[Epirali]

Originally Posted by JasH

I can't explain your miles per KWhrs figure, and can only think its a measurement anomaly. It should be lower, not higher.

I have now had two long runs and I am pretty convinced of the higher miles/KWHr in new model. I am an engineer and pretty familiar with electric cars. Today I managed 34 miles on a less highway path.

Another basic observation: the car is different in small ways, better and worse. I would say it’s definitely NOT worth the expenditure for any current owners for the changes, they are not big enough. For me it was the switch to 2 seater convertible, otherwise the 2015 model was every bit the equal.

Hope these rambling observations help others.

[jcpca356]

You know what, having driven my i8 for 4 years (which by the way is the longest i kept any sports car) I think I can make an exception on the i8 being a solid car. No squeak/rattle whatsoever. It must be the carbon tub.

I'd love to be proven wrong here of course. I've driven the MP4 12C and the Alfa and yes these cars with carbon tubs are absolutely xxx times more solid than traditional builds.

Originally Posted by JasH

Agreed, they normally don't. Some are identical though ie those designed that way from scratch e.g. any modern (aluminium) Lotus, or the (carbon) 570S.

I think the i8 Roadster will be fine though. Due to the stiff carbon tub, even though this was of course originally designed to use the roof as a structural component (hence the extra weight from added bracing).


(As a point of interest the soon to arrive 720S Spider will most likely suffer the same compromises as the i8 Roadster, through losing its structural carbon roof.)

[Epirali]

I discovered exactly how solid the i8 is when I hit a deer last year. The deer just jumped out and I hit the thing at 55 miles an hour. The amazing thing is I swear I did not feel it, there was impact propagation that I never felt.

Lost one light and bent the hood but that was it.

By the way the roadster shows no squeaks and rattles and feels incredibly farm with the top open or closed. The topic is incredibly tight, even tighter than my Audi S5. Again it’s the smaller covered so that’s to be expected.

[Epirali]

Ok so another quick random update: driving today when I went to pass some cars I looked at my HUD in horror when I realized I had just hit 108 mph. Now keep in mind that I have been driving the i8 for 3 years+ now and am very familiar with its dynamics, but in the 19 Roadster I have NO IDEA I hit that speed until I looked. So something about the feel/drive and noise of the car is very different.

And listening to the road noise (audio engineer here) I have to say the wind noise on the i8 at 70-75 mph is less than on the 15 Coupe. I understand the aero drag is supposed to be worse, but the reduction is air turbulence is noticeable inside the cabin. The coupe was quiet until I started hearing the wind turbulence a bit at 70 going up, and the Roadster has enough road isolation that I can tell there is less wind moving around the main cabin.

And I am still getting consistently better Miles/KWHer. But I have noticed that this model charges SLOWER on both L1 and L2 (accounting for larger battery capacity) than the old one. Where I could charge the old car from empty to full on L2 in around 2 hours the new car will take around 4+ hours, and the battery capacity is not twice as large. On L1 the discrepancy is even more noticeable, where before I could fully charge the battery in maybe 5 hours now it will take 12+ hours. So more range and slower per KWHr charging.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Ok so another quick random update: driving today when I went to pass some cars I looked at my HUD in horror when I realized I had just hit 108 mph. Now keep in mind that I have been driving the i8 for 3 years+ now and am very familiar with its dynamics, but in the 19 Roadster I have NO IDEA I hit that speed until I looked. So something about the feel/drive and noise of the car is very different.

And listening to the road noise (audio engineer here) I have to say the wind noise on the i8 at 70-75 mph is less than on the 15 Coupe. I understand the aero drag is supposed to be worse, but the reduction is air turbulence is noticeable inside the cabin. The coupe was quiet until I started hearing the wind turbulence a bit at 70 going up, and the Roadster has enough road isolation that I can tell there is less wind moving around the main cabin.

And I am still getting consistently better Miles/KWHer. But I have noticed that this model charges SLOWER on both L1 and L2 (accounting for larger battery capacity) than the old one. Where I could charge the old car from empty to full on L2 in around 2 hours the new car will take around 4+ hours, and the battery capacity is not twice as large. On L1 the discrepancy is even more noticeable, where before I could fully charge the battery in maybe 5 hours now it will take 12+ hours. So more range and slower per KWHr charging.

I've driven the Roadster at well over 100 MPH with the top down for extended periods (post-delivery on the Autobahn) on my way to Garmisch. Once you get above 100 mph its just "not worth it" with the top down. The car will certainly do it, but really, whats the point?

I have also driven the Roadster (Top Up) to the speed limiter (155 MPH) for as long as traffic, road conditions, and speed limits would permit. The Roadster is amazingly solid, stable, and quiet even at those speeds...

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Epirali

But I have noticed that this model charges SLOWER on both L1 and L2 (accounting for larger battery capacity) than the old one. Where I could charge the old car from empty to full on L2 in around 2 hours the new car will take around 4+ hours, and the battery capacity is not twice as large. On L1 the discrepancy is even more noticeable, where before I could fully charge the battery in maybe 5 hours now it will take 12+ hours. So more range and slower per KWHr charging.

