2017 vs 2016 Model i3

Salutations -

Please be gentle its my first post!

So I work for a company that does a LOT of wind energy and I manage several assets (Energy Management Services) so I'm pretty green. And I started reflecting on my driving habits and it just makes sense for me to have an EV. I live in a small city. I work from home. I take my kids to school each morning so my total driving is less than 5 miles a morning. All of my trips into San Antonio consist of less than 80 miles round trip. So after looking at all of this I decided that I want a BMW i3 REX (extra range so I can visit my parents).

So I've crawled all over this site and I haven't seen a real comparison of the 2016 60Ah and the 2017 94Ah battery for the two respective models. There are two i3 models that I am currently considering but there is a $9K difference for the 2017 model (similar mileage). This begs the question is the new 94Ah battery worth the additional $9K. Or would the extra money be better spent putting it away for a new battery bank in 5 years or installing a fast charging station?

BTW - this is what I am looking for if you spy one:

BMW i3 with Range Extender
2016-2018
$25000 MAX cost including TTL and delivery
1 Owner Car
White
(1)Terra or (2) Giga interior
15K miles or less

Any advise will be appreciated.

Thanks

I'd suggest the 94Ah... better chance of being able to make your 80mile trips on battery alone and relegating the REx to longer trips.

How many 80 mile trips do you do? If those are less frequent I don't really see a reason to get longer range for Rex model. BEV I would certainly try to get the extra. I like to run the Rex every week or two, worst thing for gas engines is infrequent use, although it will run automatically if it has been too long.

I do an 80 mile trip once a month but I will get the REX just so I can go see my folks (150 miles).

The 94h has higher C rate for battery.
It means it an handle more faster discharges at C1 rate and charge faster upto 85% in DC

Basically means longer life if you do fast charge and drive it faster or up the hills...

Well after researching and reading quite a bunch I finally puled the trigger on a 2016 i3 Rex Terra with 7200 miles. I plan on doing the coding for the REx Hold Mode and some other personal touches.

With the Hold Mode re-coded it would give me all of the features that I need for EV. Basically I want to have the REx come on at 30% (hex 1E) and this should give me the extra distance to make it to a charging station or my destination.

The car is being delivered fro CA so it will not be here until the second week of July. Cant wait!!!

I think you made the right choice in going with the 2016 REx. Investing in a i3 only makes sense when it covers 99% of your driving needs. I love having mine and being able to go to Paso Robes (125 miles) or Napa (115 miles) which would be reachable via a 2017/2018 BEV but the REx lets me go at highway speeds with full A/C and not having to deal with the hassle or stress of charging stops. Fast Chargers in the US are a great idea in theory but I swear half the ChargePoint ones out here are always busted.

If the rumors are true and the 2019 models have a 40 kWh battery, I'd have some degree of buyer's remorse with a 2017 or 2018 BEV. But the REx makes the battery range less critical and has maintained its value on the used market.

TXBMWi3 said:

Well after researching and reading quite a bunch I finally puled the trigger on a 2016 i3 Rex Terra with 7200 miles. I plan on doing the coding for the REx Hold Mode and some other personal touches.

With the Hold Mode re-coded it would give me all of the features that I need for EV. Basically I want to have the REx come on at 30% (hex 1E) and this should give me the extra distance to make it to a charging station or my destination.

The car is being delivered fro CA so it will not be here until the second week of July. Cant wait!!!

Click to expand...

Not that it matters, but I think you made the right choice. The difference where I'm from is about $10-12k between the 2016 and 2017 and with the newer bigger battery, it's a bare bones model compared to a full loaded or almost fully loaded one for $10-12k LESS. Since you're getting the REX, I'd say it was a no brainer. You can charge a ton for the $9k you're saving or buy a ton of gas with that or even plane tickets to visit family.