Now this is more like it! I've talked to quite a few people within BMW that have driven the i3 on a track and have promised me it is a capable performer, worthy of the BMW name. The test drives for reporters and the public so far haven't really allowed for this kind of performance validation so it's good to see the i3 tearing around a track. This appears to just be a teaser video, so hopefully we'll get a longer version of this driving event soon. This is my kind of sustainability: Sustaining my driving pleasure!
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The First-Ever BMW i3 Hot-Lap Video
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It's track time! The first hand story:
My previous post was a video that showed some quick clips of an i3 racing around a track. I was happy to see BMW finally posting this video as I've been waiting for some performance-orientated marketing as I've had my fill of the Eco-Sustainable-Recylable side of the car for now. Of course all that stuff is very important, and BMW should be proud of how the i3 is the embodiment of BMW i's mission. But now it's time for some fun and this video is just the beginning. My good friend (and practically neighbor) Chris Neff was asked by BMW to spend a day at Monticello Raceway in an i3 piloted by race car driver Erin Crocker so they could film the i3 - and I suspect Chris's reaction. You can see Chris in passenger seat in some shots of the video below which is just a teaser, the real stuff hasn't been released yet. Chris was asked by InsideEVs.com to talk about his experience that day and the post below is what he wrote. I "borrowed" this from InsideEvs.com but they should get the credit for the original post which you can view here. Here is what Chris had to say:
Taking the BMW i3 on a track…a real race track, riding with a professional driver at the absolute limit for a full day at Monticello Raceway in New York and having it all caught on video; all this is what was spinning around in my head days before the shoot was set to take place.
Now, along comes the i3, with its funky look and skinny tires. I have to admit I was wondering if the i3 would be as fun as my ActiveE, I mean how could it be, just look at those tires. Still, I liked the styling, it started to grow on me….but would it be fun to drive? I know that is the question on the minds of many.
…and now here we are, I’m ready to learn if the i3 is a real ‘drivers’ EV and on a race track.
It’s track day and now I get to meet the professional driver who is going to take us around the track. Let me add that she is a professional race car driver. Erin Crocker, who has been racing competitively since 7 (Nascar racer, sprint car racer, stunt car driver and EV newbie, nope never driven an EV) and she’s just an all around cool person. She is laid back and, like the rest of us, loves automobiles. So, this is going to be a real blast then right? I’ve never ridden in an i3 or been on a race track and Erin has never driven an EV. I begin thinking we will just hit some decent speeds and test the handling…what could possibly go wrong.?
While filling out the final paperwork in preparation for the day I was asked if I kissed my family goodbye….umm….yes. A few others came up and asked if I would be “ok” today…umm….why?
So we do about 3 laps and the speed is increasing. Erin is feeling more comfortable, I’m not and it is not because of her driving, this is a first for me and all I’m seeing is how fast we are heading for a hairpin and no regen or braking is going on at all, at least not until the last second and when we go into that turn we are right back on the accelerator to pull out of it…..the i3 never flinched…I can’t say that for me. I had such little time to process what was going on, but one thought was clear…the i3 is impressive.
We did a few more laps then pulled back into the pits. Wow!!! I was full of adrenaline, a combo of fear and excitement. I never expected the i3 to do that. But wait, there is more, another 10 hours of this was left to go. You see, this was to be a video shoot which means take after take…..we had two i3s to play with, one was the full electric and the other was the REx (extended range). How would they both hold up through repeated on-track abuse? We were going to find out and that was exactly why we were there. Yes, I said 10 hours. Now I understand why they were asking if I was “ok” with this. Going flat out was pretty scary, but how long could that last? Apparently close to 10 hours. Okay then, let’s do this!!!
I won’t talk about the details of the shoot in this writing, I’m going to focus on what I think you all want to hear, how did it do on the track. There are lots of reviews to be had on the i3, but none of them are about a track experience so here we go.
…before I head into my thoughts let me quickly chat about Erin, this was a fun experience for her. It was clear she was eager to see what this funky little car could do. While we zipped around the track I filled her in on EV terminology which she got a kick out of…’frunk’ was probably her favorite word. She is truly a pro, she has been racing since 7 and does the sprint car circuit now, those are those tiny little 700hp race cars that go round and round a dirt track, very aggressive because you have to be. Her driving style is all on or all off with quick turns of the wheel. In many ways, an EV suits her style since they deliver power immediately or don’t and the i3s steering is instant quick…it was an observation of mine and she absolutely brought out all the i3 could do….I definitely got more grey hair that day.
Handling
First and foremost, the i3 is an extremely nimble critter. How in the world can a car handle that well with such skinny tires and on one of the i3s was all seasons? I’m no engineer, but a low center of gravity and low weight play an important roll. The i3 looks tall, but the weight is down low and that chassis is as stiff as can be. The i3 leans, but not enough to unsettle it. Erin commented a few times how she was impressed at how easy it was to take a turn, very predictable and the front tires just kept grabbing. Granted, the electronic stability brains were keeping us from sliding out, but not so much to ruin the fun. The real issue that kept us from creating a slide was the computer cutting the power, there is no way to fully disable the anti-skid brains unfortunately. Is this a problem? Not in the least. We were taking hairpins and long sweeping turns extremely fast, there is a sharp uphill hairpin, turn #18, and during the shoot we must have taken that 12 or more times both ways. Not once did the i3 flinch…I sure did. Especially going the other way where it banks to the outside, I could swear we were headed for the grass, nope, it was like the i3 was on rails….maybe it is.
The steering is incredibly quick, Erin had a real chance to test it in the slalom. You will notice at around 20 seconds in the video is an abrupt turn to the right, the i3 can do that all day, left then right and vice versa. It is hard to tell in the video but those cones were pretty close together and Erin got through them all a few times, that is her skill and the i3 was keeping up with her with lightening quick steering and a chassis that likes to dance. The i3 was definitely in its element here. Erin and I both said…wow.
The i3 basically turns in on itself. This is one sharp turning radius, take a look at 24 seconds into the video. We were actually trying to get the i3 to do doughnuts, but the computer would not let the rear brake loose, still, you can see how it held and how sharp we were turning….about 27 times in a row.
Braking
In a word….wow! We did a number of hard braking shoots where we would be rolling along at 30 or so MPH and Erin would slam on the brakes…my eyeballs popped out with my brain following. This car really does stop on a dime, we did this a few times and the brakes never faded. In fact, the first time Erin slammed on the brakes it caught her by surprise, we did not expect it to stop that quickly, this car can stop! This just might be the best braking street legal BMW out there. We noticed no difference with the REx.
Ride quality
BMW has nailed it, of course this was a track and it was smooth but we hit those rumble strips regularly and fast. The i3 never shuddered, it just soaked them up while still holding the track with composure. It is one thing I noticed right away, the i3 ride is not punishing but it is extremely composed. I’ve been driving my ActiveE for nearly 2 years and I do find the ride firm and a bit tiring after awhile but not the i3. We even had an opportunity to have a full car, 4 adults, with gear inside, the i3 managed it well, never bottomed out or felt floatie. This truly is an everyday comfortable driver that is athletic.
Chassis
Another wow, we had 2 cars to play with and we were on the track for nearly 10hrs. The cars never complained, they came and left with the same tires, not a single creek or rattle and believe me when I say both cars were pushed to the edge time after time. The i3 has no B pillar on either side….it does not need them.
Acceleration
The i3 is quick, probably the quickest street EV other than Tesla that is available. It has basically the same power as the ActiveE, 170hp and 184 ft lbs torque but it is pushing over 1,000 pounds less. The i3 is quicker at everything and very refined, power delivery is amazingly smooth and that’s saying a lot since EVs are inherently smooth. The i3 also keeps up its acceleration all the way to top speed, around 90. There is also a cool ‘Sail’ feature where basically there is a neutral spot between acceleration and regen where you can coast. Erin did it at around 80mph a few times.
I was very impressed with how both cars kept taking the punishment being delivered to them. They never faltered and were consistently comfortable.
The regen of the i3 is much more refined then the ActiveE is, more linear. When I drove I did not really get a chance to try it myself and to be honest we never slowed down enough to experience it.
Interior
Other than the bits I was grabbing for dear life I did get a close look, mostly because my face or body was plastered on different areas of the car so I can confirm there are lots of soft touches in the i3. This is a very high quality interior. The i3 feels much bigger inside that you would expect and outward visibility is excellent all around. The EV is quiet even at high speed, while cruising along at 90 the wind was not that bad….I never had to raise my voice to speak to Erin….well maybe when I was screaming in fear.
In the wet
Now this was pretty interesting. The goal was to get the i3 to drift through water, no matter how hard Erin tried the i3 would not keep a sustained slide. The anti-skid computer electronics kept the car in check even when flying into a puddle at high speed….is this a bad thing…not at all, this is a safety feature. The i3 maintains control.
Range
Well basically we killed it, none to speak of. The i3 had its ‘juice’ pedal mashed to the floor most of the time so it was impossible to tell what range we were getting, however with that said, I was able to see how efficient the regen was. It was amazingly efficient, now I’m comparing to the ActiveE but just a bit of a roll down a hill and the i3 had some juice back, a few more rolls and we had even more. For those know even a 1% difference is huge when you are trying to get home. It looks like the i3 will have some very effective regen.
We had a pre-production REx version so it still needed some software programming but it works. The little engine kicked on automatically with around 5 miles left of range, once it got us up to a few more miles it turned off, it was pretty quick, it pumps energy into the battery fast. We had the chance to whip it around the track and it felt just as fast and just as planted. Erin said she thought it felt a little better balanced…..all I know is it stayed on the track and I was extremely happy about that.
Summing it Up
I finally got my chance to drive the i3, it was a quick run but I got to feel it’s handling and acceleration. The i3 is worlds ahead of the ActiveE. I was really impressed, for me driving an EV is about performance and the eco part is the bonus, the i3 nails them both.
This was an absolutely amazing experience, being that this was my first true tack experience, that alone was cool enough, but that it was in the i3 and with a professional race car driver that had never driven an EV before made it all the more fantastic. As EVers, we always want to give EV newbies seat time for that ‘A ha’ moment but the opportunity to get a professional race car driver into one and watch her expressions as she clearly enjoyed the car was icing on the cake.
I’m sure you are wondering how does it compare to other EVs? It does not compare, it’s a whole different type of machine. Did Erin really push the i3 to the edge…without a doubt…yes. What you see in the video is not all out, there is more to come. In the beginning she was holding back a bit, maybe giving me a chance to recover from shock, but eventually she opened it up, game face on, all business, and we were flying…literally…we caught some air. We once went off the track into the grass but the i3 held the line and just tip toed over the blades of green and back onto the track. There were a number of times I really thought we were headed for a guard rail or into the woods but Erin and the i3 just took it in stride….oh and the seats were comfy too, even though I was only in them half of the time.
There are some sounds of what appears to be tires squealing in the video….that is probably me.
Taking the BMW i3 on a track…a real race track, riding with a professional driver at the absolute limit for a full day at Monticello Raceway in New York and having it all caught on video; all this is what was spinning around in my head days before the shoot was set to take place.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I’ve been driving EVs since 2009, a MiniE and now the BMW ActiveE. I’ve always been the kind of EV fan where performance was first for me, the eco was the bonus. You can find me touting the benefits of EVs at many “green,” events but you will find me more often happily showing off my EV at exotic car meets and, in the past year, joined by other EV drivers who make it to the meets. I’ve always felt the best way for people to embrace EVs is to show them off where you would never expect to see one…parked next to a Ferrari or Lamborghini or Mclaren…we all love cars and mine is a fun daily driver.Clik here to view.

Finally…The BMW i3 is on a Race Track – Image Copyright Chris Neff
Now, along comes the i3, with its funky look and skinny tires. I have to admit I was wondering if the i3 would be as fun as my ActiveE, I mean how could it be, just look at those tires. Still, I liked the styling, it started to grow on me….but would it be fun to drive? I know that is the question on the minds of many.
…and now here we are, I’m ready to learn if the i3 is a real ‘drivers’ EV and on a race track.
It’s track day and now I get to meet the professional driver who is going to take us around the track. Let me add that she is a professional race car driver. Erin Crocker, who has been racing competitively since 7 (Nascar racer, sprint car racer, stunt car driver and EV newbie, nope never driven an EV) and she’s just an all around cool person. She is laid back and, like the rest of us, loves automobiles. So, this is going to be a real blast then right? I’ve never ridden in an i3 or been on a race track and Erin has never driven an EV. I begin thinking we will just hit some decent speeds and test the handling…what could possibly go wrong.?
While filling out the final paperwork in preparation for the day I was asked if I kissed my family goodbye….umm….yes. A few others came up and asked if I would be “ok” today…umm….why?
Any concerns I had quickly turned back to pure excitement when we headed over to the garage and there was the i3. Photos do not do the i3 justice, you really need to see it in person. No, it does not scream BMW, but it doesn’t have to. It is a beautiful car in its own right, the eye catching details are plenty. Erin and I did a quick walk around and I pointed out some of the unique attributes to an EV as well as the i3. Especially those tires. You are immediately drawn to them as they are so skinny and you have to wonder how this car can ever handle a road much less a track.
It’s close to 8 am and we head out. Erin is scanning the dash and soaking up the new controls she will need to get used to. That took maybe 30 seconds and then we are off. I don’t mean gradually. Nope, she really went for it right away. I calmly looked over and asked if she wanted to get familiar with the i3. She replied “no it’s ok.” I then asked has she ever driven this track. Never, she replied. Right…ok….now this is getting interesting.So we do about 3 laps and the speed is increasing. Erin is feeling more comfortable, I’m not and it is not because of her driving, this is a first for me and all I’m seeing is how fast we are heading for a hairpin and no regen or braking is going on at all, at least not until the last second and when we go into that turn we are right back on the accelerator to pull out of it…..the i3 never flinched…I can’t say that for me. I had such little time to process what was going on, but one thought was clear…the i3 is impressive.
