Very interested in your trip. Do keep us posted. Good luck.

 

[websterize]

I've taken my kids on a ~350-mile adventure (each way) to visit their Pappy at his lake cottage. We travel in a BEV with the 33 kWh (94Ah) pack. Total time door to door is about seven hours.

I reconnoiter primarily with plugshare.com's trip planner. It's among the best crowdsourced information about 50kW stations en route. Confirming status by phone also brings peace of mind. We stop at three stations along the way, each with a backup nearby. To maximize range, I precondition the pack and cabin temperatures, pump up the tires a little over spec, and keep highway speeds between 60 mph and 70 mph. Excessive speed kills range as significantly as extreme ambient temperature.

Ten years and about 100,000 EV miles in, I'm pretty sure range anxiety is a misnomer. It's charging anxiety. If the kids and I took the SUV, and there were only three gas stations between home and the cottage ...

When we silently roll into the neighborhood, around happy hour, the sound of rubber on gravel announces our arrival (it's a 2018, so no spaceship pedestrian warning.) The close-knit neighbors creak out of their lawn chairs, and come over to poke, prod and marvel at the EV. It's summer, and the Maryland Martians have returned.

 

[youngwilliam]

^ Enjoyed reading your "short story" adventure and the cute alliterative ending.

 

[vanjwilson]

Great video! Thanks for sharing.

I am getting read to take my first ever long trip in my i3S. Although this is i3 #2 for me, I have never traveled more than 50 miles one way anywhere. I am planning a 6-7 hour, 420 mile drive from Calabasas, CA to Scottsdale, AZ. I'm planning on using electric for 25% of the battery (activating HSOC at 75%) and then REX driving solely (filling up every 60-70 miles) and not charging. Fingers crossed

Good luck on your trip! Sounds like you've come up with a good plan to tackle it.

 

[vanjwilson]

...

Ten years and about 150,000 EV miles in, I'm pretty sure range anxiety is a misnomer. It's charging anxiety. If the kids and I took the SUV, and there were only three gas stations between home and the cottage ...

...

I stand in awe of your electric car skills.

And I agree--it's not the range, it's the charging availability, and recharge time, that's holding back more adoption of electrics.

 

[brinton7]

Great video. Looks like you had an awesome short trip.

 

[eNate]

If anyone has any advice on road-tripping the i3, or shooting video on a road trip, I'd love to hear it.

I catch myself taking for granted how many DC charging options are available in my area to the point that I never feel in a bind. I should do like you and just venture out.

I was pleased to see that EA stop on your way home. I primarily use EVGo when I need a boost, as they're dominant around me, but recently began using EA due to a promotional code.

My three closest EA stops are all awkwardly crowded in tight urban lots, with the chargers off to the sides favoring one side of the vehicle over the other. This doesn't work well with "angle in" (ie directional) parking stalls. So far haven't come across that with EVGo, but glad it's not an EA standard design, just a design of necessity.

How did you like spending that many hours in the i3? I wish for a slightly better bolstered drivers seat for extended time in the saddle.