Used EV...BMW i3

[flatso]

Still searching for the perfect vehicle for my wife, mainly for city duties with 2 kids. Present car is a butt ugly MB Vaneo that is unbeatable when it comes to practicality.
Whilst looking around I stumbled on the i3 and both of us are very attracted to it, the concept car looks, the gorgeous interior, great exterior dimensions and from what we heard the fun-to-drive factor as well.
The question is how risky is it to buy a used ev? Obviously I will not be buying a first production year model, something around a 2016 (they did a small update around that time), however the massive depreciation I see makes me wonder if we should pull the trigger.
How long do these batteries last?
Resale value in a few years as battery tech advances these things may be very outdated.

Anyone have any experience with this topic?

Thanks

[Shiv_P]

Um I will say on the motorway an i3 is horrible to be in... primarily a city car. lots of road noise and uncomfortable for long period of time

[Edible Roadkill]

I'd be worried buying any EV out of warranty.

If/when the battery goes plumbs it will be a massive cost to replace. Could mean a solely electric car is almost worthless??

[Codswallop]

Edible Roadkill said:

If/when the battery goes plumbs it will be a massive cost to replace.

You could say the same about an ICE car too. And there's far more things that could go pop on an ICE engine which would trash the lot.

Battery wise, there are companies that can repair dead cells rather than having to replace the whole lot.

I would be worried about battery degradation and you have no certain way of knowing how the battery was treated by the first owner though.

[flatso]

Thanks for formulating my worries…..is there no software that can check how the battery was handled, or better said how much % of its potential is still left?

It will be used 90% in the city.
Road noise? I heard the exact opposite that it is rather well insulated...guess I have to see for myself.

Appreciate any further comments.

[Amateurish]

Isn't there an 8 year 100k mile warranty on the batteries?

I used to do 130 miles a day in an i3, it was perfectly comfortable.

[jak kez 187]

Had an i3 as a courtesy car and I couldn't fault it.
Found it fine on the motorway and was a really fun little car to drive.
The torque on it was great! Constantly wanted to floor the acceleration from every start position.

[Herbs]

Bought one today that is being delivered in 2 hours

BMW are doing extended test drives over a weekend, just fill out out the form and off you go.

Top speed is 94, had 90 out of the demonstrator quite comfortably, the battery comes with a 8 year warranty and the battery can be tested.

Absolutely sold on them and everyone I spoke to before paying a deposit had nothing but good things to say.

I'm using mine for a 50-55 mile round commute each day on a mixture of town, a road and dual carriage way and i've calculated it will reduce my costs from £500 a month to £58! That doesn't include any free charging either.

ETA: This is the thread I started which might answer some questions you may have

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[pb8g09]

Out of curiosity.

What's the cost to charge one of these to full capacity? - they seem to ignore this in all the reviews I read and watch, instead just bang on about saving on petrol.

[Herbs]

pb8g09 said:

Out of curiosity.

What's the cost to charge one of these to full capacity? - they seem to ignore this in all the reviews I read and watch, instead just bang on about saving on petrol.

About £2

[pb8g09]

Herbs said:

About £2

That's food for thought....

[PixelpeepS3]

you can spend £15,000 on a V10 M5 and have it worthless if the engine or gearbox fail..?

people still do it..

Time to get some facts in this thread before the ICE warriors appear

batteries on the i3 are guaranteed for 100,000 miles / 8 years...- they guarantee a minimum capacity of 70% for that period.

cost for a new OEM battery pack from BMW themselves.. £6,143.02

Obviously there are pattern parts and second hand available but worst case, £6k - i think darn reasonable compared to how much you'd need to pay for a replacement engine on any modern ICE car

[Herbs]

I'm diehard petrol but electric makes so much sense currently. It means I can put much more into my second car at weekends so win win!

[flatso]

Thanks guys, was not aware of the 100k MILE / 8yr. warranty on these.
The car will be doing mainly city work, very low miles at max 5-7000 km/year.
With this in mind its probably worth getting a high mileage newer model as the 8yrs. will surely be reached earlier then the 100t miles.

The main question is if you can still unload this after, with the batteries having little warranty left on them.
Logic would dictate that BMW may have overengineered and low-balled the expectations on these cars in order to set themselves up with a good reputation in the post ICE world.


@herbs...I may join your thread with some questions.

A sunny weekend to all from Switzerland

[Herbs]

Residuals are very good at the moment but that may change with newer tech coming out over the next 5 years or so. Regardless, it pays for itself so much that it is the first car I am considering keeping and running into the ground.

[covmutley]

flatso said:

Logic would dictate that BMW may have overengineered and low-balled the expectations on these cars in order to set themselves up with a good reputation in the post ICE world.

Lots of info on i3 facebook group. And yes, that is exactly what's happened apparently. BMW has been cautious with the 'mapping' of the batteries and has been collecting data, which all suggests the batteries are coping very well. People have said bmw a changed software to allow the batteries to give a bit more as they were coping well.

[oop north]

My understanding is that most of the problems have been with early cars and / or the rex integration - so a reasonably recent (94) battery engined version sounds ideal for your wife’s local use. I have had my 60 rex for 34 months and 36.5k miles. Never had a problem with being blown about in windy conditions, comfortable for long distances but there is a fair bit of road noise on rough surfaces (quiet on v smooth tarmac though). The ride is a bit jiggly on mine too but I understand newer ones are better. I’d get another if I could manage with four seats. Tyres seem a bit fragile - I had three punctures in as many months last year and other owners report similar “higher than with other cars” puncture rate