We did a few more laps then pulled back into the pits. Wow!!! I was full of adrenaline, a combo of fear and excitement. I never expected the i3 to do that. But wait, there is more, another 10 hours of this was left to go. You see, this was to be a video shoot which means take after take…..we had two i3s to play with, one was the full electric and the other was the REx (extended range). How would they both hold up through repeated on-track abuse? We were going to find out and that was exactly why we were there. Yes, I said 10 hours. Now I understand why they were asking if I was “ok” with this. Going flat out was pretty scary, but how long could that last? Apparently close to 10 hours. Okay then, let’s do this!!!
I won’t talk about the details of the shoot in this writing, I’m going to focus on what I think you all want to hear, how did it do on the track. There are lots of reviews to be had on the i3, but none of them are about a track experience so here we go.
…before I head into my thoughts let me quickly chat about Erin, this was a fun experience for her. It was clear she was eager to see what this funky little car could do. While we zipped around the track I filled her in on EV terminology which she got a kick out of…’frunk’ was probably her favorite word. She is truly a pro, she has been racing since 7 and does the sprint car circuit now, those are those tiny little 700hp race cars that go round and round a dirt track, very aggressive because you have to be. Her driving style is all on or all off with quick turns of the wheel. In many ways, an EV suits her style since they deliver power immediately or don’t and the i3s steering is instant quick…it was an observation of mine and she absolutely brought out all the i3 could do….I definitely got more grey hair that day.
Handling
First and foremost, the i3 is an extremely nimble critter. How in the world can a car handle that well with such skinny tires and on one of the i3s was all seasons? I’m no engineer, but a low center of gravity and low weight play an important roll. The i3 looks tall, but the weight is down low and that chassis is as stiff as can be. The i3 leans, but not enough to unsettle it. Erin commented a few times how she was impressed at how easy it was to take a turn, very predictable and the front tires just kept grabbing. Granted, the electronic stability brains were keeping us from sliding out, but not so much to ruin the fun. The real issue that kept us from creating a slide was the computer cutting the power, there is no way to fully disable the anti-skid brains unfortunately. Is this a problem? Not in the least. We were taking hairpins and long sweeping turns extremely fast, there is a sharp uphill hairpin, turn #18, and during the shoot we must have taken that 12 or more times both ways. Not once did the i3 flinch…I sure did. Especially going the other way where it banks to the outside, I could swear we were headed for the grass, nope, it was like the i3 was on rails….maybe it is.
The steering is incredibly quick, Erin had a real chance to test it in the slalom. You will notice at around 20 seconds in the video is an abrupt turn to the right, the i3 can do that all day, left then right and vice versa. It is hard to tell in the video but those cones were pretty close together and Erin got through them all a few times, that is her skill and the i3 was keeping up with her with lightening quick steering and a chassis that likes to dance. The i3 was definitely in its element here. Erin and I both said…wow.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![That's the Chase Vehicle]()
Turning radiusClik here to view.

That’s the chase vehicle – a Mercedes-Benz AMG ML63….the i3 had no trouble staying ahead of it
The i3 basically turns in on itself. This is one sharp turning radius, take a look at 24 seconds into the video. We were actually trying to get the i3 to do doughnuts, but the computer would not let the rear brake loose, still, you can see how it held and how sharp we were turning….about 27 times in a row.
Braking
In a word….wow! We did a number of hard braking shoots where we would be rolling along at 30 or so MPH and Erin would slam on the brakes…my eyeballs popped out with my brain following. This car really does stop on a dime, we did this a few times and the brakes never faded. In fact, the first time Erin slammed on the brakes it caught her by surprise, we did not expect it to stop that quickly, this car can stop! This just might be the best braking street legal BMW out there. We noticed no difference with the REx.
Ride quality
BMW has nailed it, of course this was a track and it was smooth but we hit those rumble strips regularly and fast. The i3 never shuddered, it just soaked them up while still holding the track with composure. It is one thing I noticed right away, the i3 ride is not punishing but it is extremely composed. I’ve been driving my ActiveE for nearly 2 years and I do find the ride firm and a bit tiring after awhile but not the i3. We even had an opportunity to have a full car, 4 adults, with gear inside, the i3 managed it well, never bottomed out or felt floatie. This truly is an everyday comfortable driver that is athletic.
Chassis
Another wow, we had 2 cars to play with and we were on the track for nearly 10hrs. The cars never complained, they came and left with the same tires, not a single creek or rattle and believe me when I say both cars were pushed to the edge time after time. The i3 has no B pillar on either side….it does not need them.
Acceleration
The i3 is quick, probably the quickest street EV other than Tesla that is available. It has basically the same power as the ActiveE, 170hp and 184 ft lbs torque but it is pushing over 1,000 pounds less. The i3 is quicker at everything and very refined, power delivery is amazingly smooth and that’s saying a lot since EVs are inherently smooth. The i3 also keeps up its acceleration all the way to top speed, around 90. There is also a cool ‘Sail’ feature where basically there is a neutral spot between acceleration and regen where you can coast. Erin did it at around 80mph a few times.
I was very impressed with how both cars kept taking the punishment being delivered to them. They never faltered and were consistently comfortable.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![Other Than 110 Chargers in the PIts - We Had Some Portable Charger]()
RegenClik here to view.

Other Than 110 Chargers in the Pits – We Had Some Portable Chargers
The regen of the i3 is much more refined then the ActiveE is, more linear. When I drove I did not really get a chance to try it myself and to be honest we never slowed down enough to experience it.
Interior
Other than the bits I was grabbing for dear life I did get a close look, mostly because my face or body was plastered on different areas of the car so I can confirm there are lots of soft touches in the i3. This is a very high quality interior. The i3 feels much bigger inside that you would expect and outward visibility is excellent all around. The EV is quiet even at high speed, while cruising along at 90 the wind was not that bad….I never had to raise my voice to speak to Erin….well maybe when I was screaming in fear.
In the wet
Now this was pretty interesting. The goal was to get the i3 to drift through water, no matter how hard Erin tried the i3 would not keep a sustained slide. The anti-skid computer electronics kept the car in check even when flying into a puddle at high speed….is this a bad thing…not at all, this is a safety feature. The i3 maintains control.
Range
Well basically we killed it, none to speak of. The i3 had its ‘juice’ pedal mashed to the floor most of the time so it was impossible to tell what range we were getting, however with that said, I was able to see how efficient the regen was. It was amazingly efficient, now I’m comparing to the ActiveE but just a bit of a roll down a hill and the i3 had some juice back, a few more rolls and we had even more. For those know even a 1% difference is huge when you are trying to get home. It looks like the i3 will have some very effective regen.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![Erin and I After Our Awesome Day...The i3 Truly Impress Us Both]()
So what was the REx like?Clik here to view.

Erin and I After Our Awesome Day…The i3 Truly Impressed Us Both
We had a pre-production REx version so it still needed some software programming but it works. The little engine kicked on automatically with around 5 miles left of range, once it got us up to a few more miles it turned off, it was pretty quick, it pumps energy into the battery fast. We had the chance to whip it around the track and it felt just as fast and just as planted. Erin said she thought it felt a little better balanced…..all I know is it stayed on the track and I was extremely happy about that.
Summing it Up
I finally got my chance to drive the i3, it was a quick run but I got to feel it’s handling and acceleration. The i3 is worlds ahead of the ActiveE. I was really impressed, for me driving an EV is about performance and the eco part is the bonus, the i3 nails them both.
This was an absolutely amazing experience, being that this was my first true tack experience, that alone was cool enough, but that it was in the i3 and with a professional race car driver that had never driven an EV before made it all the more fantastic. As EVers, we always want to give EV newbies seat time for that ‘A ha’ moment but the opportunity to get a professional race car driver into one and watch her expressions as she clearly enjoyed the car was icing on the cake.
I’m sure you are wondering how does it compare to other EVs? It does not compare, it’s a whole different type of machine. Did Erin really push the i3 to the edge…without a doubt…yes. What you see in the video is not all out, there is more to come. In the beginning she was holding back a bit, maybe giving me a chance to recover from shock, but eventually she opened it up, game face on, all business, and we were flying…literally…we caught some air. We once went off the track into the grass but the i3 held the line and just tip toed over the blades of green and back onto the track. There were a number of times I really thought we were headed for a guard rail or into the woods but Erin and the i3 just took it in stride….oh and the seats were comfy too, even though I was only in them half of the time.
There are some sounds of what appears to be tires squealing in the video….that is probably me.
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The First Volt Owner in Georgia Explains What He Doesn't Like About the BMW i3... and Why He's Buying One!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. ![]() |
Chris Campbell with his Volt. Chris was actually the first Volt owner in the State of Georgia. Now that his 3 year lease is coming to an end he's chosen to replace his Volt with a BMW i3. |
GETTING OVER IT AND CHOOSING THE BMW I3
I am an electric vehicle enthusiast. The wave of EVs in the late 1990s piqued my interested, but it was a lucky chance at a long test drive of a Tesla Roadster in April 2009 that gave me the EV religion. By 2010 I was ready for a new car and the market was finally ready to give me an EV. In my case the Chevy Volt was good choice because I have a short commute, well within the electric range of the Volt, but also wanted the ability to take the car anywhere at any time and not have to worry about range. Note that there was virtually ZERO public charging infrastructure in 2010 when I got the Volt.
Fast forward three years and I'm now at the end of my three year Volt lease, and looking for my next car. The Volt has been great, and in fact I still believe it is the BEST car on the market, especially for anyone new to EVs. After three years of tweaks, and this year's dramatic price drop, the Volt is even more compelling than when I took my somewhat risky plunge in 2010. But, for me personally, as my Volt lease ends I'm now looking to move on to the next thing.
I've been following BMW's EV developments closely for a few years now, and after a second test drive this past Friday, I've decided that the BMW i3 is going to be my next car. I'll explain why, but I'm also going to take a sober look at the car, probably unlike any other i3 review you've seen.
EVs are an absolute thrill to drive, and there was no doubt that my next car would be another EV. While the environmental and geopolitical reasons for getting an EV are important to me, what really draws me is the sheer power (well, torque) of the electric drivetrain. Once you experience that "stealth V8" power you just can't live without it.
So, for me, the very top issue in selecting the next car was POWER. How fast was it? The Volt (and Leaf, even) are deceptively powerful, and a blast to drive, but I consider them to have only the MINIMUM required power. More is better! And early reports on the BMW i3 indicated that it was going to be more powerful than anything on the market short of the (sadly unattainable) Tesla models, so I've been following it very closely for over a year now.
There are lots of features that I like about the i3. The carbon fiber structure is certainly cool. I'm tall, and the long coupe-style front doors place the pseudo B-pillars (and seatbelt anchors) nicely back and out of my peripheral vision. The i3 will have an available DC fast charging option, and I decided earlier this year that my next car simply had to have DCFC capability. The drive train is well engineered, following four years of careful testing in BMW's MINI-E and ActiveE programs. It's a BMW, so you're going to get a driver's car.
All these things are great, but certainly the car isn't perfect. No car is perfect. And in fact, that's how it usually works, right? You fall in love with a car, then you find out something about the car that you DON'T like, and then you have to decide whether you can get over it. Do the pros outweigh the cons?
The Nissan Leaf is ugly, has a spartan interior, and has a cheaper battery technology that makes it susceptible to weather extremes. The Chevy Volt is a bit pricey and can't seat more than two people in the back (and the EV purists turn their noses up at it). The Ford models have that hulking battery pack messing up the trunk, signifying the worst of "conversion car" engineering. And so forth -- you can always find something wrong with a car. Even the vaunted Tesla Model S has problems, most prominently its stratospheric price tag, but upon closer examination there are plenty of other problems.
So, I've got problems with the BMW i3. Can I get over it?
I'm an engineer, and I can't help but try to analyze this decision soberly and methodically. Anticipating that I'd be back in the market for a new EV after the Volt lease, a year ago I started assembling my checklist for the perfect electric vehicle. This long document is a collection of every feature in every EV on the market, and serves as a way to honestly evaluate the cars on the market. No car is perfect, not even the Tesla Model S, and my list serves to remind me that there are tradeoffs in any car.
With that, I will now itemize the top things that I do NOT like about the BMW i3. See, I told you this would be unlike any review you'd read! Again, I've said above that I AM going to buy an i3, in fact I will be happy to be the first in my home state, as I was with the Chevy Volt three years ago, and probably will be as big a cheerleader as anyone about the car (well, except for Tom M...). But I'm doing this with a clear-eyed view of the pros AND the cons of the car.
In essence, this is a list of the things that I had to "get over" in order to commit to the i3.
IT'S UGLY!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

While the i3 has some sexy angles, it has some real stinkers too. Look at it straight on from the front, or straight at the rear. In both of those angles the weird design is jarring, and the skinny tires jump out at you. I know, I know, 19-20 inch tires, contact patch size blah blah blah -- it just LOOKS bad. But it's a thrill to drive! So I'll get over the looks, or least tolerate the snide remarks. At least I shouldn't have to worry about those kinds of comments from Nissan Leaf owners, right? That has got to be the ugliest car on the market, from ALL angles! Ha!
