[sleedawg]

Warning - long post...

Given that my lease is up soon and I’m in the market for a new car, I figured why not give an i3 a try. After signing what ended up being a loaner car agreement at my local dealer (who was confused about the process being the first extended test drive this dealer has done), a product specialist went over the car. There were a lot of questions that I had about going electric and I would soon find out through this experience.



My questions…

How far could I really go on a charge?
The car I was given had the Range Extender (REX). All the literature and websites state the car can go 120-185 miles per charge. The dashboard in the car showed me that I had a range of 72 miles electric and about another 50 miles gas. My understanding is that the all electric (non-REX) models have a larger range as the car does not have the extra 250lbs of equipment. I doubt it would add another 50 miles of electric range though. Yes, mileage all depends on how you drive it, but I was not prepared to drive any differently from how I would drive my daily 2012 F30 328i sedan. Was I prepared to hypermile to a 120-180 mile electric range? Not during this 3-day test drive.

How do I charge this thing?
When you buy an electric car, you buy the charging station to put at home in your garage. Given that I was borrowing this car for 3 days, I had to use the portable “Occasional Use Cable (OUC)” 110V charger they left for me in the frunk (front trunk). According to the literature it takes about 20 hours to reach a full charge from empty. Not ideal. I need to find a fast charging station. Losing a day of a test drive to charging is not going to work. Luckily a local parking garage near work has a 220V charging station. The other thing I learned is that the charging receptacle is the same as the ones used by the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf. (SAE J1772). My dealer said the chargers were not compatible, but apparently they are. You of course can not use a Tesla charging station as their plugs are different.

How easy is it to find a compatible charging station?
Upon borrowing the car, the product specialist said you just need to find a ChargePoint station and power up there. The car came with a ChargePoint card to pay for the power costs. The car’s navigation has a tab that had “Find nearest charging station.” In addition there are apps and websites for ChargePoint to find a charging station.

So, how easy is it to actually find a ChargePoint station? Not as easy as I hoped. Here in Connecticut, there just aren't that many charging stations. Planning a trip less than an hour away took careful planning. Trying to figure out where I could park the car and charge while I was somewhere was a bit troublesome. My process would be that I would find a ChargePoint station and then figure out how many blocks it was to walk from the parking spot to the place I actually wanted to go. Most of the time it would be about a half a mile. Thankfully the car was equipped with REX but if I was in an all electric car, this would not be palatable.



How long will it take to charge?
As mentioned earlier, the parking garage near work had a level 2 ChargePoint charger. After driving 50 miles of the 72 mile range, it said it would take 5 hours to charge back up. At home using the 110v OUC, I saw some outrageous times until fully charged. To charge 16 miles of the now 69 mile range, it would be some 9.5 hours to charge. Once again, I understand it all depends on how much current the charger can draw from the wall and this is an occasional use charger. Basically, you need a decent charger and need to have a couple hours doing whatever you are doing if you want to recharge the car to a decent level. Definitely need a fast charger.

This image wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that I took it at 10am in the morning and said the car would be charged at 6:49pm using the OUC.





What does the Range Extender feel like?
Approximately 15 miles from my house, the dashboard lit up and said “Electric range insufficient” and asked me to “Search for charg. Stations.” I had taken my wife and son on a round trip of 70 miles and had a full charge when I left the house. So apparently, we weren’t getting the full charge out of the car. Given that there were no charging stations close by and I wasn’t prepared to wait an hour for a 10 miles charge, I decided to let the REX kick in. Once I ran out of electric power some 5 miles from my house, the generator kicked in. The Range Extender is essentially a power generator. Anyone who has owned or used a portable power generator will understand the feeling. It’s a bit noisy and gets louder as you need more power. As I was exiting the off ramp, the REX would quiet down and actually shut off for a bit allowing for slow speed driving on electric motor only. The REX engine sound is not a pleasant car engine sound and it definitely takes away from the silent electric car feel. Did I appreciate having the REX? You betcha. Would I want to drive an extended period on REX? No way.





Another fun part was going to get gas after using the REX. Filing the car up with half a gallon of gas was interesting. The local gas station that knows me and my cars was joking about why I was trying to hurt him by bringing an electric car to his gas station.



Can I charge the car in the rain?
Found out the answer is yes. No problem. Do I like the idea? Nope. Water and high voltage are things I don’t normally mix together.



Finally, would I actually buy one?
I had fun on my 3 day extended test drive. The car drives well. I've driven the Tesla Roadster about 3.5 years ago, so I'm familiar with how electric cars drive. My wife on the other hand said she prefers her 335i. The suicide doors proved a bit difficult in tight parking spots as we found out the hard way after someone decided to park somewhat close to our car. The selection of tires and rims are limited to OEM and luckily there’s one choice for snow tires made specifically for this car.

For most of my needs, this car would suffice. The longer trips would mean me needing another car which is not a problem as we have other cars in the garage. If it was my only car, I would probably not get one. Given that my F30 328i that I’m replacing is just a commuter car back and forth to work and for short trips, I’m torn. I think I need a longer test drive. Maybe this time for a month.

[tcinoc]

Thank you for the recap. I just picked up one for the same three day test drive. The CA thought it was REX. I took her word for it and drove off. Looking at key chain, I see BEV. No big deal, but if I was to pursue this it would be with the range extender.

I really want to like this car, but I think I will wait till the 2nd generation.

[AndrewGS]

I had a great time on my extended test drive and may ask if I can do it again if they don't have a line of people waiting to do it, but I just think the car is simply too much money. If I could lease a Terra with all the options for $500/mo. I'd do it, but the actual cost is closer to $700/mo.

It's a fun little thing though. I test drove the new Ferrari California T yesterday after having the i3 for a few days and to me they were both fun cars, but of course, the Ferrari juuuust eeks ahead on the want graph.

[Vervain]

My fears about this EV confirmed. But I still do REALLY like it and I live in a very small city which I hardly depart from. So it could work well.

Thanks for your impressions!

[-1-]

I'm on my second week with my i3 BEV. I'm upgrading from a 2012 Prius Plug In with 10-14 mile EV range and a wonderful Hybrid engine (ICE). The transition for me has been easy. With 10,900 miles on my Prius, 75% of those miles are EV. It took a lot of effort to accumulate that percentage of EV miles. Although the Prius has unlimited range on gas, I'm into electric driving.

Driving my i3 BEV is effortless. A full charge will probably last 3-4 days. I'm set up so I can charge Level 2 at home and work. Ninety percent of my driving world won't exceed the range of my 13 BEV.

Chances are excellent that I'll keep my 2012 Prius Plug In, but time will tell if it will be necessary. The Prius is a great car, but the i3 is new car technology, look, and excitement that drives me. I always stated, if the Prius Plug In had at least 30 miles EV range, I'd be satisfied. In reality, I was only fooling myself. Although I wish the i3 had even greater range, I can live with the existing range almost effortlessly. Always wanting the next great thing.

[Kevin_Genius@BMWMtLaurel]

in cities that have embraced the electric technology finding charging stations is much easier. Also to add, if you owned a i3 finding a "chargepoint" charging station would be less of an issue since you could use whatever charger. Many shopping centers have them now, the future is coming! Like I said, if you live in a larger city this is a perfect commuter vehicle. That's exactly why I am looking at leasing one for my wife in March next year after we move to our new apartment: she commutes about 30 miles to and from work and it would be perfect for her. The new apartments even have level 2 chargers in the parking lot!