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> In addition to the fully electric “i3” models, which have been in production since 2013 What? BMW selling "fully electric" i3's is certainly news to me. Were

by mtgx 10y ago

> In addition to the fully electric “i3” models, which have been in production since 2013 What? BMW selling "fully electric" i3's is certainly news to me. Weren't all i3's hybrids?

weinzierl 10y ago
Maybe you are thinking i8. The i3 is fully electric, in the sense that the wheels are driven directly by an electric motor. It is available with an optional "range extender" which is a combustion engine that produces electricity but doesn't directly drive the wheels. Also a electric MINI is no news. They had a fleet of them since at least 2009 but as far as I know didn't sell them publicly. I applied to test one for a year in 2010 but unfortunately wasn't selected.
- surfy 10y ago
  A friend of mine had an electric mini for a year several years ago. It was awesome. They could sell a lot of these at the right price. I repeat. They had this car years ago. It was awesome.
lispm 10y ago
The 60Ah battery-only version is rated to have a 160km range. With an added optional range extender they make up to 300km. The new battery will have 94 Ah, instead of 60Ah. Which will extend the range a bit. With some maths this might be: 250km with battery and 390km with added optional range extender. http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/06/17/2017-bmw-i3-specs-revealed-surprises/ http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/06/17/2017-bmw-i3-specs-revealed...
- sammydavis 10y ago
  Amp hours seems like the wrong measure. How many volts are the batteries? Tesla's kwh is much clearer. A tesla with 85kwh is rated for 425 km (265 miles). The only reason I can imagine to use amp hours instead of kwh is to hide the fact that their batteries have way less capacity than a Tesla. Can someone explain why you'd use amp hours? The article below says the 94 Ah battery is 33kwh. Wow, that's a lot less energy than an 85 or 100kwh tesla. The article below says range of "up to 115 miles". Tesla 85kwh is EPA 265 miles, which is no doubt more real than the manufacturer "up to" mileage. Why doesn't BMW make a bigger battery car? Expense, weight, ability to keep it cool while charging? They seem far behind. The roadster, that came out in 2008 had a 53kwh battery (last year they offered an upgrade to 80kwh for $29k). Tesla needs better competition to keep them honest. Maybe in 2018 when the all electric Porsche comes out, and the model 3, they will be closer. http://insideevs.com/official-2017-bmw-i3-gets-33-kwh-battery/ http://insideevs.com/official-2017-bmw-i3-gets-33-kwh-batter...
jeffwilcox 10y ago
They're a blast to drive! Here in Seattle (and also Portland) we have BMW's ReachNow drive sharing network, so are able to drive the i3 for about 40 cents per minute point-to-point. It's great since BMW handles the fleet management and electric charging, we just open up the iPhone, find the closest one and jump in, driving off. The future! I have to wonder: how many people have gone out and bought or leased an i3 after experiencing the thrill through ReachNow?

by mtgx 10y ago

> In addition to the fully electric “i3” models, which have been in production since 2013 What? BMW selling "fully electric" i3's is certainly news to me. Weren't all i3's hybrids?

weinzierl 10y ago

Maybe you are thinking i8. The i3 is fully electric, in the sense that the wheels are driven directly by an electric motor. It is available with an optional "range extender" which is a combustion engine that produces electricity but doesn't directly drive the wheels. Also a electric MINI is no news. They had a fleet of them since at least 2009 but as far as I know didn't sell them publicly. I applied to test one for a year in 2010 but unfortunately wasn't selected.

surfy 10y ago
A friend of mine had an electric mini for a year several years ago. It was awesome. They could sell a lot of these at the right price. I repeat. They had this car years ago. It was awesome.

lispm 10y ago

The 60Ah battery-only version is rated to have a 160km range. With an added optional range extender they make up to 300km. The new battery will have 94 Ah, instead of 60Ah. Which will extend the range a bit. With some maths this might be: 250km with battery and 390km with added optional range extender. http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/06/17/2017-bmw-i3-specs-revealed-surprises/ http://www.bmwblog.com/2016/06/17/2017-bmw-i3-specs-revealed...

sammydavis 10y ago
Amp hours seems like the wrong measure. How many volts are the batteries? Tesla's kwh is much clearer. A tesla with 85kwh is rated for 425 km (265 miles). The only reason I can imagine to use amp hours instead of kwh is to hide the fact that their batteries have way less capacity than a Tesla. Can someone explain why you'd use amp hours? The article below says the 94 Ah battery is 33kwh. Wow, that's a lot less energy than an 85 or 100kwh tesla. The article below says range of "up to 115 miles". Tesla 85kwh is EPA 265 miles, which is no doubt more real than the manufacturer "up to" mileage. Why doesn't BMW make a bigger battery car? Expense, weight, ability to keep it cool while charging? They seem far behind. The roadster, that came out in 2008 had a 53kwh battery (last year they offered an upgrade to 80kwh for $29k). Tesla needs better competition to keep them honest. Maybe in 2018 when the all electric Porsche comes out, and the model 3, they will be closer. http://insideevs.com/official-2017-bmw-i3-gets-33-kwh-battery/ http://insideevs.com/official-2017-bmw-i3-gets-33-kwh-batter...

jeffwilcox 10y ago

They're a blast to drive! Here in Seattle (and also Portland) we have BMW's ReachNow drive sharing network, so are able to drive the i3 for about 40 cents per minute point-to-point. It's great since BMW handles the fleet management and electric charging, we just open up the iPhone, find the closest one and jump in, driving off. The future! I have to wonder: how many people have gone out and bought or leased an i3 after experiencing the thrill through ReachNow?