NO CLIMATE PRESTART ON KEYFOB
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You're not going to believe this, but this feature is THE most important feature to me in an EV, putting aside the headline features of the drivetrain, battery and charging technology. The same way you get addicted to the instantaneous torque of an EV drivetrain, I have become addicted to that little button ON THE KEYFOB of my Chevy Volt that starts up the climate control. I use it every ... single ... time ... I get into my car (so at least twice daily), from inside the house as I'm getting ready to leave in the morning, and then on the way home as I'm approaching the car at my workplace. Yeah yeah, sure, I can use the smartphone app -- wanna race? It takes me 3 seconds (and minimal cognitive engagement) to get the car warming up, and I can do it blind with the keyfob in my pocket. Try THAT with your smartphone. Scheduling the prestart doesn't solve this for me because I don't get in the car at the same time every day.
There is a "diamond" button on the i3 keyfob that acts as a panic button, but I've heard a rumor that it is actually *configurable*, and that climate prestart may be one of the configurable options. If so, congratulations BMW on a brilliant solution, and scratch this off the cons list! But I haven't seen confirmation, so it remains on my short list of problems with the i3. Trust me, once you have this feature, you can't live without it.
CHARGE PORT ON WRONG SIDE OF CAR
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NO POWER SEATS
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WHAT'S NOT ON THIS LIST
There are many things that other people have complained about that are NOT a problem for me:
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- There is no SOC percentage showing the exact state of the battery charge. I know the other i3 fans are screaming about this, but I could not care less. I'll trust the indication of mileage remaining, and will eventually learn how to correct for challenging driving ahead.
- Range: 80-100 is plenty for me. In fact, using the VoltStats.net data from my last three years of Volt driving, I recently found that 80-100 is perfect for me. Give me the DCFC interface and even just a hint of a future charging network and I've got all I need.
I GOT OVER IT
And here we are. I've listed some big problems I have with the i3, and I've listed even more on the full EV checklist on www.ElectrifyAtlanta.com (now updated with i3 data). And yet ... the drive is intoxicating. It's got more power (more more more gimme) and can carve through turns like it's on rails. Check out Chris Neff's recent report on his day with an i3 as a professional race car driver flung it around a racetrack for 10 hours!
It's got good range. It has a sunroof option, and I love the doors. It offers HD Radio and RDS, which are radio tuner features that I really wish all cars had. I even love the underdog factor of having the SAE Combo DC fast charging interface that all the Nissan and Tesla partisans are howling at. Game on, let's go.
And so I got over it. Take my money, BMW, the sooner the better. Can I be first in Georgia again?
Chris Campbell
www.ElectrifyAtlanta.com
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The only question I now have for Chris is what color does he want. Will he choose Laurel Gray like I plan to order? |
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The BMW i3's "Black Hand"
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The i3 in Laurel Gray with BMW i Blue accent. Even though it's not quite as black in person as it looks in this picture, I like how it minimizes the two tone color scheme. I plan to order my i3 in this color scheme, with the 20" sport wheels as pictured and apply a dark tint to the rear windows. |
I get emails from readers here almost on a daily basis, and now that we are approaching the US launch the amount of correspondence I receive has been dramatically increasing. Quite often my blog posts are a reaction to something some asked me. I figure if someone out the was curious enough about the topic to email me than others probably are also. I've had people ask me about this in the past,, however yesterday and today I have had three people ask me if there was any way to special order a monochrome i3, with the hood, roof and accents all painted the color that the rest of the body panels are, instead of black.
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The "Black Hand" extends to the side mirrors |
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Everything is black besides the bumper |
The back of the car is particularly interesting because everything is black except the rear bumper which kind of gives the appearance that there is another car inside the i3 that is trying to get out! The New York Times Wheels Blog recently did a story on why BMW chose to use the black hood, roof and accents on all i3's regardless of the main color of the car. Evidently it was to "lighten" the appearance of an otherwise "chunky" small car. Here is an excerpt from the NY Times story:
"In designing the i3 electric car, BMW engineers were tasked with reducing weight to compensate for heavy batteries. They used a combination of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic and aluminum, and the company mounted the passenger compartment atop the batteries. That approach made for a shorter vehicle with a lower center of gravity, but it also gave it a chunky profile. So designers set out to lighten the tall, bulky “monoform,” said Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW Group’s design director.
“We wanted to remove visual weight from the car,” he said. That meant using all sorts of techniques and tricks to break up the apparent mass of he car, he explained in an interview last week.
Mr. Van Hooydonk, Richard Kim and Benoit Jacob worked on designing the i3 for five years. The name they chose to describe the technique used to lighten the bulk of the car’s outline was the black hand, said Mr. van Hooydonk.
“The hood, as you see, is black, and the same material runs over the roof and to the back,” he explained. “This helps us divide up the volume.”
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The i3 in white. We call this the "Panda Version" over on the i3 Facebook group |
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Solar Orange has been well received |
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The i3 Andesite Silver |
What are your thoughts on the "black hand"? Do you think it does what BMW had hoped it would, or would you rather your i3 painted all one color? Does anybody out there plan to paint their hood the same color of the car? How about a wrap? Lets discuss in the comments:
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CarBuyer Offers a Comprehensive BMW i3 Video Review
Over in the UK i3 sales and deliveries have begun. Unlike here in the US the press is getting extended time with i3's and producing some more complete reviews. The video above is pretty well balanced so I thought the followers here would like to see it. The full printed review from CarBuyer can be found here.
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BMW i3 Range Extender: How Robust Will It Be?
There are still many unanswered questions about the i3. What will the EPA range rating be? How will is fare in NHTSA and IICA crash tests, will it cost more to repair, and so on. However there is one particular feature of the i3 that continues to dominate the discussion boards and forums: What can and can't you do with the REx?
Back in June before the i3 was officially introduced, I did a blog post on this very topic which turned out to be very popular. In fact, it's one of my top viewed posts and has been viewed over 5,000 times so far. We now know a few more details since then so I thought it was a good time to give an update here. While I have driven in REx i3's, unfortunately I haven't had the chance to thoroughly test on while it was in range extender mode. That wasn't a coincidence. BMW has still be fine tuning the software for the REx and hasn't allowed the press access to them for complete testing. However, somehow over in the UK The Telegraph got hold of one and was able to take to for a long drive and use the range extender. Overall the review was pretty favorable and the author gave the i3 four out of five stars. However that's not the whole story. The real "story" within this story is that the author reported this about the range extender and it's caused a but of a stir:
"I thrummed along at 70mph, but it soon became clear that at this kind of speed our comfortable range between fill-ups was more like 40-50 miles. Still, it was impressive how, even when it says it’s flat, the car maintains enough battery power to give an instant shove of torque. Only if you really run it down, which you’ll have to try pretty hard to do (or so I’d been told), would you compromise the performance. Which is what happened next.
I’d just come through a heavy but localised rain storm on the M20 when the i3 started to slow. It was a gradual process, from motorway cruising speed all the way down to 44mph. By this time I was travelling up a slight incline and had effectively become a slow-moving obstacle. Lorries were catching me with quite frankly terrifying closing speeds. It was three or four minutes - which was long enough to make me consider pulling over - before the i3 recovered; just as slowly as it had lost speed, so it crept up. “It’s not a limp-home mode as such,” a BMW spokesman later told me, “but once the charge runs down to five or six per cent and the range extender cuts in, if you keep driving at 75-80mph it can’t maintain the charge.” Rather than damage the battery by running it completely flat, the i3 had restricted our performance."
This Telegraph video above doesn't mention the difficulty they experienced with the car slowing down at all even though they show it driving along on the M20 while it was raining like they printed version said. That's strange to me since the article seemed to make a big deal out of it. I would have like to have seen video of the car during the explained "slow down" event.
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The i3 REx Engine |
I don't have the exact answers as to what exactly is possible and what isn't. In fact, I'm not even sure it's possible to offer such a definitive explanation. Sure, the engineers can offer a formula based on total passenger and cargo weight, vehicle speed, head or tail winds, percent of grade you are climbing, etc but who will even understand that let alone be able to transfer that to an actual real world driving situation? There are so many different situations and roads it's just not possible to give a clear black and white definition of what it can and what it can't do and I believe BMW will likely struggle with how to explain this to their customers - maybe that's why they haven't even tried to explain it yet! I have made a request to the program managers to let me drive an i3 REx for a day once one is available. I'll test it in every possible situation I can come up with in the time frame I have including a 220 mile trip to Vermont. Hopefully my request will be accommodated because I believe I can clear the air on this as much as possible, however as I mentioned above there are endless specific driving circumstances so no test will completely satisfy everyone. My advice: Drive one in REx mode to satisfy your concerns before you plunk down your money. I'm sure you can leave a deposit on one and have it refunded if you are not satisfied with the performance once you get the test drive opportunity.
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i3 Product manager Oliver Walter |
So why can't the i3's in the US have the same ability the European i3's have to manually turn on the REx ahead of time, when you know you'll need a lot of energy for demanding driving conditions like climbing a mountain later in your trip? The answer is in the CARB certification of the i3. BMW needs the i3 to be certified as a zero emission vehicle in order to claim the most ZEV credits they can for each i3 sold. However the benefits aren't only for BMW. BMW has been working behind the scenes to make sure that i3 buyers get the same tax credits, tax exemptions and benefits like HOV access that zero emission vehicles get, which in many cases is better than what is offered to PHEV buyers. For example here in NJ, if I buy a zero emission car like a Tesla Model S, I am not required to pay sales tax, but if I buy a Chevy Volt which has a range extender, it's classified as a PHEV and I have to pay sales tax. So if BMW by getting the i3 REx certification approved, manages to get New Jersey to classify the i3 REx as a zero emission vehicle, then I will save about $3,500 in sales tax. To me, that's worth losing the ability to manually turn on the REx early because there will be so few instances that I would ever need to; it's just simply not worth it. This isn't just for NJ though, there are quite a few other States that offer different incentives for ZEV's as compared to PHEV's. However as far as I know, BMW is still working out these details State by State and they haven't announced exactly what the certification will mean in each particular State just yet. As soon as there is more to report on the certification and State benefits I'll have it up here, and hopefully I'll get to report first hand on how the REx performs sometime soon. Happy Holidays everyone!
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Of course a robust network of DC quick chargers like the one pictured here would render the range extender irrelevant. But are they coming? |
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Happy Holidays!
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BMW i3 US Option Pricing Released
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This afternoon, BMWBLOG along with other news outlets reported that BMW has released the pricing details for i3 options for the US market. You can use this link to download the full list of i3 options pricing.
Nothing really new to report other than the pricing. The only odd thing I see is that sunroof isn't listed anywhere and it has been previously reported that it comes standard with the Giga and Tera World packages. For now I will assume it still is, and that someone at BMW NA just made a mistake and didn't list it here, but it is something to keep an eye on because it's very odd that there is no mention of it here. I've previously looked at the options pricing for Europe, so I pretty much knew what to expect and there are no surprises for me here. Here is a quick summary of the options:
Exterior paint:
The non-metallic paints (Arravaini Grey and Capparis White) are standard with no extra charge. Although Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicles sales and strategy recently said that the Capparis White will not be available in the US, at least for the first model year. That means if you don't like the Arravani Grey you'll be forced to pay the extra $550 for a metallic paint option and choose from Ionic Sliver, Solar Orange, Laurel Grey and Andesite Silver.
Worlds:
Mega World is standard, Giga World is a $1,700 option and Tera World will set you back an extra $2,700. All three interiors are pictured on the left (click to enlarge) with Giga on top and Tera on the bottom. The interiors only come in the colors shown, you cannot select Tera for example and get Grey leather, it only comes in the Brown trim shown. Giga adds 19" Alloy Turbine wheels style 429 and Tera adds 19" Turbine wheels style 428. For an additional $1,300 you can get the Sport 20" Double Spoke wheels style 430 regardless of the World package you choose. All of the wheels are lightweight and designed for minimum aerodynamic drag. The base wheels on Mega World is probably the most aerodynamic but will likely be viewed as the least visually appealing.
Electronics:
The Parking Package costs $1,000 and gives you the rear view camera, Park Distance Control and Parking Assistant (which is self parking and I've personally tested it on an i3 and it works perfectly). The technology & Driving Assistant package costs $2,500 and with that you get ACC Stop & Go + Active Driving Assistant (which is a self-driving feature for slow congested-street driving), the professional navigation system with wide screen Nav (Basic Nav is standard), BMW Online and BMW apps as well as Advanced Real-Time Traffic Information.
Heated front seats is a $350 option and if you live anywhere where the temperature drops below 50 degrees during the year I urge you to get the heated seats. In you happen to live in an area where it gets really cold, like below 30 degrees, this option in mandatory in my opinion. That's because for some strange reason BMW linked the battery warming system to the heated seat option so if you don't get the heated seat option, you cannot pre-warm the battery pack - odd indeed, but that's how it works. Luckily it's only a $350 option.
The Harman Kardon Premium sound system is an $800 option. Every i3 I've driven so far had this option, so I don't know how good the standard sound system is, but I can say the 12-speaker HK option is a great sound system. It's probably the best sound system I have ever had in a car and I'll definitely be getting it. The sound is so clear and with the quiet cabin of an electric car you can really appreciate the clarity of a great sound system even more so than in an internal combustion car.
DC Quick Charge:
The DC Quick Charging option is reasonably priced at $700. I believe BMW didn't charge more because they know the value of this option is directly tied to the amount of CCS DC quick chargers there are and right now there are only a couple of them. I'm pretty confident the deployment is going to occur, but at what pace I can't be sure. I also believe BMW is going to help with deployment in some degree, but exactly what level of participation is yet unknown. For certain, BMW isn't going to install and maintain the CCS chargers, like Tesla is with their Supercharger network. However that doesn't mean they aren't going to get involved in the deployment, perhaps by subsidizing the cost of the stations in certain areas, helping their dealers install them and perhaps forming partnerships with other stakeholders to help with deployment. I suspect we'll hear news on this front relatively soon too.
