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BMW i3
- Thread starter gregincal
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- Electric Vehicles
Yes, for whatever reason BMW decided to make their i series cars look, well, extremely "distinctive" (I'm trying to be kind), along the lines of what Nissan did with the Leaf.
I think that was a mistake and will slow down mass market adoption of their EVs. I would have thought with the success of the Model S that BMW would have realized that an EV can look "mainstream but progressive" and be a big success. But no...
Yeah and also it's not just the looks but also the handling. One can only get limited handling (compared to the 1 series) with the skinny tires on the i3. I think BMW was targeting to make a better car than the Prius/Leaf, which they did. But they weren't trying to make a car as good as their 1 or 3 series.
I haven't driven an i8 but that reviewer seemed pretty happy with the handling and he was aware of the relatively narrow tires. (In contrast to his apparent ignorance of the source of the engine sounds that were delighting his ears).
Gizmotoy
Active Member
If they did, then a BMW employee is driving one around. There's regularly one visiting my apartment building. They either live there, or like to charge there. That said, I think they have an R&D center nearby, so it may be the cars all went back there after being recalled and BMW is evaluating their status post-lease.
Additionally, I'm pretty sure I have a picture of it nearly being passed by a RAV4 during the TT.
My wife and I spent some time checking it out at Laguna, as it's pretty close to what we're looking for. She's interested in fast wagons, and I think the Tesla got her seriously interested in EVs, so the i3 may be been somewhat of a compromise... but it's awfully ugly in person. A matching hood instead of the contrasting black would have gone a long way. Like it or not, looks are important, and to her it looked like a toy rather than a serious family vehicle. Plus, optioned as we would buy it, over $50k. Ouch.
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There are a few (maybe 3 or 4) BMW ActiveEs still "in the wild." Their owners have been able to extend their lease while they wait for their new specially-ordered i3 to arrive.
I think that the new i3s are all aboard ships now and are heading for their ports of call. So the ActiveE is an endangered species, indeed.
I think that the new i3s are all aboard ships now and are heading for their ports of call. So the ActiveE is an endangered species, indeed.
bareyb
Active Member
I'll rejoice when I see other manufactures do a Pure EV with a 200 mile plus range like Tesla. As long as they are still supporting the Oil Companies I have no interest, nor do I see them as being an ally. If anything they are slowing the adoption by hanging on to the Internal Combustion engine. When they start investing some serious money and time into a better battery with longer ranges, and dump ICE I'll be a lot more interested.
I don't see the i3 as direct competition for Tesla. Nobody is. Not yet. When that starts to happen I'll be very supportive. As for this car? Meh. Wouldn't buy it, wouldn't recommend it. it's just another half assed effort with a tiny battery and an exhaust pipe.
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
The Mercedes B Class Electric might be a better option for her. Looks like a tall wagon, i.e. a normal car. Optioned up it costs the same as the i3, has Tesla guts under the hood, more electric range, and far more cargo capicity. Not sure why someone would choose the i3 over it, actually.
surfingslovak
Member
At REFUEL on Sunday? That would have been my ActiveE. It was driven by a friend of mine, Jeremy Whaling. To be clear, all ActiveE lessees were allowed to keep the car while they were awaiting the delivery of their i3. Although my car should have gone back to BMW on June 9, I was able to keep it a bit longer, because the i3 required an extended stay in the shop immediately after taking delivery. They finally managed to fix up everything, and I picked it up last Tuesday. I brought it to Laguna Seca the other day as well.
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My understanding is that the majority of the ActiveE fleet has been decommissioned. About 150 are going to be incorporated into the DriveNow service soon. Some might have gone to Oxnard, Woodcliff Lake and Munich for a debriefing and post-mortem.
There was talk about secondary trials in the past, but I think that it's doubtful. The i3 drivetrain components have evolved, and cannot be used to keep the ActiveE fleet on the road. The major components, such as the motor and the onboard charger, have only been produced in a very small volume, and are quite expensive when compared to a production vehicle.
Most of these cars will therefore be decommissioned and dismantled. The R&D Center in Mountain View was only peripherally involved with the ActiveE trial. Although they always had one of the vehicles on hand for their projects, I would not expect any of the returned cars to show up there for debriefing. This center is simply not staffed for that.
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gg_got_a_tesla
Model S: VIN 65513, Model 3: VIN 1913
Been meaning to ask this of @surfingslovak, @AEdennis, @woof and @tommolog for a while: would you have preferred the i3 to be packaged in an ActiveE-like body rather than what it has ended up being? To restate that, all other things being equal, would you have preferred a BMW EV to look like its 1-series / 3-series siblings?
My wife has missed her 325i - that I swapped for a Mini 6 years ago - and would have switched to a BMW EV in a heartbeat had it not been for the i3's looks. We also got on that 700 electronaut list for the ActiveE before we decided to drop off to see our Model S reservation through. We'd have loved to take a 90-100 mile range in a BMW 1 - let alone a 4-door BMW 3 - packaging at this point for our second car and my wife's minuscule commute... We'd just have to wait for the Model 3 instead, I guess.
My wife has missed her 325i - that I swapped for a Mini 6 years ago - and would have switched to a BMW EV in a heartbeat had it not been for the i3's looks. We also got on that 700 electronaut list for the ActiveE before we decided to drop off to see our Model S reservation through. We'd have loved to take a 90-100 mile range in a BMW 1 - let alone a 4-door BMW 3 - packaging at this point for our second car and my wife's minuscule commute... We'd just have to wait for the Model 3 instead, I guess.
