Topic: Test Drive: 2015 BMW i3

[X-Traction]

Holy crap, what's this supposed to be, the Ultimate Wart-on-Wheels? Oh well, it'll probably be the perfect feel-good toy for rich (and possibly vision-impaired... ) eco-weenies who want to draw maximum attention to themselves while saving the planet from the rest of us. I'd sooner be seen in one of these:

This Citroen was a reasonably successful car in Europe, mostly France, around 1960.  It was a response to a few US designs with backward-sloping rear windows.

[X-Traction]

I still don't get the "XXX lb/ft of torque at zero RPM" statement. The motor is not spinning while at 0 RPM, thus not producing
any torque whatsoever.

"XXX lb/ft of torque at 1 RPM" makes more sense to me.

An electric motor can still push even though it isn't turning.  ICE motors can't.  Torque is push and hp (Watts) is work being done.

Cheers,
John M.

The electric motor must be able to exert "push" at zero rpm or the car would never get moving.  On the other hand, if it doesn't start rotating/moving, current must be shut off immediately or the insulation on the coils will melt and ruin the motor.  (The Escape Hybrid, and probably the Prius, has electric-only reverse.  If the car can't move in reverse, such as if you're up against a curb, you're not going anywhere as the power is cut.)

[X-Traction]

I see these i3's surprisingly often, about one a week around Vancouver/Whistler.  But then again a summer day drive to Whistler means noticing at least 1 in 20 oncoming cars is a Prius, and each trip includes seeing 3-4 Teslas.

[aquadorhj]

i would love to have i3 as daily driver, if it wasn't 48k to start. 

[me_2]

I'm a former 2012 Chevrolet Volt owner and I must say, I would never have been able to live the Nissan Leaf dashboard style, even if now, i'm ok with its outside appearance.

Thanks to FrankyB, He give me a ride in his BMW i3, it is quite a surprisingly car, in & out, accel. & decel. turn & brake and so on. Spacious inside, unconventional but with style, it grows on me.

Now, when I look at the i3 specs, it begins to be even more attractive too: EV+Rex option, 7.4kW onboard charger + CCS for DC quick charge… and no ERDTT. With few minors mods (mountain mode or european set-up for the Rex) it would become even more practical when you have to cross a no man island (no EV charger land).

[chignectohead]

So with the range extending engine, BMW has made their version of the Volt. I fail to see why it is a better car other than for fashionistas with outlandish taste and people who think carbon fibre is magic. The Volt is much better thought through from an engineering perspective, the new one even more so - what a pity they made it anonymous-looking.

On the other hand with the i3, the aggressive regeneration caused by lifting off the accelerator has consequences in snow. Read this for a hilarious report on what happens:

http://www.autoworldnews.com/articles/13603/20150310/review-notes-took-bmw-i3-winter-road-trip-electric.htm

Moral? Try to find good snow tires for the silly narrow wheels and hope for the best.

[JohnM]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

[Guy]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle the control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

There are 2 regen mode on the Leaf and the Soul EV, D (Normal) and B (more agressive).

[me_2]

With its optional range-extender engine, the i3 electric car has a maximum range of about 240 kilometres, half that of a conventional car. But does it really matter?
Read More...

" But as yet, there are no public DC Fast Chargers with the new SAE Combo standard available in Canada."

Watt ? As per plugshare, there is at least 13 in operation right now in Canada http://tinyurl.com/okzv62p 10 in Québec, 3 in Ontario

Circuit Électrique DCFC i pictured my car  http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=91359.msg1110138#msg1110138

Edit: 14, I missed (1) in N.S

[rrocket]

With its optional range-extender engine, the i3 electric car has a maximum range of about 240 kilometres, half that of a conventional car. But does it really matter?
Read More...

" But as yet, there are no public DC Fast Chargers with the new SAE Combo standard available in Canada."

Watt ? As per plugshare, there is at least 13 in operation right now in Canada http://tinyurl.com/okzv62p 10 in Québec, 3 in Ontario

Circuit Électrique DCFC i pictured my car  http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php?topic=91359.msg1110138#msg1110138

Newsflash.  There is more to Ontario than GTA.

[rrocket]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle the control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

There are 2 regen mode on the Leaf and the Soul EV, D (Normal) and B (more agressive).

Yea...but maybe on some EVs it's too aggressive for slick conditions.

[X-Traction]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle the control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

There are 2 regen mode on the Leaf and the Soul EV, D (Normal) and B (more agressive).

Yea...but maybe on some EVs it's too aggressive for slick conditions.

The Escape Hybrid's regeneration on throttle lift-off is virtually non-existent.  It does have an "L" position you can shift into that has some effect.  Not enough to be of any use on backroads.  And compared to just using the brakes, "L" wastes energy by spinning the engine faster.  Even first generation Escape Hybrids handle this differently from the second.

[X-Traction]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle the control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

It should be noted that rally cars use narrow tires for snow/slush.  The idea is to push down to traction rather than float on top of everything with wide tires.

[mixmanmash]

"the silly (tall) narrow wheels" are brilliant and a core piece of the design.

Also, once you have driven an ev, it becomes apparent that with the regen, you have better throttle the control than you ever had with a good manual and a smoother transmission than you ever had with an automatic.  Tough to be smoother than 1 gear.

You can quickly become used to the fine modulation of regen throttle control of any vehicle (that I've driven) but manufacturers might want to allow some ability to manually set the aggressiveness for personal driving style.  I think the Tesla allows for this but not sure of others.

Cheers,
John M.

It should be noted that rally cars use narrow tires for snow/slush.  The idea is to push down to traction rather than float on top of everything with wide tires.

This.  I have always use slightly narrower tires in winter and have noticed better grip in snowy/slippery conditions.