So what's an i3 really going to cost?
Finally, destination & handling is $925. So if you wanted to pay the least possible amount and still drive home in a BEV i3 the price after destination and handling is $42,275. However, if you want the i3 with range extender, along with the top of the line Tera World package, and every single possible option available, your price before incentives would be $56,025. That makes the options spread a whopping $13,750 if you consider the range extender an "option" and not a different model entirely. If you look at it that way, every available option offered increases the i3's price by $9,900. Is it cheap? Certainly not, but BMW doesn't sell "cheap" cars, they are a premium brand. However the tax incentives really help to make the i3 much more affordable, especially if you live in a State like California that offers additional incentives on top of the Federal tax credit. Whether or not it's "worth it" is going to be a personal choice and people assign value to different characteristics. I happen to really like the unique architecture used, the fact that it's the first volume production car made primarily of CFRP and aluminum and how BMW considered sustainable manufacturing processes including a high degree of renewable energy during the entire manufacturing process. Others may not care about that but it's important to me. However nothing matters much if the driving experience isn't good and after four test drives I'm satisfied that the i3 delivers the performance and fun-factor that I want in my car. Ok BMW I'm ready to order now... just take my money and give me my i3! Laurel Grey, range extender and every damn option there is. I've waited this long for it, I might as well spoil myself!
Clik here to view.

Nothing really new to report other than the pricing. The only odd thing I see is that sunroof isn't listed anywhere and it has been previously reported that it comes standard with the Giga and Tera World packages. For now I will assume it still is, and that someone at BMW NA just made a mistake and didn't list it here, but it is something to keep an eye on because it's very odd that there is no mention of it here. I've previously looked at the options pricing for Europe, so I pretty much knew what to expect and there are no surprises for me here. Here is a quick summary of the options:
Exterior paint:
The non-metallic paints (Arravaini Grey and Capparis White) are standard with no extra charge. Although Jacob Harb, head of electric vehicles sales and strategy recently said that the Capparis White will not be available in the US, at least for the first model year. That means if you don't like the Arravani Grey you'll be forced to pay the extra $550 for a metallic paint option and choose from Ionic Sliver, Solar Orange, Laurel Grey and Andesite Silver.
Worlds:
Mega World is standard, Giga World is a $1,700 option and Tera World will set you back an extra $2,700. All three interiors are pictured on the left (click to enlarge) with Giga on top and Tera on the bottom. The interiors only come in the colors shown, you cannot select Tera for example and get Grey leather, it only comes in the Brown trim shown. Giga adds 19" Alloy Turbine wheels style 429 and Tera adds 19" Turbine wheels style 428. For an additional $1,300 you can get the Sport 20" Double Spoke wheels style 430 regardless of the World package you choose. All of the wheels are lightweight and designed for minimum aerodynamic drag. The base wheels on Mega World is probably the most aerodynamic but will likely be viewed as the least visually appealing.
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The 19" Mega World Wheels are on the far left followed by the 19" Tera World Style 429 which is next to the 19" Giga World Style 428's and the 20" Sport Style 430 is on the right. |
The Parking Package costs $1,000 and gives you the rear view camera, Park Distance Control and Parking Assistant (which is self parking and I've personally tested it on an i3 and it works perfectly). The technology & Driving Assistant package costs $2,500 and with that you get ACC Stop & Go + Active Driving Assistant (which is a self-driving feature for slow congested-street driving), the professional navigation system with wide screen Nav (Basic Nav is standard), BMW Online and BMW apps as well as Advanced Real-Time Traffic Information.
Heated front seats is a $350 option and if you live anywhere where the temperature drops below 50 degrees during the year I urge you to get the heated seats. In you happen to live in an area where it gets really cold, like below 30 degrees, this option in mandatory in my opinion. That's because for some strange reason BMW linked the battery warming system to the heated seat option so if you don't get the heated seat option, you cannot pre-warm the battery pack - odd indeed, but that's how it works. Luckily it's only a $350 option.
The Harman Kardon Premium sound system is an $800 option. Every i3 I've driven so far had this option, so I don't know how good the standard sound system is, but I can say the 12-speaker HK option is a great sound system. It's probably the best sound system I have ever had in a car and I'll definitely be getting it. The sound is so clear and with the quiet cabin of an electric car you can really appreciate the clarity of a great sound system even more so than in an internal combustion car.
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At only $700 the DC Quick Charge option is priced reasonably, but will there be CCS stations to charge at? |
The DC Quick Charging option is reasonably priced at $700. I believe BMW didn't charge more because they know the value of this option is directly tied to the amount of CCS DC quick chargers there are and right now there are only a couple of them. I'm pretty confident the deployment is going to occur, but at what pace I can't be sure. I also believe BMW is going to help with deployment in some degree, but exactly what level of participation is yet unknown. For certain, BMW isn't going to install and maintain the CCS chargers, like Tesla is with their Supercharger network. However that doesn't mean they aren't going to get involved in the deployment, perhaps by subsidizing the cost of the stations in certain areas, helping their dealers install them and perhaps forming partnerships with other stakeholders to help with deployment. I suspect we'll hear news on this front relatively soon too.
So what's an i3 really going to cost?
Finally, destination & handling is $925. So if you wanted to pay the least possible amount and still drive home in a BEV i3 the price after destination and handling is $42,275. However, if you want the i3 with range extender, along with the top of the line Tera World package, and every single possible option available, your price before incentives would be $56,025. That makes the options spread a whopping $13,750 if you consider the range extender an "option" and not a different model entirely. If you look at it that way, every available option offered increases the i3's price by $9,900. Is it cheap? Certainly not, but BMW doesn't sell "cheap" cars, they are a premium brand. However the tax incentives really help to make the i3 much more affordable, especially if you live in a State like California that offers additional incentives on top of the Federal tax credit. Whether or not it's "worth it" is going to be a personal choice and people assign value to different characteristics. I happen to really like the unique architecture used, the fact that it's the first volume production car made primarily of CFRP and aluminum and how BMW considered sustainable manufacturing processes including a high degree of renewable energy during the entire manufacturing process. Others may not care about that but it's important to me. However nothing matters much if the driving experience isn't good and after four test drives I'm satisfied that the i3 delivers the performance and fun-factor that I want in my car. Ok BMW I'm ready to order now... just take my money and give me my i3! Laurel Grey, range extender and every damn option there is. I've waited this long for it, I might as well spoil myself!
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Build Your BMW i3: The Configurer With Pricing is Now Live
Once the US i3 options pricing specs were public it was just a matter of time before the i3 configurer would be live. It's now up and you can design your own i3, add and remove options and see how it looks with different color and wheel combinations. The range extender isn't an add on option though, instead it's treated as if it is a different vehicle entirely even though everything else is the same as the BEV i3 (with the exception of the rear wheel size if you get the standard style 427 wheels).
I'm happy to report BMW didn't do what some other EV manufacturers did and build the $7,500 Federal Tax Rebate directly into the price. They clearly show the "Total MSRP as Built" and then have a line that says "Estimate" to indicate that you may be eligible for the tax credit and also offers a line to see if your particular state has additional incentives. Additionally there is a Gas Savings calculator to estimate how much you can potentially save in gas but that's very difficult to say without knowing what car you are displacing, how much you pay for electricity, if you have solar, etc.
Want to see what your custom designed i3 will cost? Here are the links to the site:
Configure an i3 with Range Extender
Configure a BEV i3
I'm happy to report BMW didn't do what some other EV manufacturers did and build the $7,500 Federal Tax Rebate directly into the price. They clearly show the "Total MSRP as Built" and then have a line that says "Estimate" to indicate that you may be eligible for the tax credit and also offers a line to see if your particular state has additional incentives. Additionally there is a Gas Savings calculator to estimate how much you can potentially save in gas but that's very difficult to say without knowing what car you are displacing, how much you pay for electricity, if you have solar, etc.
Want to see what your custom designed i3 will cost? Here are the links to the site:
Configure an i3 with Range Extender
Configure a BEV i3
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BMW i3: I See Your True Colors
Back in July I did a post on the i3's colors before they were initially announced. I found various pictures of i3's with partially covered with the blue and white swirly camouflage and pieced together what I believed would be the range of colors. I was close but not perfect, and one of the things I got wrong was I had been calling the darker grey metallic paint Arravani Grey, when it actually turned out to be Laurel Grey. The problem is many other websites like bmwblog and Autoevolution picked up my posts and ran with them. That actually led to a lot of confusion as to which Grey is which, and months later it's still a point of confusion.
Some of the colors look different in different lighting so even these aren't perfect, but at least you can see all the colors next to each other in real photos, not illustrations like you get on the i3 online configurer. On the site, it's impossible to really distinguish between Arravani and Laurel Grey for instance. The Andesite Silver is interesting because in person I find that it can sometimes look like a beige-ish sliver, but other times not beige at all. One of the pictures below even captures what I mean. The Laurel Grey (which is my favorite) doesn't look as black in person as it does in pictures. In person you can clearly see the black hood is darker while some of the pictures make it look like the hood and the body panels are basically the same.
Capparis White w/BMW i Frozen Blue accent:
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Andesite Silver Metallic w/ BMW i Frozen Blue accent:
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Ionic Silver Metallic w/ BMW i Frozen Blue accent:
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Solar Orange Metallic w/Frozen Grey accent:
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Arravani Grey w/BMW i Frozen Blue accent:
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Laurel Grey Metallic w/ BMW i Frozen Blue accent:
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Note all of the colors come with BMW i Frozen Blue Accent trim except for the Solar Orange which has Frozen Grey. That's a good move because while it works for the other colors, I don't think the light blue trim would do well on an orange colored car!
Special thanks to BMWBLOG for providing many of the pictures to me for this post.
Edit:
Peter Bark from the i3 Facebook group just posted a short video there with about twenty i3's lined up at a dealership in Amsterdam. All the colors seem to be represented but it's difficult to tell the difference in Arravani and Laurel Grey since the pictures are head on and only the colored bumper and a little of the side can be seen clearly: Here's a link to the video: photo.php
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BMW i3: I Was Born Electric On...
It's been about a month and a half now since the first BMW i3's destined for retail customers rolled off the assembly line in BMW's Leipzig plant. Recent reports claim BMW delivered 400 i3's in November but we haven't got word of how many were delivered in December as of yet. So what do the new owners have to say? The point is, the i3's are out there now, and customers are driving them. I'm sure a lot of people would like to read first hand reports from actual owners.
I searched but I couldn't find a single detailed report from an actual i3 owner so I reached out to a few of them and asked them if they wanted to be part of a new series I'm going to have here called "I was Born Electric On...". I'm going to allow i3 owners to write guest blog posts to tell us about their thoughts on the car. What they love, what they hate, and everything in between. Of course they'll provide pictures- hopefully cool ones that show their i3 near some of the interesting sites where they live. We'll start the post with "Hi, my name is______ and I was Born Electric on _____.
I already have a few commitments from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany but I'd like more so please email me if you have an i3 and are interested in being featured on this blog, the more the better! Don't worry if you don't write in perfect English, or if your not a polished writer, the readers here don't mind (obviously not because I make a lot of mistakes!) and if it's really difficult to understand I'll just make small corrections that only clarify what you are trying to say. Don't be shy, the readers would love to hear your thoughts.
My email address is: electric.is.better@gmail.com
Thanks and have a Happy New Year everyone. Be electric in 2014!
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To REx or Not To REx, That is The Question: Part 2
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To REx or Not to REx, that is the question many potential i3 buyers are struggling with now |
Back in September of 2011, only 6 months after I started this blog, I wrote a post titled "To REx or Not To REx, That is The Question". At the time, very little was known about the i3, and even less was known about the range extender; other than it would be available as an option and would appear sometime after the initial i3 launch.
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The sign at the New York BMW i Born Electric Tour claimed a 100 mile range for the i3. It's looking like the EPA range rating will fall short of that. |
So after bouncing back and forth a few times, I've decided I'll be getting my i3 with the range extender. After about five years of driving pure electric, I'll be back to hauling around an ICE. I don't love the idea, but I'm not hung up on "pure EV" dogma either. The goal is to use less gas and if the range extender allows me to drive on electric the vast majority of the time, yet still have the utility I need on the days I need to drive farther, than the goal is accomplished. The i3 simply won't have the necessary all electric range that's necessary for me personally but that doesn't mean it's not enough for many others. As you can imagine I'm not alone with the struggle to decide which version of the i3 to get. Now that the i3 is available to order in Europe, and only weeks away from being available in the US, I'm reading posts in the i3 forum and in our i3 Facebook group where others are grappling with the decision of if they should go BEV or REx.
I'll try to outline the pros and cons here. If you think I miss something please feel free to add your reasoning in the comments section. Here are my top six reasons for and six reasons against the range extender:
The added utility. Not having to plan out your mileage or look for public chargepoints if you know you'll be pushing the range on a particular day will be a welcome feature to many people. You won't have to think twice if your plans change and you need to drive more miles than you planned that day, and on days you know you'll be driving far you won't have to use the other family car, borrow a gas car or use a car sharing or rental service. With the exception of extremely long drives (hundreds of miles) that will take you up extended long mountainous routes the i3 with the REx can take you wherever you need to go without worry. Also as the car ages, the battery will lose capacity and your range will shrink. A new i3 with an 85 mile range may only be able to comfortably deliver 75 miles after 3 or 4 years. The REx means the car will always deliver the same utility regardless of how old it is and what shape your battery is in.
