SwedishAdvocate
Active Member
could someone please tell me if the i3 with range-extender is like the chevy volt as far as if you run out of electrity the ICE starts and then if you need to refill again you can stop at another gas station because i watched a review that made it sound like after the petrol/gas ran out the i3 would just stop
The i3 is a pure series plug in hybrid, with the ICE acting to generate electricity only. The ICE is active infrequently: only when battery SOC% drops below about 5% in the US model. So yes, if the ICE is running and you run out of fuel, you would stop (as soon as that 5% is gone, which would go very quickly - probably 3 or 4 miles.)
There was some discussion about this a while back in this thread. Between posts #353 – #364 or so (pages 36 & 37). The takeaway seemed to be that the US i3 with the range extender has a gas tank that can only hold about 2 US gallons of fuel. So if you set out on a longer journey with a US i3 with a range extender, then once you’ve depleted your battery charge, and a while later also begin to start to run out of fuel for the range extender, then:Welcome, Tess!
/…/
Just keep filling it with fuel, it'll keep going. It's not a one time use thing. The ReX is a normal everyday gasoline powered electric generator...it just happens to be in a car. If the fuel gets low, fill it up! But yes, if the ReX is out of fuel, and the battery is flat, the car will stop. No source of energy means it will no longer move.
…/ nless you intend to stop every 50 miles for fuel, it's not a very practical way to travel on long trips. Even carrying an extra gas can, it's a hassle to have to stop that often.
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Autocar recently posted this video review of the i3:
[ BMW i3 - is this the worlds most desirable affordable electric car? - YouTube ]
That hasn’t really been the ‘vibe’ in this thread so far, has it? :wink:Steve Sutcliffe: The i3 is very good. It borders on genius.