Anyway, that's the question. I really want to buy an i3, however my search started because I just got a new job that's an hour away. My current vehicle gets about 15 mpg, so I was looking into fuel efficient vehicles. This is the only one in my price range I actually LIKE. I'm looking mostly at 2014 - 2017 with range extender. Do you guys think I can make it 57 miles each way, going 75mph most of the time?
Will I make it home?
- Thread starter EDiT
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jadnashuanh
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SOmewhere in 2017, the vehicles ended up with a larger battery. With one of those with the smaller battery, in the winter, it would be maybe close, but not a problem in the summer. If you could charge at work, no problem and you'd probably be able to stay entirely on electricity both ways.
fueleconony.gov lists a 60 Ah 2017 BEV but no REx. It's safe to assume that all U.S. 2017 REx's have 94 Ah battery packs. In fact, I don't recall reading about any 60 Ah 2017 BEV, so they might have been for fleet use only.EDiT said:
Many if not most of the 2017 i3s I looked up on CarGurus were incorrectly listed as 60Ah. That was a year ago; hopefully they've fixed it.
I verified all were 94Ah by plugging the VINs into mdecoder. For what it's worth, I didn't come across a single 2017 with the smaller 60Ah battery.
I verified all were 94Ah by plugging the VINs into mdecoder. For what it's worth, I didn't come across a single 2017 with the smaller 60Ah battery.
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EDiT- If it's in the budget, get a 2017 REx. They go further, have much better battery mgmt and you won't have to sweat range. If you drove easy, you might be able to do a 104mi round trip off a full charge.
Plus you're less likely to have issues with 2017. First generation vehicles typically have more issues, 2014-2015 have expensive issues with motor mounts, exploding AC units. The 2017 has a slightly more powerful REx that's much smoother (vibration) and a lot quieter than 2014-2016 REx.'
I can see the improvements and refinements in my 2017 REx vs 2015 REx.
Plus you're less likely to have issues with 2017. First generation vehicles typically have more issues, 2014-2015 have expensive issues with motor mounts, exploding AC units. The 2017 has a slightly more powerful REx that's much smoother (vibration) and a lot quieter than 2014-2016 REx.'
I can see the improvements and refinements in my 2017 REx vs 2015 REx.
As others have said-- you need a 2017 or newer, and I'd get a REx if you're not getting a 2019+.
Most days you'll probably be just making it on battery alone in a 2017, but that's not a good feeling.
2014-16 are a non starter for a 114 mile round trip commute, imo. You'll need to get gas at least one per day in those cars.
The best choice, IMO, would be a 2019+ BEV.
Most days you'll probably be just making it on battery alone in a 2017, but that's not a good feeling.
2014-16 are a non starter for a 114 mile round trip commute, imo. You'll need to get gas at least one per day in those cars.
The best choice, IMO, would be a 2019+ BEV.
I agree with the others here - having the bigger battery pack would be best. But if you can pick up an older Rex model for a good price, you could still do this easily. I have a 2015 REX, and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to use it on your commute. Yes, I'd have to use some Rex power to make it, but even 1.5 gallons of gas a day works out to 76 MPG on your trip - a darn sight better than you're getting now. If you coded the Hold State of Charge and programmed it to one of your dashboard buttons, it would make this easy.
Since you don't seem to be familiar with the battery pack size..
2014-2016 get ~70 miles per charge (and degrade more quickly than other model years)
2017-2018 get ~120 miles/charge
2019+ gets ~180 miles/charge
All of the above can add the REx, which adds ~60 miles of range per gas fill. But, if you get the REx, subtract ~10% from each of the above EV ranges (the extra ~300 lbs of weight from the REx decreases the EV range, and the BEV has more efficient heating that the REx doesn't have space for).
For 114 miles per day in an area that doesn't get cold, you need either a 2017-2018 REx or a 2019+ BEV. Personally, I'd try to get the 2019+ BEV, as IMO the REx should be avoided if possible (adds ICE upkeep and most of the reliability issues with the i3). That said, if the i3 will be your only car, the REx does make it more viable for road trips-- so, if that's the case, a 2017 REx may make sense.
Absolutely do not buy a 2014-2016 car for a 114 mile/day commute.
2014-2016 get ~70 miles per charge (and degrade more quickly than other model years)
2017-2018 get ~120 miles/charge
2019+ gets ~180 miles/charge
All of the above can add the REx, which adds ~60 miles of range per gas fill. But, if you get the REx, subtract ~10% from each of the above EV ranges (the extra ~300 lbs of weight from the REx decreases the EV range, and the BEV has more efficient heating that the REx doesn't have space for).
For 114 miles per day in an area that doesn't get cold, you need either a 2017-2018 REx or a 2019+ BEV. Personally, I'd try to get the 2019+ BEV, as IMO the REx should be avoided if possible (adds ICE upkeep and most of the reliability issues with the i3). That said, if the i3 will be your only car, the REx does make it more viable for road trips-- so, if that's the case, a 2017 REx may make sense.
Absolutely do not buy a 2014-2016 car for a 114 mile/day commute.
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