No range anxiety. There is some over lap with the first reason, but this really is another issue in itself. There is a difference in not using the car one day because you know the range wouldn't be enough, and miscalculating your total miles because your route had a detour, or your life had a detour that day. It happens. You can plan your day all you want but things come up and you often need to drive farther than you thought you would have to. Usually the extra range you have is enough to get you home, but there are those days where you just come up short and can't make it. The last few miles you are gripping the steering wheel a little tighter and looking down at your range gauge every minute or so. I've been driving electric for nearly 5 years now and I can honestly say these kinds of issues don't happen often, in fact they are very rare. However when they do happen, it isn't fun. I can remember walking home at 2am last summer and thinking about how great it would have been to have that little REx motorcycle engine on my ActiveE. On that night, I ran out of charge about a quarter mile from my house. What made it really interesting is I live in a very rural area of New Jersey. There are no streetlights on my street and it's really pitch dark at 2am. Add to that I saw a bear walking on my lawn a few weeks earlier so as I was walking home I couldn't help but think of the headline, "EV advocate gets mauled by bear walking home because his electric car ran out of charge." I don't know if that is range anxiety or bear anxiety, but I could have really used the REx that night. I know some would say just get an EV with a bigger battery. No matter how big the battery is there could always be occasions when you miscalculate your range or drive farther than you planned and come up short. The range extender virtually eliminates any range anxiety unless you live in an extremely remote area where there aren't charge points or many gas stations where you drive. If that's the case, perhaps an EV isn't the best choice for you right now anyway.
Resale value. There isn't a lot of empirical data since modern EVs haven't been available long enough to really establish how much a pure EV will depreciate as compared to an EV with a range extender. Now that the earliest LEAF and Volt lessees are beginning to return their cars that were on three year leases, I believe in a year or so we can properly gauge if there is much of a difference. I suspect that electric cars with range extenders will fare much better in the second hand market. I know if I were looking to buy a three year old i3 I'd be much more concerned about the condition of the battery if it didn't have the REx. After three years there will be range degradation, there is no way around it as the battery ages. Will a three year old BEV i3 still have 90% of its original range? How about 85%? We simply don't have the answer yet. That uncertainty really hurts the value of the car. The potential new owner won't really know how far it can go until they buy the car and live with it for a while. However if the used i3 has the REx, then the all electric range isn't nearly as important. The buyer can still do anything they want with the car. They can drive it as far as they want to and the only negative they have is they may use a little more gas than when it was new because of the lower electric range. If it's a pure BEV they also have to worry about how many more years they have with the car until the range really impacts the cars utility - the REx removes that concern. Of course if you lease the car this isn't your problem and one of the reasons I recommend leasing if you are in the market for an EV today.
Lack of infrastructure. If there were level 2 charging stations in every parking lot, and finding a place to plug in while you work, dine and shop was without hassle, then daily life with a ~80 mile BEV would be simple. If we also had a robust DC quick charge infrastructure then long distance travel would be easy, even if it meant stopping more frequently then you would have to for a gasoline car. However we just aren't there yet. Outside of certain areas of California and a couple other progressive areas, charging infrastructure is still in its infancy. It's going to take a while for EV charging to be ubiquitous. I do believe we'll get there, but not for a while. There will be a lot of growing pains and I believe the number of EV's sold will greatly outpace the number of public charge points installed. For most people outside of a few select areas, I fear finding available EVSE's will be very difficult for the foreseeable future.
Damage from frequent deep discharges. This may be a minor concern, but since the REx will turn on at about 6% state of charge, the battery won't be run down to very deep discharges. There is about 10% buffer when you drain the i3's battery completely so when the REx turns on the real state of charge is actually about 15%. The buffer is there so you don't do really deep discharges which would damage the battery. However I can't help but think if you are a high mileage driver like I am with a BEV i3 and frequently roll into your garage with the state of charge below 5% of the available capacity, the cumulative effect of doing this frequently will have negative effects on the battery. With my MINI-E and ActiveE, there were many times I drained the battery well under 5% and even drove them until they just stopped and wouldn't go any farther a few times. This isn't good for the battery, but since these were test cars that would be taken out of service after two or three years there was really no reason to pamper the battery. However if you shell out $45,000 for a new i3, you will want to take good care of your battery, as it's the most expensive component of the vehicle to replace. Frequent deep discharges can bring on early degradation which will mean less range and perhaps even cause more deep discharges and accelerate the early capacity loss of your pack.
Cold weather range degradation. If you live in an area that gets cold during the year this is something you need to be very cognizant of. Even with a sophisticated thermal management system like the i3 has and the ability to precondition the battery and passenger cabin, the range of an electric vehicle is less when it's cold outside. The combination of the need to use energy to power the cabin heater, the seat heaters, the defroster, etc, plus the fact that the batteries simply cannot store and use the same amount of energy as efficiently as they do when it's warm conspire to cut into the range. Without having thoroughly tested the i3 in cold conditions, I still feel confident saying you can expect at least a 20% range reduction in temperatures below freezing, and that number could quite possible as much high as 30%. So lets say the i3 gets an EPA range rating of 85 miles per charge. I wouldn't expect the average driver will get more than 60 - 70 miles per charge when they are driving at or below freezing, and even less as the temperature drops much lower than that. It should be noted that this isn't permanent range degradation, like I was referring to above. As soon as the temperature rises back up again, so will your range, but that could mean for 3-4 months a year you have to live with an EV will less than 70 miles per charge. With the REx all this means is you may use a little gas, but you won't have to change your driving style, find secondary roads to your destination so you can drive slower or wear a hat and gloves so you don't need to use the cabin heater.
It's an electric car! - You don't want really want to put gas in it do you? The whole reason for going electric is to get away from gas, right? Well there are lots of reasons for going electric while not needing to buy gas anymore is definitely one of the top ones. The way I see it, my goal is to use as little gas as possible. My EVs are mostly powered with electricity generated from my solar array which really makes them as close to true zero emission vehicles as possible. I don't feel bad if I end up burning 10 or 20 gallons of gas in a year with my REx i3, after all I used to use that much gas every four days when I commuted in my SUV. Still an electric car that burns gas can leave a foul taste in your mouth as the exhaust pipe does when the REx is running
ICE complexity means added maintenance. One of the great aspect of electric cars is their simplicity and
extremely low maintenance. Slap an internal combustion engine as a range extender in there and you just complicate things. Now oil changes, tune-ups, filters, mufflers, etc are all part of ongoing maintenance again, just when the electric car promised to put all that in your past. The only redeeming aspect is since you'll likely only use the REx occasionally, the maintenance schedule will not be nearly as intensive as it is on a normal ICE car. Still - this is a major drawback in my opinion.
The added weight of the REx reduces the cars efficiency and performance. The i3 is the most efficient electric vehicle on the road. Everything BMW did while designing it was centered around lower weight and increasing efficiency. The REx adds 265lbs of dead weight to the car, which has to be lugged around everywhere you go. Even if you don't use the REx for a month at a time, every mile you drive you'll be carrying it with you. The efficiency will take a hit and you'll be using slightly more electricity to power the car whenever you drive it. It's kinda like going hiking and carrying 30 water bottles in your back pack every time you hike, even though you usually only need 1 or 2 of them for 95% of your hikes. Plus, the added weight robs some of the performance. The all electric i3 will go 0-60 in about 7.0 seconds, while the REx i3 will need about 7.7 seconds. Still pretty quick, but if you're driving a REx i3 and a BEV i3 pulls next to you at a streetlight, kindly decline the invitation for a race.
It takes a little away from the cool futuristic feel of the car. Driving electric is a blast. It's a different driving experience that most will tell you is actually better than driving ICE. There is also a really cool feeling that you are really driving the future. The ultra silent vibration-less cabin, the instant torque and feeling that you are almost being pulled along by a string instead of the car providing the propulsion really lets you know you are definitely not driving something from a past generation. Add to that the i3's futuristic architecture, advanced electronic features, extensive use of carbon fiber for the passenger cell, aluminum for the frame and thermoplastic for the outer skin and this is indeed a car of the future that you can drive today. Do you really think an internal combustion engine that's vibrating and belching pollutants into the air as you drive along really belongs there? Of course it doesn't.
It will complicate your conversations: I've been driving electric for nearly five years now and I still get people asking me about my cars all the time. I can't go to a car wash without someone asking me about it and often when I return to my car parked in a lot at a shopping center there is someone there looking at it and wanting to ask me about it. With a REx i3 I can no longer say, "Yeah, it's all electric and I love never buying gas!" like I do now. I see the conversation going something like this:
Them: That's an interesting car is it electric?
Me: Thanks, yes it is.
Them: Wow! Cool - so it's all electric?
Me: Well it's not all electric, but 99% of the time I drive it is all electric. It has a small gas engine that is used to recharge the batteries if I need to drive farther than the electric range will allow.
Them: Oh, so it's a hybrid. My neighbor has a Prius and loves it.
Me: (Groaning under my breath) No, it's an electric car with a range extender.
Them: So it's not like Prius then?
Me: Well it's not like the old Prius, but there is a new Prius now that is a plug in Hybrid and it's kinda like that but has a much greater electric range.
Them: So it's kinda like the plug in Hybrid Prius, but it's not a hybrid you say?
Me: Have a nice day. (Drives off mumbling)
I've driven the i3 a few times now, and the distinctive styling attracts a lot of attention. If you buy an i3 expect a lot of curious people asking you questions about it and the range extender definitely makes explaining the car more difficult.
Cost: The range extender option costs $3,850.00 in the US and that's a lot of coin. There is also the concern that in some states getting the REx option will then disqualify the car for the zero emission tax exemption. If that is the case, the range extender will end up costing them closer to $7,000 because the sales tax will add another $3,500 or so to the price. However I don't think this will be the case because I know BMW has been working very hard behind the scenes to get the i3 REx classified as a zero emission vehicle under the CARB BEVx rule. Hopefully we will get clarity on this soon because I know states like NJ, Washington and Georgia (possibly others also) all have exemptions for zero emission vehicles, but not plug in hybrids. Still, even if it only costs the $3,850, that is a significant additional cost.
Ultimately you have to decide what best suits your needs. I would hate to have someone buy a BEV i3 and then realize they can't live with the limited range and struggle with worrying about running out of charge. However I also don't want to give the impression that the BEV i3 wouldn't work for a lot of people. I happen to drive much more than the average person. I drive between 33,000 and 35,000 miles per year and average around 85 miles per day so for me the REx i3 makes more sense. However as I've said, I have lived the past 5 years with pure EVs and really didn't have too many instances when I wished I had a range extender. Only you know what's best for you. That reminds me of one of my favorite Dr Seuss quotes:
I'll try to outline the pros and cons here. If you think I miss something please feel free to add your reasoning in the comments section. Here are my top six reasons for and six reasons against the range extender:
Why go for the range extender:
The added utility. Not having to plan out your mileage or look for public chargepoints if you know you'll be pushing the range on a particular day will be a welcome feature to many people. You won't have to think twice if your plans change and you need to drive more miles than you planned that day, and on days you know you'll be driving far you won't have to use the other family car, borrow a gas car or use a car sharing or rental service. With the exception of extremely long drives (hundreds of miles) that will take you up extended long mountainous routes the i3 with the REx can take you wherever you need to go without worry. Also as the car ages, the battery will lose capacity and your range will shrink. A new i3 with an 85 mile range may only be able to comfortably deliver 75 miles after 3 or 4 years. The REx means the car will always deliver the same utility regardless of how old it is and what shape your battery is in.
No range anxiety. There is some over lap with the first reason, but this really is another issue in itself. There is a difference in not using the car one day because you know the range wouldn't be enough, and miscalculating your total miles because your route had a detour, or your life had a detour that day. It happens. You can plan your day all you want but things come up and you often need to drive farther than you thought you would have to. Usually the extra range you have is enough to get you home, but there are those days where you just come up short and can't make it. The last few miles you are gripping the steering wheel a little tighter and looking down at your range gauge every minute or so. I've been driving electric for nearly 5 years now and I can honestly say these kinds of issues don't happen often, in fact they are very rare. However when they do happen, it isn't fun. I can remember walking home at 2am last summer and thinking about how great it would have been to have that little REx motorcycle engine on my ActiveE. On that night, I ran out of charge about a quarter mile from my house. What made it really interesting is I live in a very rural area of New Jersey. There are no streetlights on my street and it's really pitch dark at 2am. Add to that I saw a bear walking on my lawn a few weeks earlier so as I was walking home I couldn't help but think of the headline, "EV advocate gets mauled by bear walking home because his electric car ran out of charge." I don't know if that is range anxiety or bear anxiety, but I could have really used the REx that night. I know some would say just get an EV with a bigger battery. No matter how big the battery is there could always be occasions when you miscalculate your range or drive farther than you planned and come up short. The range extender virtually eliminates any range anxiety unless you live in an extremely remote area where there aren't charge points or many gas stations where you drive. If that's the case, perhaps an EV isn't the best choice for you right now anyway.
Resale value. There isn't a lot of empirical data since modern EVs haven't been available long enough to really establish how much a pure EV will depreciate as compared to an EV with a range extender. Now that the earliest LEAF and Volt lessees are beginning to return their cars that were on three year leases, I believe in a year or so we can properly gauge if there is much of a difference. I suspect that electric cars with range extenders will fare much better in the second hand market. I know if I were looking to buy a three year old i3 I'd be much more concerned about the condition of the battery if it didn't have the REx. After three years there will be range degradation, there is no way around it as the battery ages. Will a three year old BEV i3 still have 90% of its original range? How about 85%? We simply don't have the answer yet. That uncertainty really hurts the value of the car. The potential new owner won't really know how far it can go until they buy the car and live with it for a while. However if the used i3 has the REx, then the all electric range isn't nearly as important. The buyer can still do anything they want with the car. They can drive it as far as they want to and the only negative they have is they may use a little more gas than when it was new because of the lower electric range. If it's a pure BEV they also have to worry about how many more years they have with the car until the range really impacts the cars utility - the REx removes that concern. Of course if you lease the car this isn't your problem and one of the reasons I recommend leasing if you are in the market for an EV today.