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I would have kept my Active E in a heartbeat all 54,321 miles of it. I even offered 50% over the residual value (about the price of an i3) to buy it from them. Alas, no interest. I sill have a few days left until my EE i3 gets to port and I have to decide whether to take it or leave it... The delay was when I changed my order from REX to BEV when the green CA stickers first ran out...
I like the tech on it, and size, not sure if I want it so much anymore... I gave it a 5% chance of purchase, it's been trending lower 'cause the things that irritated me about my Model S are things I've adjusted to having used it as a daily driver since February 24th... (Namely the size, AM Radio/entertainment system (iPod/USB not integrated), and LACK of coat hooks...)
An ActiveE with the i3 tech and price would have made it into my garage. I was the one on the BMW ActiveE forums that really had a hard time with the i3 aesthetics and have grown to like it (my wife is still lukewarm at best, then again, she has her Roadster and the S was originally going to be HER car.)
Gizmotoy
Active Member
She looked at the B, but it got dismissed in a hurry. She liked that they took the same "It's a normal car" approach to styling as Tesla, but is just not a big SUV fan. If a suitable wagon isn't found, it'll probably come down to a 6-speed Cayenne or a Model X, which each have their own advantages to overcome the fact that they're SUVs.
Great info, thanks so much. The one I see around here must be in a similar situation to yours, then. I actually just saw it charging down there again this morning, so it's still on the road. Perhaps we'll have an i3 around then, soon.
A fair question...one I don't have an answer for. I've never been a BMW fan. That I stumbled upon the ActiveE was purely accidental. I found the AEs looks not so great, the bulging hood and small wheels made the AE kinda ugly. A regular one series is prettier (especially in blue), but still very tight in the back (the kids hated the back seat of the AE).
I find the i3's looks better in person, and it is growing on me. The outside isn't that bad looking (faint praise, I know), but the inside is much nicer than the ActiveE. There's way more room front and back. Yeah, the coach doors can be problematic, but as long as I'm not dealing with that daily it's not a problem. As a commuting car I prefer it to the Tesla as it's much smaller and more nimble for city driving. It's quick enough (I actually think BMW added some acceleration delay so as not to beat their performance cars), and the ACC is really nice for stop and go traffic. It's also 50% more efficient in using power than the Model S, so it uses less power per unit distance and charges much "faster" as well.
I think making the i a sub-brand with a new look is the correct thing to do for BMW. If they were to just electrify a 3-series there's too many issues with suddenly having a much nicer, quicker, and all around better version that would make their other cars look bad. By creating a new look, with the "eco" thing going for it, it attracts a different set of buyers with a different set of notions, and doesn't create a sticky situation for the dealers who will have to sell both for quite some time.
On a side note, I saw a BMW 435i on the road the other day. Purely off the looks, I was impressed.
The i3's shape takes, um, a little getting used to. At first glance, it looks lumpy, uncomfortable, and slow. The color palette chosen by BMW doesn't do much to make your heart beat faster, or your heart to skip a beat. But then again, I never saw housewives swoon over a minivan, nor did I see commuters wax eloquent over the shape of the Toyota Prius models. But there are jillions of 'em on the road anyway, despite their lackluster visual appeal.
When I saw the i3 photos, I was nonplussed. I wanted a BMW M1 ... with batteries. Sigh.
But I bought one anyway, because form trumps looks in this case. Batteries under the floor, easy entry and exit, great visibility, and that ever-popular electric car acceleration off the line. A Range Extender option (BMW's marketing probably should've called it "Auxilary Power" or something more Star Trek-like, but that's just me).
It does what I want it to do, and does it well. Has most of the BMW options and connectivity. Never having to worry about anything about the car for 4 years (except the tires), and never having to visit a gas station -- well, hardly ever. I'm at over 2,500 miles, and I've put only 2 gallons of gas in it.
It isn't a Tesla-killer, but an i3 is half the price (loaded) of a Model S (loaded), and I think that a number of people who want to go electric, and want to go more than 30-50-60 miles per charge, but can't quite afford a Tesla, will find the i3 an attractive possibility.
-- Ardie
When I saw the i3 photos, I was nonplussed. I wanted a BMW M1 ... with batteries. Sigh.
But I bought one anyway, because form trumps looks in this case. Batteries under the floor, easy entry and exit, great visibility, and that ever-popular electric car acceleration off the line. A Range Extender option (BMW's marketing probably should've called it "Auxilary Power" or something more Star Trek-like, but that's just me).
It does what I want it to do, and does it well. Has most of the BMW options and connectivity. Never having to worry about anything about the car for 4 years (except the tires), and never having to visit a gas station -- well, hardly ever. I'm at over 2,500 miles, and I've put only 2 gallons of gas in it.
It isn't a Tesla-killer, but an i3 is half the price (loaded) of a Model S (loaded), and I think that a number of people who want to go electric, and want to go more than 30-50-60 miles per charge, but can't quite afford a Tesla, will find the i3 an attractive possibility.
-- Ardie
hingisfan
hingisfan_Mark_V
Loaded i3 is getting in the ballpark of a base Model S 60 though, and I would say they are similarly equipped. (within reason)
I'm not sure what the price is in Canada, but a maxed out i3 Rex in the US is $56,050 compared to $71,070 for the base Model S, both excluding rebates or tax credits. $15,000 is still a significant difference, not to mention the cost if you were to add leather, navigation, parking sensors, and features not even available on the Model S such as adaptive cruise control. If you stick to the all-electric i3, the gap is closer to $19,000. They are truly different cars for different markets, and only share the fact they are electric.
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