So if the Rex didn't get qualification for the white sticker in California, why doesn't BMW just use the same settings as the rest of europe whereby you can turn on the rex motor to hold a charge anytime below 75% soc. The Volt has a mountain mode and qualifies for the green sticker in california just like the rex.
The reason I put this out there is because I live in Colorado and will likely do day trips into the mountains. If I cannot hold a charge using the rex, I don't think the car can reach Vail for a day trip from Denver (there are level 2 chargers in the public parking lot in vail). If they don't do this, it seriously harms the rex usefulness. I do agree that the rest of my driving around Denver/Boulder will not require the rex that often (but sometimes). I think the i3 will be popular in Colorado given that we have an extra $6000 state tax credit on top of the $7500 federal tax credit. However, without the ability to kick in the Rex before its depleted, many will not buy given our terrain.
here is the profile from Denver to Vail: 105 miles of highway driving
17 miles driving west on relatively flat terrain and then climbing up to the continental divide in 45 miles (elevation gain about 5500 feet). It is mostly an uphill climb but there is one downhill section (floyd hill) which is a drop of 600 feet over 2 miles. From the eisenhower tunnel/continental divide the freeway drops 2,250 feet in 10 miles (at the bottom of this drop is where Tesla has installed an 8 stall supercharger at Silverthorne). From here it is a 15 mile climb to the top of Vail pass with an elevation gain of 1900 feet. From the top of vail pass to the city of vail is all downhill for 15 miles and a loss of elevation of 2450 feet.
So in summary - 17 miles of flat, 27 miles of steep downhill, and 60 miles of steep uphill.
With a little bit of re-charge and coming home - there should be enough downhill sections to regenerate the battery.
The reason I put this out there is because I live in Colorado and will likely do day trips into the mountains. If I cannot hold a charge using the rex, I don't think the car can reach Vail for a day trip from Denver (there are level 2 chargers in the public parking lot in vail). If they don't do this, it seriously harms the rex usefulness. I do agree that the rest of my driving around Denver/Boulder will not require the rex that often (but sometimes). I think the i3 will be popular in Colorado given that we have an extra $6000 state tax credit on top of the $7500 federal tax credit. However, without the ability to kick in the Rex before its depleted, many will not buy given our terrain.
here is the profile from Denver to Vail: 105 miles of highway driving
17 miles driving west on relatively flat terrain and then climbing up to the continental divide in 45 miles (elevation gain about 5500 feet). It is mostly an uphill climb but there is one downhill section (floyd hill) which is a drop of 600 feet over 2 miles. From the eisenhower tunnel/continental divide the freeway drops 2,250 feet in 10 miles (at the bottom of this drop is where Tesla has installed an 8 stall supercharger at Silverthorne). From here it is a 15 mile climb to the top of Vail pass with an elevation gain of 1900 feet. From the top of vail pass to the city of vail is all downhill for 15 miles and a loss of elevation of 2450 feet.
So in summary - 17 miles of flat, 27 miles of steep downhill, and 60 miles of steep uphill.
With a little bit of re-charge and coming home - there should be enough downhill sections to regenerate the battery.