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When will this be commonplace? |
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My ActiveE battery was frequently drained |
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My ActiveE preconditioning in the snow |
Reasons against getting the REx:
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Do you mind if I smoke? |
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This stuff shouldn't pour out of an EV! |
extremely low maintenance. Slap an internal combustion engine as a range extender in there and you just complicate things. Now oil changes, tune-ups, filters, mufflers, etc are all part of ongoing maintenance again, just when the electric car promised to put all that in your past. The only redeeming aspect is since you'll likely only use the REx occasionally, the maintenance schedule will not be nearly as intensive as it is on a normal ICE car. Still - this is a major drawback in my opinion.
The added weight of the REx reduces the cars efficiency and performance. The i3 is the most efficient electric vehicle on the road. Everything BMW did while designing it was centered around lower weight and increasing efficiency. The REx adds 265lbs of dead weight to the car, which has to be lugged around everywhere you go. Even if you don't use the REx for a month at a time, every mile you drive you'll be carrying it with you. The efficiency will take a hit and you'll be using slightly more electricity to power the car whenever you drive it. It's kinda like going hiking and carrying 30 water bottles in your back pack every time you hike, even though you usually only need 1 or 2 of them for 95% of your hikes. Plus, the added weight robs some of the performance. The all electric i3 will go 0-60 in about 7.0 seconds, while the REx i3 will need about 7.7 seconds. Still pretty quick, but if you're driving a REx i3 and a BEV i3 pulls next to you at a streetlight, kindly decline the invitation for a race.
It takes a little away from the cool futuristic feel of the car. Driving electric is a blast. It's a different driving experience that most will tell you is actually better than driving ICE. There is also a really cool feeling that you are really driving the future. The ultra silent vibration-less cabin, the instant torque and feeling that you are almost being pulled along by a string instead of the car providing the propulsion really lets you know you are definitely not driving something from a past generation. Add to that the i3's futuristic architecture, advanced electronic features, extensive use of carbon fiber for the passenger cell, aluminum for the frame and thermoplastic for the outer skin and this is indeed a car of the future that you can drive today. Do you really think an internal combustion engine that's vibrating and belching pollutants into the air as you drive along really belongs there? Of course it doesn't.
It will complicate your conversations: I've been driving electric for nearly five years now and I still get people asking me about my cars all the time. I can't go to a car wash without someone asking me about it and often when I return to my car parked in a lot at a shopping center there is someone there looking at it and wanting to ask me about it. With a REx i3 I can no longer say, "Yeah, it's all electric and I love never buying gas!" like I do now. I see the conversation going something like this:
Them: That's an interesting car is it electric?
Me: Thanks, yes it is.
Them: Wow! Cool - so it's all electric?
Me: Well it's not all electric, but 99% of the time I drive it is all electric. It has a small gas engine that is used to recharge the batteries if I need to drive farther than the electric range will allow.
Them: Oh, so it's a hybrid. My neighbor has a Prius and loves it.
Me: (Groaning under my breath) No, it's an electric car with a range extender.
Them: So it's not like Prius then?
Me: Well it's not like the old Prius, but there is a new Prius now that is a plug in Hybrid and it's kinda like that but has a much greater electric range.
Them: So it's kinda like the plug in Hybrid Prius, but it's not a hybrid you say?
Me: Have a nice day. (Drives off mumbling)
I've driven the i3 a few times now, and the distinctive styling attracts a lot of attention. If you buy an i3 expect a lot of curious people asking you questions about it and the range extender definitely makes explaining the car more difficult.
Cost: The range extender option costs $3,850.00 in the US and that's a lot of coin. There is also the concern that in some states getting the REx option will then disqualify the car for the zero emission tax exemption. If that is the case, the range extender will end up costing them closer to $7,000 because the sales tax will add another $3,500 or so to the price. However I don't think this will be the case because I know BMW has been working very hard behind the scenes to get the i3 REx classified as a zero emission vehicle under the CARB BEVx rule. Hopefully we will get clarity on this soon because I know states like NJ, Washington and Georgia (possibly others also) all have exemptions for zero emission vehicles, but not plug in hybrids. Still, even if it only costs the $3,850, that is a significant additional cost.
Ultimately you have to decide what best suits your needs. I would hate to have someone buy a BEV i3 and then realize they can't live with the limited range and struggle with worrying about running out of charge. However I also don't want to give the impression that the BEV i3 wouldn't work for a lot of people. I happen to drive much more than the average person. I drive between 33,000 and 35,000 miles per year and average around 85 miles per day so for me the REx i3 makes more sense. However as I've said, I have lived the past 5 years with pure EVs and really didn't have too many instances when I wished I had a range extender. Only you know what's best for you. That reminds me of one of my favorite Dr Seuss quotes:
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”
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This one has the REx |
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own, and you know what you know. And you are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/decide.html#rPcLldjpa2jFvQDb.99
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/decide.html#rPcLldjpa2jFvQDb.99
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Green or White? Which HOV Sticker will the BMW i3 REx Get in California?
There is a lot of confusion swirling around the interwebs the past couple days regarding the CARB classification on the BMW i3 with range extender. For Californians this is a very important topic because it will determine whether the REx i3 gets the $2,500 or $1,500 California rebate and more importantly, will it qualify for the white or green carpool lane sticker.
I was just beginning to write a post on this; what we currently know (the situation seems to be changing hourly) and what may come of this as it is an evolving event, when I noticed my good friend and fellow Electronaut, George Betek wrote a post on this for InsideEVs.com. It was really comprehensive and probably better than what I could do, so instead of me writing another post, I just got permission to post it here. Just so you know, this issue doesn't effect the all electric BEV i3. That will still get the maximum rebate and qualify for the white carpool sticker. It's the range extender that is causing the debate. I still believe when the dust settles the i3 REx will only get the $1,500 rebate (This was disputed by BMW - as you'll see they maintain it will get the full $2,500 rebate) and the green carpool sticker which will likely run out in about a year. Therefore if you live in California and are thinking about getting an i3 with the range extender, then order one as soon as they go on sale so you are assured of getting the coveted carpool access. The rest of the country can sit back and watch the drama unfold, as this will likely have little to no bearing on most people outside of California.
From InsideEVs:
As trivial as this question might sound, it might have serious consequences for future buyers of the i3. Wait, what I am talking about? As you might have heard already, the range-extended version of the BMW i3, which is slated to arrive in the US sometime in April, is apparently at risk of not qualifying for all the incentives in California, which is the largest market for plug-in vehicles as of this writing.
*Editor’s Note: This post originally appeared on George’s blog. We suggest that you check it out by clicking here.
What incentives are those exactly? Well, for one thing, there are the carpool lane stickers, which permit single-occupant vehicles to use HOV lanes. Some people have said that it was “tantamount to having a helicopter for commuters”. OK, not quite, but it’s still an incredible perk. Then there is the clean vehicle rebate, which allows owners and lessees to apply for a rebate check, if they have either purchased or leased the new vehicle, and commit to keeping it at least 36 months.
That all looks pretty straightforward, wouldn’t you agree? I guarantee you that it won’t be when we delve into the specifics. The devil is in the details. Literally. Take the carpool lane stickers. They come in several varieties in California:
- Yellow
- White
- Green
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Yellow Stucker |
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White Sticker |
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Green Sticker |
It’s worth noting that the HOV decal program is administered by the California DMV following guidelines set forth by the Air Resources Board, which maintains a comprehensive list of all eligible vehicles. This list does not mention or include the BMW i3 yet. That’s understandable, since the first i3 is not supposed to be sold in California until May 2014. While it would seem only natural that the pure electric version will qualify for the white stickers, some thought that the range-extended version would get them too.
Clik here to view.

Additionally, although both sticker types are slated to expire on January 1, 2019, some believe that the white decals had a better shot at getting an extension. All that said, this should be a non-issue for current BMW i3 buyers, so long as the i3 will qualify for some kind of HOV decal. Green or white. It doesn’t really matter. Although some might prefer one over the other, the practical difference is likely zero as of this writing. Should the green stickers run out in about a year, and an additional allocation is not approved, then early i3s with REx could have a better resale value. Much like a Prius with the yellow sticker would command a premium in the years past.
That leaves us with the clean vehicle rebate project. This project is a voluntary incentive program introduced in by Assembly Bill 118 in 2007. The program is administered by the Air Resources Board (CARB) to fund clean vehicle and equipment projects. It is managed by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE) in San Diego, and has expanded its funding considerably over the past few years to keep up with the increased volume of new clean-fuel vehicle registrations.
Clik here to view.

PHEVs are eligible for up to a $1,500 incentive. To qualify, PHEVs must:
- Meet California’s most stringent tailpipe emission standard
- Have zero evaporative emissions
- Have a 15 year / 150K mile warranty on the emissions system and
- Have a 10 year / 150K warranty on the zero emission energy storage system.
- The APU range is equal to or less than the all-electric range
- Engine operation cannot occur until the battery charge has been depleted to the charge-sustaining lower limit
- A minimum
8075 miles electric range - Super ultra low emission vehicle (SULEV) and zero evaporative emissions compliant and TZEV warranty requirements on the battery system.
“The minimum range qualification has been corrected from 80 miles range to 75 miles range for range extended battery electric vehicles (BEVx) to match the minimum requirements for BEVxs in 2012 through 2017.”This means that the new BMW i3 with range extender should qualify for the $2,500 incentive, just like a pure battery electric vehicle would. It does not automatically imply that the i3 REx will qualify for the white HOV stickers, although it would seem logical that it should. It’s also worth noting that the HOV decal and the CVRP are two separate programs, even though the CARB establishes guidelines for both.
Image may be NSFW.There is apparently still a chance that the i3 REx might get white stickers as well.
Clik here to view.“The i3 with Range Extender qualifies for the green sticker, which is limited in numbers and will run out in the eventual future (possibly late in 2014). This is technically to be expected since the car is equipped with an internal combustion engine which potentially emits fuel fumes, and thus makes it harder to qualify for the white sticker which typically can be obtained by full battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and Hydrogen vehicles. The white sticker is not limited in terms of numbers. There is a continued, constructive relationship between BMW and CARB executives, and there has been no reversal of position. It also bears mention that the i3 with Range Extender qualifies for the full CA incentive amount of $2,500.”
Finally, there has been some talk that the range-extended i3 might not qualify for the BEVx classification in its first year, but perhaps it would be best to table this type of speculation for a future post.
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BMW i3 Samsung Galaxy Gear App Overview Video
I'm heading off to NAIAS in a few hours to cover the show for InsideEvs and one of the things I'll be doing there is meeting Horatiu Boeriu of BMWBLOG and Samsung to review and discuss their new partnership with BMW and the BMW i3 Samsung Galaxy Gear App. The above Samsung TV video shot at CES in Las Vegas last week gives an overview of the features. Hopefully I'll get more info on the partnership at the show. You can enjoy this video for now.
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JMK BMW To Host The Area's First "i3 EVent"
On Thursday, January 16th, (tomorrow) JMK BMW in Springfield NJ is hosting a "Get to know the BMW i3" event from 10:00am to 7:00pm. For most, it will be the very first time they have the opportunity to actually see the i3 in person and test drive it. JMK client adviser and i3 product specialist Manny Antunes will be there to answer questions and take reservations on the spot if you decide to order an i3 while you are there.
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Clik here to view.
I have been working with JMK to help prepare them for the coming i brand cars and have already ordered my i3 through JMK. I appreciate that JMK recognizes that these cars are different, and will elicit different questions and concerns from their potential buyers so I have personally tried to help prepare them for these potential issues. It's encouraging that they understand this and have reached out to make sure they can offer the best possible customer experience and service. That is why I recommend considering JMK if you are from the area and considering an i3 or i8.
I will also be there for most of the day to help answer questions and provide information to anybody interested in my personal experience driving and living with an electric car. I hope to see you there and please introduce yourself to me if you've been following my blog, I love to meet the readers in person.
Event Details:
JMK BMW "Get to know the i3" Event
JMK BMW
391-399 Route 22, Springfield, New Jersey 07081
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Clik here to view.

I will also be there for most of the day to help answer questions and provide information to anybody interested in my personal experience driving and living with an electric car. I hope to see you there and please introduce yourself to me if you've been following my blog, I love to meet the readers in person.
Event Details:
JMK BMW "Get to know the i3" Event
JMK BMW
391-399 Route 22, Springfield, New Jersey 07081
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Strong Turnout at JMK BMW For i3 Drive Event
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One of the i3's at JMK before they needed to take it off the showroom floor to use for test drives. I'd guess at least 50 test drives were given during the day. |
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Manny Antunes & I after a long day |
Even with running both cars not everybody got to drive one, since both cars drove well over 150 miles they needed to be charged a few times during the day to keep them going. Witnessing the strong demand for test drives was very promising. The range of people I talked to was also surprisingly varied. There were Nissan LEAF owners as well as people that have never even driven in an electric car but had heard about the i3 and were interested in buying one. We also had about six ActiveE drivers stop by to take another look before they decide to place their order for the Electronaut Edition i3 or not.
