2017 Rex much more usable than 2015 Rex

Once a month, we make a 500 mile each way journey to North Carolina.
In the 2 years that we had the 2015 I3 Rex, this involved at least 3 CCS stops & upto 6 gas stops each way.
The CCS chargers are located at irregular distances that just did not jive with the 2015 I3 ranges.

After 2 return trips now in the 2017 Rex, this trip is so much easier.
Starting from the North with a full battery & fuel tank means that we can reach the first CCS charger(s),
which are about 200 miles away, non-stop.
This took a little courage on the first trip but is now routine.
The charge takes about 10-15 mins longer the 2015 car but coupled with a gas stop next door to the chargers,
the next reliable CCS installation, at 155 miles further, is reachable easily non-stop.
A 2nd charge & fuel top up completes the journey with ease.

The 2017 I3 Rex is now a truly usable car.
For us, it is a significant improvement over the 2015 in usable range.

Thanks for the report and the encouragement to take long trips with the REx. Rumor has it the the 2018 REx will bump up the battery to 120 AHr. That should put the battery range at around 150 miles. Of course, the Tesla 3 claims to have a 225 range and I think BMW will eventually approach that.
And while I'm on my soapbox, I wish "they" would put CCS chargers at gas stations or fast food places, or somewhere where you can get a snack and use the restroom. As more and more people start using EV's, the gas stations will miss out on the business they get from travelers unless they have CCS chargers. Just my 2 cents.

theothertom said:

Rumor has it the the 2018 REx will bump up the battery to 120 AHr.

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Of course, few people know whether a rumor is true. The rumor I have read is that 120 Ah battery cells will be available in quantity from Samsung SDI in 2018 but will be assembled into battery packs for 2019 i3's built in late 2018. Using 94 Ah battery packs as the largest capacity battery packs for only 1 model year seems unlikely. But maybe a limited production 2018 version (i3S?) will be offered with an 120 Ah battery pack. Interesting times ahead…

I read somewhere that while the current battery cells are the same size as the originals in the i3, the newest version planned is larger, and thus, would require changes to the battery compartment as well as the battery holders. It would also suggest a larger on-board charging circuit to keep recharging time low (assuming you can find one that is larger). So, it makes some sense that changes would be tied to a chassis update. Given BMW's current marketing path, I'm not sure how much longer the i3 will stick around. IMHO, if the range gets much longer, they should make some changes in the passenger comforts. I have no problem using it with the existing range, but don't find it all that great should I want to extend that by 2-3x.

jadnashuanh said:

So, it makes some sense that changes would be tied to a chassis update. Given BMW's current marketing path, I'm not sure how much longer the i3 will stick around. IMHO, if the range gets much longer, they should make some changes in the passenger comforts. I have no problem using it with the existing range, but don't find it all that great should I want to extend that by 2-3x.

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BMW normally operates in 7 year design cycles, so if they plan to offer a "new" i3, it would be the 2021 model (introduced in the fall of 2020). "Normally" and "if" are the key words.
Regarding passenger comforts, to me the seat is a little hard for longer trips. I'm not really wild about the "recycled" look of the dash but it doesn't affect comfort. And the elephant in the room is the tire size which has been discussed before.