The i8 is charge limited to 3.7KW. (I have not seen any info which suggests the charging rate is any different between 1st and 2nd gen). From experience, I believe my Roadster takes around 6 hours to fully charge from L1.

While a 40A L2 charger can supply 9.4KW, it provides diminished benefit as the i8 will limit the charging rate to 3.7 anyway...

A 16A L1 charger will supply about 1.9KW which is about half the max charge rate of the i8.

11.7 KW battery / 1.9 KW L1 charger = 6.15 hrs. There may also be a slight tapering as the charger finishes topping off the battery.

IMHO: The i8 battery capacity (even current gen) is so small that it makes it rather pointless to pay for an L2 charger if an L1 can fully charge the car overnight. I already have an L2 for my Model-X but the i8 still gets plugged in via an L1 "extension cable".

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by evanevery

The i8 is charge limited to 3.7KW. (I have not seen any info which suggests the charging rate is any different between 1st and 2nd gen). From experience, I believe my Roadster takes around 6 hours to fully charge from L1.

Thanks this is accurate, but the charger rating is the same for 2015 and 2019 models. Yet something is different about the charging circuit and how it handles the cell charging that seems to make the actual charge rate slower.

Agreed on L1 charger, I own L2 chargers for my other electric cars with much much larger batteries. Whenever it is in use I always just plug the i8 into the wall. But today plugging in at work the L1 would not have charged the car fully in 7 hours to departure, so ended up having to switch to L2. The car would have not fully charged in the cold until around 11pm.

[evanevery]

Originally Posted by Epirali

Thanks this is accurate, but the charger rating is the same for 2015 and 2019 models. Yet something is different about the charging circuit and how it handles the cell charging that seems to make the actual charge rate slower.

Agreed on L1 charger, I own L2 chargers for my other electric cars with much much larger batteries. Whenever it is in use I always just plug the i8 into the wall. But today plugging in at work the L1 would not have charged the car fully in 7 hours to departure, so ended up having to switch to L2. The car would have not fully charged in the cold until around 11pm.

However, the charging times I have personally experienced seem to agree perfectly with the calculations. 6 Hrs for a full charge is spot on with the math...

Your experience is clearly different than mine. Were you preconditioning your car while it was charging? Maybe the car was also running a secondary process to keep the batteries warm. I always have mine in a heated garage when I charge (50+ F)...

[Epirali]

Originally Posted by evanevery

However, the charging times I have personally experienced seem to agree perfectly with the calculations. 6 Hrs for a full charge is spot on with the math...

Your experience is clearly different than mine. Were you preconditioning your car while it was charging? Maybe the car was also running a secondary process to keep the batteries warm. I always have mine in a heated garage when I charge (50+ F)...

Nope, I have had multiple electric cars over the past few years, so I am pretty aware of the various factors. The car usually charges in a 65F garage, today it is out in 45F outside but that would only impact the charging a little bit (no battery heating needed). And all my numbers are without any pre-conditioning/cabin conditioning. This is the self reported charge completion times from the car.

[drlonline]

Originally Posted by evanevery

IMHO: The i8 battery capacity (even current gen) is so small that it makes it rather pointless to pay for an L2 charger if an L1 can fully charge the car overnight. I already have an L2 for my Model-X but the i8 still gets plugged in via an L1 "extension cable".

I originally planned to go with the L1 charger, but invested in a L2 after a month of owning the car. I found that my daily commuting was just beyond the 30 or so miles e-range, so liked the idea of "topping off" the battery between drives so I could go all day on eDrive. The electrical vs. gas savings probably don't make the investment in the L2 charger cost effective, but I do like the environmentally friendly feel of driving all electric in commuter traffic.

[Epirali]

Also at least until recently there was a good federal credit on buying and installing an L2 charger, so it pretty much was free.

[RDSChicago]

Does the window not going all the way down both you? Does it prevent you from resting your forearm on the door when driving?

[fbuzila]

Originally Posted by RDSChicago

Does the window not going all the way down both you? Does it prevent you from resting your forearm on the door when driving?

yep, at least on my 2015 i8 the window doesn't go way all way down

[Hawaii i8]

Yup same on the 2019, window does not go all the way down. Never an issue for me but its part of the i8's "character" :-)

[RDSChicago]

White coupe for white Roadster

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by RDSChicago

While coupe for white Roadster

not seen a white roadster before, I'm in love!

[RDSChicago]

Originally Posted by Maxxsirrah

not seen a white roadster before, I'm in love!

I have a white coupe and was hoping the Mrs. wouldn't notice if I brought home this white Roadster!

[Maxxsirrah]

Originally Posted by RDSChicago

I have a white coupe and was hoping the Mrs. wouldn't notice if I brought home this white Roadster!

#lovetheplan