I'm really happy Manny and JMK reached out to me to give them a hand with the i3 launch. The i3 is going to be like nothing that BMW dealers have ever had to deal with before. Dealers that understand this and reach out for help will be the ones that excel with the i brand and sell a lot of i3's. Nissan and Chevy went through the same thing when they launched their electric car offerings. Some of their dealers are selling plenty of LEAF's and Volt's, yet other dealers in the same markets sell very little. What is the difference? Being prepared. Knowing the product and training the client advisers to know what questions to expect will make all the difference. I know JMK BMW is taking this serious and I'm sure they are going to be one of the areas leading i brand dealerships. Wherever you live, if you are thinking about getting an i3 check out a few of your local BMW dealerships and feel them out a bit. Make sure you find one that is making an effort to really know the i3 and have people on hand that can answer the unique questions that battery electric cars have. If your dealer doesn't know the difference in level 1 and level 2 charging, or they don't know the details of the i3 battery warranty then my recommendation would be to look elsewhere.
It was a crazy hectic day, but it was really great to see how many people came out to test drive this truly revolutionary new BMW.
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I Was Born Electric On...The First BMW i3 Owner Review:
A while ago I announced that I would be starting a new series here called, "I was Born Electric on...". I'll be featuring readers who are i3 owners and who are willing to share their thoughts on the car after taking possession. They will begin the post by introducing themselves and stating the date they were Born Electric, which is when they picked up their i3. Without further ado, I bring you Andy from the UK, our first i3 owner & Born Electric guest blogger:
Hi, my name is Andy and I was Born Electric on Saturday, January 11th, 2014.
I came to the EV party a bit late in the day, as I was a typical petrolhead and dismissed electric cars as an irrelevance - underpowered, no range, ugly, the usual stuff - and even when I first saw the i3 concept, it looked weird & the projected price seemed way too high (I think a projected £40,000 base price was mentioned at the time). So I ignored it and carried on driving my gas guzzling M3, even though I wasn't enjoying the daily grind in it: mainly in traffic, 40+ miles a day, costing me around £350 a month in petrol. The only times I really got to enjoy the M3 was on my drives with the guys at Petrolhead Nirvana, who arrange trips to Scotland, Wales, the Alps, and elsewhere - amazing places where you can give a 400hp car a bit of stick. More about them later.
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Clik here to view.
Then the i3 proper was launched in August, and at seemingly sensible prices (c£25,000 after the UK grant), with leasing costs at around £350 a month. Hey, that number looked familiar - an idea began to formulate in my mind... and a few days later, early August 2013, I was putting down a deposit. My man-maths (or man-math for our American cousins) told me that the fuel saving, together with fewer miles on the M3 meaning lower depreciation, less tyre wear & fewer services, could make the i3 a “free” car! A quick spin in an ActiveE in September blew me away and confirmed my thoughts that I was doing the right thing, then an actual i3 test drive in early November really sealed the deal. Except the demo car was loaded with extras which I had a chance to play with, so my originally bare bones car ended up, if not fully loaded, at least three-quarters loaded. On top of the gadgets like Parking Assist & Driving Assistant, I liked the wood on the dash, but I also liked a darker interior that wouldn't show the dirt so much, so the Suite (Tera in US) interior was added in too. Suddenly my arithmetic wasn't adding up quite so well, but too late now!
Clik here to view.

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The Wallbox
Before the car was due at the end of January, I had to get one fitted at home, so after a fair bit of chasing, I took a call on Monday 6th January booking me in at short notice for the following Thursday - "we'd better get on with it as your car's at the dealers". Wait, what?! A quick trip down there after work confirmed there was a car matching my order exactly, sitting there quietly - but the dealer at first denied it was mine! A bit of pushing from me finally established it was mine, but also that there was a mistake on my invoice, putting the dealer's £5,000 grant from the government in potential jeopardy. So while it was all sorted out, my car sat there doing nothing, just out of my grasp, and I eventually took delivery on the Saturday. Frustrating - but in light of the delays others are experiencing now, I should've been more patient!
It turned out my house, built around 1900, had electrics that weren't much newer, so neither the supply to the house nor the cable to the garage were up to the job of charging at the full 7.5kW. I've ended up with half that, but that's plenty to recharge the car from almost flat to 100% overnight. The BMW wallbox is a big ugly thing though, and I wish I'd gone for the smaller & cheaper option made by Polar, or one of its competitors. I think for the charging rate my house will support, it would've been free in fact.
My first few miles
My first day as an EV driver was spent going round friends & relations, and blowing their minds. I'm sure this is old news to all you current EV drivers, but the whole experience is so alien, yet so pleasurable, that a huge grin is inevitable the first time you try it, whether driving or as a passenger. It’s a fantastic talking point too – friends, clients, even strangers are all eager to know more about what the future of motoring holds for us all.My first long trip. Range Anxiety - what's that then?
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Only 6 miles to spare! |
Range Reduction vs Miles Traveled
Since my epic(!) trip, it's been the usual commute for the last week, and as I know I'm going to do around 50 miles a day at the most, I drive it without thinking about economy at all. As a result, my iPhone's been telling me I have 75 miles at the start of the day (100% SOC), but then my spreadsheet tells me that my range reduces by about 13 miles for every 10 miles I drive, even though the car's had a few days now to predict it accurately. So if I drove normally (for me), I'd be stranded at about 60 miles. Don't be alarmed though - if I needed to go further in a day, I'd drive differently, and get maybe 90-100 miles. I don't know for sure yet though, as driving economically is next week's experiment!
As it is, one thing I'm enjoying immensely is coming home, plugging it in, and knowing that a few hours later I’ll have a full “tank” for minimal cost. I'm certainly not missing my frequent visits to the petrol (US: gas) station, and it feels strangely liberating each time I drive past one. If you haven’t experienced it yet, you'll love it.
Performance - the i3 vs M3 race
You've probably seen this video of the drag race at Brands Hatch from the UK launch, where the i3 storms ahead of the M3 before finally being overtaken at maybe 50mph. After driving the i3 for a week, and being in the fortunate position of having both cars, I thought it didn't quite seem right, and once the weather improved enough to get the M3 out of the garage, I fired up my Dynolicious app (no, this wasn't going to be a properly scientific test!) and set off - to a test track near me, obviously. The i3 was very easy to measure consistently – just put your foot down. The M3 needed a bit more finesse, and it was strange having to get used to driving it again after only a week.It turned out that, surprise surprise, the i3 was quick, but not as quick as an M3. To its credit, it was only a second off at 50mph (5.5s vs 4.5s), but then I wasn't really trying in the M3 as it was a bit damp and I had to be careful with the throttle. If the M3 was properly driven by someone who knows what they're doing, the gap would be much wider I'm sure. Click on the pictures to enlarge:
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i3 Stats |
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M3 Stats |
Tech Stuff
I guess I’m a bit of a geek, although I don't profess to be any kind of computer expert. I do enjoy fiddling with technology though, and that's one of the things that attracted me to the i3 - I'm especially enjoying stuff like the Driving Assistant, almost making my commute enjoyable, and the Parking Assist just makes passengers laugh! The voice control is very good, much better than the old iDrive's in the M3, and the phone call sound quality over Bluetooth is much better too, helped by the quietness of the car I guess. And coming down to a toasty car with a clear windscreen on a frosty morning is superb! However, I somehow imagined the quiet peaceful surroundings of the car, and using the Active Cruise Control, would get me to work completely relaxed and happy, but that was expecting too much: it still takes me just as long, and there are just as many idiots on the road, after all. Even an i3 can’t magic them away!Some of the tech is pretty tricky to figure out, even for a geek like me, and I wonder if BMW will lose some of their potential audience - people who aren't tech-savvy but who would otherwise be perfect for an EV might get scared off.
Problems
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Waiting patiently at the dealer |
There's also stuff that doesn't work so well, including both the things I've just praised. The Active Cruise Control, part of the driving assistant, intermittently (but quite often) switches itself off, saying it's outside its working parameters - even when it's in the same conditions it was working fine in a minute ago. I'm not sure if it’s a design “feature”, or if my car has a fault. The Parking Assist threw a fit last night too, just when I was showing it off to someone, naturally. As it began to reverse, it lost track of where it was and slammed on the brakes (it sounded like the ABS came on, even though we were going slow), with dire messages appearing on-screen about the system being broken and insisting the car be taken to a dealer ASAP. I turned it off and on again (see, I do know about computers) and it worked fine. I've dropped it in to the dealers today though, and they're sending the diagnostic report off to BMW to see what they say.
The rear doors can be closed quite gently before you close the fronts - but if you do, a warning appears on the dash as you drive round corners saying they're open! A proper slam to close them does the trick; the dealer's looking into that too.Finally, some of the connected drive stuff is pretty poor (not unique to the i3, I realize); Facebook & Twitter don't give you enough of each post to be useful, email doesn't work at all unless you have a Blackberry apparently, and the apps like Napster & Audible are very clunky to operate.
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Andy's stable is worthy of envy! |
Summary
So, it's fair to say that overall I'm really pleased with my i3. It's quick, interesting, cheap to run, well made (niggles aside - but it feels solidly put together), and superbly designed inside. I'm still not 100% keen on the exterior looks, but she's growing on me. The Andesite paint looks great in some lights, a nice technical shade of grey, possibly with a very slight hint of brown to go with the dark brown leather interior & the wood on the dash - and in other lights it just looks like old man's beige! I rather wish I'd gone for a different colour, but unlike Tom, I like the contrasting black hood & roof, so the dark greys are out. And I don't like white or silver - so bright orange is what I should've gone for. Next time, eh?For now, I'm looking forward to many happy miles in this futuristic vehicle which seems to get everyone talking. I might be a latecomer to this particular party, but hey, I’ve got the perfect ice-breaker!
If you own an i3 and would like to participate in the Born Electric series here, you can email me at: tom.moloughney@gmail.com
If you own an i3 and would like to participate in the Born Electric series here, you can email me at: tom.moloughney@gmail.com
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BMW i3: Tax Credits and Leases and Residuals, Oh My!
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Will BMW's financing options put the i3 out of reach for many of its enthusiasts? |
There have been many discussions on various websites since an internal BMW document surfaced that led to people to believe the BMW i3 lease terms in the US would be very high. One potential i3 buyer even has his local dealer (Stevens Creek BMW) work up a lease quote using the information on the document. The i3 he built had a total price of $55,978.52. With very little money down the lease payment came out to be $930 per month. There were a couple things that led to this very high lease estimation and I thought it would be worth while to discuss them here.
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The proposed i3 lease was posted by insideevs.com |
First, the residual values on the document were very low, around 40%. Unfortunately this is basically in line with residual values of other electric cars and there are basically two reasons for it. First, electric cars are new to most people and there is a lot of uncertainty regarding what the secondary market will be. What will a 3 years old i3 with 40,000 miles be worth? How much will the battery have degraded? What will its practical range be at at that point? Until we have years of EV use behind us with tens of thousands of examples to draw data from, finance companies will likely err on the side of caution and offer low residuals on EV's. Then there are the tax credits and rebates. California is the largest market for EV's in the country and basically paves the way for everywhere else. EV's buyers in California not only get the $7,500 federal tax credit, but they also get up to a $2,500 State rebate. Therefore a used EV is instantly worth $10,000 less than a new one as soon as it rolls out of the lot. So to be fair, you really should include the tax incentives and rebates in the equation when you discuss electric vehicle residual values, because that is the actual effective cost of the car to the buyer.. If you do that, the i3 residuals jump up to nearly 50%. That is still a bit low, but not really far off of what a typical car would be worth after a three year lease.
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The tax credit is now a center of debate |
Timm was kind enough to also include an overview of the financing options BMW Financial Services will be offering for the i3, and this is what he sent me:
Tom,
Please see my response below regarding the Lease and OwnerChoice products you had asked about, as well as how each product relates to the Federal EV Tax Credit when purchasing a BMW i3.
Traditional Lease - Our tax team has advised us that each leased BMW i3 qualifies us for a Federal EV Tax Credit of $4,875 - all of which is passed on to the consumer. This $4,875 Lease Credit can be directly applied as a Capitalized Cost Reduction, or to other costs, at the time of lease-signing. Regardless of your tax situation, by choosing a BMW FS lease with the $4,875 Lease Credit, you'll know exactly how much you will benefit, it’s applied at the time of purchase and there is no subsequent filing, administration or personal tax implications.
(As a reminder, only EVs purchased for personal use are eligible for the maximum $7,500 tax credit. However, the benefit is reduced to $4,875 for 100% business use. Regarding Nissan and Chevy, we can’t speak to why they are choosing to offer $7,500 or more; this may be part of the their incentive or discount strategy.)
But for customers who want to claim the maximum tax credits, we have made attractive alternatives to leasing available: OwnersChoice and OwnersChoice with Flex.
·OwnersChoice– OwnersChoice provides: low lease-like monthly payments, the lease-like option to return the car at the end of the term AND the eligibility for you to claim the maximum income tax credits.
·OwnersChoice with Flex - In addition to the OwnersChoice benefits above, OwnersChoice with Flex allows you to increase your final balloon payment due at the end of the contract term by up to $7,500. Increasing the final balloon payment due further reduces your monthly payments, and in this way provides you with the opportunity to benefit from the $7,500 immediately. OwnersChoice with Flex bridges the time-gap between the vehicle’s purchase date and your tax filing date. We are proud to say that BMW FS is the first in the industry to develop an enhanced balloon finance solution like this for EVs.
BMW Financial Services will also offer our traditional loan product. Like both of the OwnersChoice products above, a BMW FS loan provides you the eligibility to claim the maximum $7,500 Federal EV Income Tax Credit.
In general, due to the uncertainty and complexity of tax credit rules, we encourage anyone considering an EV to consult with a tax professional.
