RE: BMW i3: Review
Discussion
Digger said:
So, do I understand from the article that when you lift off, some subtle regenerative braking takes place immediately, even prior to using the brake pedal?
I understand it brakes quite hard through regenerative braking when you lift off. In certain circumstances even the brake lights will come on without the brakes being touched.Oddball RS said:
Why does it have to look like its already been crash tested?
They do look much better in the flesh and for once are different. Ok no to everybodies taste but at least no another bland mobile.As regards 90 miles not being enough range for most people it is more than adequate bearing in mind you need to realise you charge it everyday by just plugging in at home not once a week....
My commute is 32miles Mrs fish does 80 but has a 4 hour break at home to top up. Even so we have the range extender which can take it out to 185miles overall. Before you need to charge or stick petrol in.
The odd thing about this car, is how desirable it is. When you see one in the flesh, the design and detailing makes you want one regardless of how it would feel to drive. It's like an iPod in that respect.
I think people will buy it for emotional reasons rather than whether it is cheaper to run than a petrol.
You get the feeling this is not necessarily a "game changer" but at least a new chapter.
I think people will buy it for emotional reasons rather than whether it is cheaper to run than a petrol.
You get the feeling this is not necessarily a "game changer" but at least a new chapter.
So a quick question on the controls - does it have "regenerative braking" or "regenerative engine braking"? I appreciate that you get significant generator braking when you lift off the throttle, but when you apply the brakes do you get more or does the brake pedal simply activate a conventional braking system?
Fish said:
We're no 2 on the list for one from Derby should get it around Christmas/New Year. I've seen a pre-production one in the flesh and will be driving on mid Nov. Getting really quite excited about it. May save me enough to warrant a 997 upgrade...
My mate is number 1 on the list! I think it's a fab looking thing, and having driven a Tesla Model S which is stunning, I can see electric having a significant part to play in the future of the car.
Article said:
plus the ability to use a 'normal' BMW should circumstances dictate.
I think this is vital if manufacturers want people to buy electric cars. A good manufacturer backed courtesy car or a cheap hire car scheme so that the handful of times per year you need to do 500 miles over a weekend you can borrow a 520d touring or similar. How well this works would make or break the feasibility of an electric car for me.
!Frimley111R said:
I just don't see electric vehicles yet as anything but hugely compromised by their range and long charging times. They are simply no match for an IC engined car at the moment.
If you need to drive for more than 90miles in one go, then yes, you are correct. I would say however that for a lot of people 90miles is a perfectly acceptable daily range. And, buying this i3 gives you access to the BMW dealer rental fleet for longer journeys by default.Worth noting is the following:
The i3 has largely the same performance as a 120d (both circa 7sec to 62mph)
The 120d returns 62mpg over the combined cycle, which is 33.5kWhr/100km.
The i3 returns 12.9kWhr/100km.
That means that for the same journey, the i3 uses 2.6 times LESS energy at a vehicle level!
I'd call that progress myself, especially as a 120d is an already fairly efficient car.
Even if you include the worst case generation efficiency and transmission losses, the i3 is easily at least as efficient as the 120d. (10% transmisson loss, 60% generation overall effic = ~26kWhr/100km)
And, i suspect, in the real world, the 120d will loose maximum efficiency very quickly, because as soon as you drive hard enough to require the service brakes, that car is just throwing away energy. The i3, with regen braking can recover at least a proportion of it's kinetic energy and hence will maintain a higher efficiency.
Don't know about you, but i'd call that progress, especially when considering the price parity between a 120d and the i3!
(yes, if you really just want to save money, then you're still better off buying an old pug 106d for £800 and driving that.......)
soad said:
So, pretty much a city car. Females will love it, shirley?
Coming to every suburban gym car park and school gate soon. The range means it'll work perfectly in suburbia as well as the city. Seeing as almost 90% of our population live in these places and these people love BMW and love driving something more expensive than their neighbour I can see this possibly being the game changer for the niche.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff