Recent content by Sparky17

Exactly! If you know you're going to have to climb a steep hill at speed, with the European setup (the correct setup), you can turn the REX on at 75% SOC. You will then never encounter a problem. You can refuel as needed. So, even if you lose 20% of your charge, you still have 55% left. And...

I suppose we'll see. I think BMW took a really good and innovative design and turned it into something that can't even be maintained properly given the lousy fuel that's available in most places in the USA. And there have been accounts here on this forum of people getting into trouble with the...

I read about this. In fact I came to check out the forum because I expected it to be abuzz with discussions about this. Well, here's my take on it. BMW sold their soul to the devil (California) for money in the form of a more advantageous classification for the i3. The deal was, they had to...

Maybe it's because I've driven so many different vehicles, and so many different kinds of vehicles over so many years, but I had no trouble adapting to the i3's steering at any speed up to 80 mph while passing. I like the way it handles.

If you do the DVDInMotion change, you get a constant SOC display. You have to go to the range extender option under settings.

Late to the party, but I just want to say that I'm loving the i3 more and more all the time. Every car I've ever owned had a few things I didn't like, and the i3 is no exception. But overall I think it is probably the best car I've ever owned or driven.

Yes, as has been pointed out several times here, ACC is not a substitute for an alert and competent driver. There are a lot of situations it's not "smart" enough to cover. But it sure is nice in a traffic jam, and for most highway driving as long as you still pay attention. Takes most of the...

What I forgot to describe in my original post is that in that construction/traffic jam in Manchester, the ability to let the car do it took pretty much all of the tension, frustration, and general aggravation out of what is usually a stressful driving situation. So it's not just impressive, it's...

On the way home from a plug-in vehicle conference in Concord NH to Merrimack, I was coming down the Everett Turnpike and had cruise control set. I have active cruise control turned on. It detects a vehicle in front of the i3 and automatically slows down and speeds up to maintain a safe distance...

Although not reported in the error code, since the range extender wouldn't have been started, I would also worry about the gasohol stored in the tank and throughout the fuel system for that long. Even with fuel stabilizer, that's too long to leave alcohol laden fuel. Sometimes you get away with...

We normally buy all our vehicles, cars and motorcycles, for cash. I leased a 2013 Smart Electric Drive, and I leased the i3. We did a single payment lease, all up front in both cases, which saved some money. We didn't get the tax incentives of course. Two main reasons for us leasing the electric...

Lord willin' and the creek don't rise. Might be new posts, though, rather than trying to find this one after a year, then two.

As I have already explained, it's not that more water will enter the car's tank. It probably won't if the tank is full, pressurized or not. Actually, as long as it's full, I don't see how it would matter if it was pressurized. The point is that the water already in the fuel, that got there...

I go the the Mall of New Hampshire almost every day (mall walker). Park in the same place. About 22 miles round trip. When I first got my electric Smart Car, I hypermiled there and back at 65 to 70 degrees running nothing extra. I did this a few times. My best was 22 miles using 18% of the...

I would imagine so, yes. But bear in mind that, since the fuel has been sitting in a gas station tank for who knows how long, some water is going to be absorbed by the alcohol. If it's enough, and if it sits long enough in the car's fuel system, it can turn gummy and clog things up...