While this doesn't really clear up the tax credit questions, it does give some clarity on the OwnersChoice with Flex product that they developed specifically for the i3. This will allow a buyer to get the full $7,500 tax credit, yet still return the car like a lease at the end of a predetermined period. It's a purchase, but allows the buyer to have a capitol cost reduction up to $7,500 (the customer decides how much they want BMW FS to deduct as a cap cost reduction) to lower their monthly payments. That money is then owed to BMW FS and the owner can pay it off anytime they want. The owner will then have the option of making a balloon payment equal to the residual value plus the additional $7,500 and buying the car outright, refinancing the balance and keeping the car, or simply paying back the $7,500 and returning the car as if it were leased.
There is interest charged on the $7,500 cap cost reduction they applied that is baked into your monthly payment, but BMW will allow you to pay it back early and save on the interest expense. The best way to utilize the OwersChoice with Flex may be to pay the $7,500 up front when you take delivery of the car, therefore you'll never have paid a penny of interest on it. Of course you'll need to have the finances to do this, but since you'll be recovering the $7,500 a few months later when you do your taxes, you will only be a short time without the funds. (provided you qualify for the full tax credit)
I hope that provides a little insight into the OwnersChoice with Flex. However, admittedly it doesn't get us any closer to really knowing what leasing deals BMW will be offering. Until we get the official residual values, interest rates and terms, we're all just guessing. I just hope people don't expect the i3 to have leasing deals that are comparable to some other much less expensive EV's like the LEAF or Volt, let alone the great deals on some of the other manufacturers compliance EV's. These cars are subsidized by tens of thousands of dollars per vehicle just so the manufacturer can lease the minimum required be California, in order to continue to sell their gas cars there. BMW has been consistent with saying the i3 is going to be profitable from day 1, and BMW will not subsidize it. This will likely make the i3 more expensive to lease in California than a Honda Fit EV, a Fiat 500e or a Toyota RAV4 EV. However for the rest of the country this comparison really doesn't matter because those cars aren't available nationally like the i3 will be.
Personally I expect to BMW to announce the financing details pretty soon, like within the next couple weeks and I will certainly post them here. There is hope that BMW may surprise up with a good leasing deal after all though. This week at the NADA convention in New Orleans BMW's North American CEO Ludwig Willisch said "It will be an attractive lease offer" and "It will be in the ballpark of a normally equipped 3 Series". A friend of mine recently leased a pretty well equipped 328i and with $3,000 down and he's paying $415/month. I find it hard to believe the i3 will lease for that low, but I suppose it's possible on a base BEV i3 without any options. I'll pick this back up here once the details are revealed.
There is interest charged on the $7,500 cap cost reduction they applied that is baked into your monthly payment, but BMW will allow you to pay it back early and save on the interest expense. The best way to utilize the OwersChoice with Flex may be to pay the $7,500 up front when you take delivery of the car, therefore you'll never have paid a penny of interest on it. Of course you'll need to have the finances to do this, but since you'll be recovering the $7,500 a few months later when you do your taxes, you will only be a short time without the funds. (provided you qualify for the full tax credit)
I hope that provides a little insight into the OwnersChoice with Flex. However, admittedly it doesn't get us any closer to really knowing what leasing deals BMW will be offering. Until we get the official residual values, interest rates and terms, we're all just guessing. I just hope people don't expect the i3 to have leasing deals that are comparable to some other much less expensive EV's like the LEAF or Volt, let alone the great deals on some of the other manufacturers compliance EV's. These cars are subsidized by tens of thousands of dollars per vehicle just so the manufacturer can lease the minimum required be California, in order to continue to sell their gas cars there. BMW has been consistent with saying the i3 is going to be profitable from day 1, and BMW will not subsidize it. This will likely make the i3 more expensive to lease in California than a Honda Fit EV, a Fiat 500e or a Toyota RAV4 EV. However for the rest of the country this comparison really doesn't matter because those cars aren't available nationally like the i3 will be.
Personally I expect to BMW to announce the financing details pretty soon, like within the next couple weeks and I will certainly post them here. There is hope that BMW may surprise up with a good leasing deal after all though. This week at the NADA convention in New Orleans BMW's North American CEO Ludwig Willisch said "It will be an attractive lease offer" and "It will be in the ballpark of a normally equipped 3 Series". A friend of mine recently leased a pretty well equipped 328i and with $3,000 down and he's paying $415/month. I find it hard to believe the i3 will lease for that low, but I suppose it's possible on a base BEV i3 without any options. I'll pick this back up here once the details are revealed.
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My New Side Job: BMW i Dealer Training
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It's -2 degrees F here in Canada and I'm talking BMW i3 at Budd's BMW in Oakville! |
I've written a few posts on my blogs about how poorly many dealerships have done when it comes to selling their electric car offerings. I blasted Nissan and GM pretty good a while back and had hoped that BMW would learn from the mistakes the other OEM's made when they rolled their EV's into their dealers' showrooms. However I'm starting to wonder if that will be the case.
Electric cars are different in so many ways. If the sales team isn't prepared for the onslaught of questions that they are going to get hit with as soon as the i3 becomes available to order, then it will not only hurt sales of the i3 but it will certainly tarnish the BMW brand image. BMW dealers will have an even tougher time than the other brands had in my opinion because the i3 isn't just an electric car, it really is a revolutionary vehicle. Besides the typical EV questions about the car's anticipated range, battery life, battery management, the effects of weather on the battery, charging, etc, they also have to explain the unique architecture with the carbon fiber and aluminum construction and the thermoplastic skin. How will it respond in an accident? How expensive will it be to repair? Why are the tires so skinny and will they perform well? And that's before they even begin asking about the range extender. Can it drive up a long hill at highway speeds? Can I simply refill it with gas and keep going? Why can't it be turned on manually? Does the waste heat from the engine warm the cabin? What is the maintenance schedule? And so on...
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I've been working with JMK BMW in Springfield to help get them ready for the i3 also. |
In addition to the Geniuses asking me for help, I have recently been getting emails from BMW dealerships asking me questions about the i3. They say BMW has promised them support for the i brand, but they haven't gotten it yet and people are now starting to call and come in to ask for i3 and i8 information and they don't have anything. I have even been asked to come to a couple of dealerships to help train the staff. One dealer in particular, Budds' BMW in Oakville, Canada really wanted me to come and give them a crash course in the i3. They flew me to Toronto and paid me to spend the whole day there and instruct three training sessions. I didn't do it for the money. I really just wanted to help them out since they clearly want to establish themselves as the area's premier BMW i dealer. They were willing to go the extra mile to fly me out there and pay me to help train them and I respect that so I went. The day went really well, and I'm sure they learned a lot about the i3. The following day I got emails from both the dealership manager and the owner and they both thanked me and were so pleased with how the training went they indicated that they would like me to come back to help them more once they get closer to the i3 launch. I have to say they were all really great people up there and I will certainly continue to help them if they ask.
It's not too late to get everybody up to speed, but the clock is ticking. The i brand launches in a couple of months and there is a LOT of ground to cover. I'll continue to help out when I can and in fact I have another dealership training set up for next week. I won't mention which dealer because I didn't ask them if I could talk about it. Budds' was fine with me talking about this, and they really should be in my opinion. I commend them for wanting to be prepared. They are obviously a forward-thinking, progressive dealership that wants to have a competitive advantage and I really respect that. The next few months should be very interesting. I guess I'll know how well BMW is doing in preparing their dealer network for the i3 by how many phone calls for help that I get! I really hope they do it well. BMW put so much into the development of the i3 and i8, it would be a shame to have them do poorly because they didn't help their dealers get prepared for these unique and ground-breaking, cars.
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BMW i3 Born Electric Guest Blogger: Meet Hil from Holland
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My i3 was delivered to my home on a flatbed truck, more than 300 kilometers (180 miles) from my i Agent. Traveling that distance in an i3 BEV on one charge isn’t possible and the i3 being my first EV, we agreed that the car be delivered! As it stands, I’m probably the first i3 owner in Fryslân, Holland and I’d like to report on my first month’s experiences! |
Hello, my name is Hil and I was Born Electric on Monday, December 30th 2013.
My recent BMW history
My BMW before the i3, was a 5 door 118i (F20) which I bought for it’s economy and comfort. It was less the sports car than the Z4M Coupe I had before it, but with more room and an adjustable suspension, it meant super daily driving pleasure! Just after the “1” came, BMW launched their ActiveE program with a preview of the concept i3 and i8 in Rotterdam. With my eldest son Tom (also a motor head!) our short, snowy test drive in the ActiveE sold us to the i concept!
The big wait...
This past summer, BMW made production slots for the i3 available in Holland. An i3 in the autumn? Great! In early September the i3 was ordered and after a few glitches in the ordering process (an other color and not fully optioned!), the i3 turned up in the early winter, on snow tires, in Ionic Silver (which is more blue than silver) and with it’s cool Adaptive LED headlights.
Daily Use:
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Adventurous Start:
True to the EV pioneer calling, on New Years Eve, the family traveled with the i3 to our traditional New Years celebration at good friends. They live 103 kilometers (61 miles) away. At the start, the i3 gave me a range of 120 kilometers, more than enough! But beware, this figure is based largely on previous driving habits and I had only driven 70 km! But 120 km should be enough! We left at 6 pm, outside temperatures 5 degrees Celsius with a stiff southwesterly headwind and 3 adults in the car with the trunk packed. My normal ICE driving style is to limit my freeway speeds to 115 kmh (70mph) and on two lane roads, I drive 100 kmh (60mph). That evening I set out to copy my 118i driving style to see how the i3 fared. After 40 km (26mi) the battery had just 50% charge left! What??? Total i3 range as claimed by BMW to be 130 km (80mi) per charge, not a scanty 80 km (50mi)! At this rate we’d have to walk 20 km to our friends house. What now? Turn back and take the reserve ICE car or charge up somewhere?
I knew of a quick charger along the freeway nearby, so we decided to drive on! In the confusion we took the wrong exit and drove an extra 10 km to get back on track. My first encounter with a public EVSE was a disappointment. Fumbling in the dark with wind and weather. the quick charger didn’t charge! I called the ANWB help desk number (=AAA in the US) who told me that there was a working charging point 30 km ahead on my route. The question again: press on or turn back? Well, we decided to "Go (South-) West"!
By now I had become a bit more EV savvy and after studying the settings and menu of the i3, it seems I had started out in the standard, uneconomical but sporty “Comfort” mode! In “EcoPro” mode (EP) the range sprung from 55 to 65 km and in the EcoPro+ (EP+) mode, all of a sudden I could go 81 km! I kept it at EP+ and drove on with the Southwesterly storm at full head. On the freeway ahead, a Motor Home drove a leisurely 85 kmh (50mph) so I slid behind it and slipstreamed further. Meanwhile my hands and feet had turned to ice, as had everyone in the car! EcoPro+ is a spartan experience, with no heated air or seats, but it got us to our friends house, with 3 km to spare. We had become true pioneers on New Year’s Eve!
A Second Go…
The next week I had a meeting in Utrecht, at 138 km (84 mi) from home. After the cold experience on New Year’s Eve you might think that I wouldn’t consider an even longer trip. But that’s not what EV pioneering is all about my friends, and to be honest, the first trip turned out fine! But for this trip, I prepared myself. To ward off the cold, I took a hot water bottle along, put it on my lap, covered with a fleece blanket. From the start, I drove moderately (max. 100kmh=60mph) in EP+ mode and strictly followed the EcoPro route chosen by the BMW Navigation. It takes you over roads with lower maximum speeds but the route is shorter. My planned 1st destination was a public charging station 10km (6mi) from the meeting place and I had a folding bicycle in the trunk (yes it fit!) for the last leg. But the range expanded as I drove! I left with a calculated range of 124 km (77 mi) and after the first 25 km (15.5 mi), still had 119 km (74 mi) left! With this kind of magic the i3 grew on me! Once on the freeway I hit headwinds, so chose a truck to slipstream behind at 93 kmh (58 mph) on the cruise control. Except for some wind buffeting I really enjoyed my radio in the quiet of the cabin! I reached the meeting venue at 138 km (86 mi) without the wayside charge! Range anxiety is a thing of the past!
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DC Quick charging at 50kW's on a Fastned CCS Quick Charge Station |
In the parking garage there was an EVSE which only charged at 3.4 kW instead of the expected 7.4 kW. After 2.5 hours the state of charge increased from 5 to 27%, not enough to get home! But I had enough range to get to the nearest Fastned DC 50kW quick charger, 40 km away. Within 30 minutes I had more than 90% of charge, enough to get home comfortably. When the Fastned network is expanded from the present 5 to the planned 100 stations at the end of 2014, cross country trips in Holland with the i3 will be no problem! At the end of 2015 the projected planning even calls for 200 stations, one for every 40 to 50 freeway kilometers!
EcoPro EcoPro+ and Comfort:
The difference between Comfort and EcoPro modes is purely performance. The i3 Comfort mode would be the Sport mode in an ICE BMW mainly because of the incredible acceleration! EcoPro differs from EP+ more because in EP+ the Seat and Main Heaters are turned off. In cold seasons, choosing EP+ mode makes the cabin icy cold, even with a hot water bottle and fleece blanket!
My lesson is: when range is at issue, put the i3 in EP mode but turn the heater off with the dashboard button. The seat heater still works and hardly reduces range, but keeps you warm! If the windows fog, the heater rapidly clears them and when done, switch it off until needed again.
In Conclusion:
Yes, the i3 is the future of mobility, now! It’s quick, quiet, economical and clean! Range anxiety is unnecessary if you drive the i3 according to your purpose (range or fun!) and because this car also happens to be a BMW, that fun begins on your driveway!
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The future has never looked brighter |
Big thanks to Hil for sharing his experiences and thoughts here! If you own an i3 and would like to participate in the "I was Born Electric on..." series here email me at: tom.moloughney@gmail.com and I'll get you in the queue.
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