Questions Questions!

[Gif]

I went for a Type 2 Polar charger in Dec 2014. The process was nice and easy. Many electricians are now focussing on EV charge point installations.

Just been getting my head around home charger information now so excuse the following if naive!

Everything I've read seems to imply the best option is a 7kw Fast Charger (is that how they're properly referred to?) as a 13/16 amp is too slow. The other consideration seems to be whether the cable comes tethered or not and the only thing I can see that would bear on this is whether you are better using a plug in cable as this would allow you to swap cables for different cars / connections in future?

Does the choice of charger / cable influence the functionality of the i3 at all in terms of scheduling the charge time or pre-conditioning?

[joey003]

I went for a Type 2 Polar charger in Dec 2014. The process was nice and easy. Many electricians are now focussing on EV charge point installations.

Just been getting my head around home charger information now so excuse the following if naive!

Everything I've read seems to imply the best option is a 7kw Fast Charger (is that how they're properly referred to?) as a 13/16 amp is too slow. The other consideration seems to be whether the cable comes tethered or not and the only thing I can see that would bear on this is whether you are better using a plug in cable as this would allow you to swap cables for different cars / connections in future?

Does the choice of charger / cable influence the functionality of the i3 at all in terms of scheduling the charge time or pre-conditioning?

I've been reading about this a lot recently too. You'll generally find different options for charging output, cord length and whether you want it hardwired or plug-in. Almost always I notice a 'P' is added to the model of the charger when it's going to be a plug-in variant. And usually a $50 or more premium for it.

7kW would definitely be ideal since the i3 can charge at 7.4kW. There seems to be several options for 40A chargers (which will charge at a max output of 32A on a 40A circuit). These end up at roughly 7.7kW based on 240V and 32A output.

Hard-wired or plug-in are really up to what you prefer. I'm going to be doing hardwired myself (I'm somewhat familiar with the electrical needed and have done some wiring in the past when renovating). The connector to the car is quite standard (J1772 I think?), so it could charge different cars. Even with it being hardwired, it wouldn't be difficult or costly to change the setup in the future for a different charger.

I don't think the choice of charger/cable would influence the i3 scheduling or pre-conditioning, unless I guess it's a charger that is wifi-connected so you can control it and schedule the charger itself over the internet or through an app?

[Gif]

Okay, I went to talk to Sytner Cardiff yesterday and their very enthusiastic and knowledgable iMan (Ben) spent ages talking through the car and gave me a test drive and I have to say it performed exactly as I had read on here and elsewhere.

So I'm now faced with the decision about what to do. New ReX or used ReX. If new what spec? Good to hear that DC Rapid Charging is now standard.

Do I need Sport Pack?
-HK
-LED
-Sun protection
-Alloys
Do I need Park Assist?
Do I need Pro Media?
Do I need a sunroof?
Do I need anything else that's useful?

Any informative comments most welcome while I ponder

[jadnashuanh]

Whether an option is 'required' totally depends on the user. I find that the adaptive cruise control is handy, and because of health issues, the rear-view camera is almost mandatory, but other than that, since the DC charge port is now standard in most markets (I have it, but have never used it because of the dearth of spots I could reach!), functionally, it's a personal thing. I don't really like sunroofs, so prefer not to have one. SOme people feel down-right deprived if they can't have one! Again, a personal thing.

If you're talking newest, the 2017 models coming out soon, will have the larger capacity battery, and depending on your use and available charging points, may mean you don't need the REx at all. That saves some money, if your use pattern would allow it, and probably affects the tire wear and does affect the acceleration of the vehicle because of the added weight that you're always carrying around, and may never use. WHile not huge, adding the REx does mean oil changes, spark plugs, antifreeze, muffler, etc. that are all missing on the BEV version. In my case, with my use pattern, the BEV is perfect. Plus, add in that where I live, there are essentially no usefully located CCS units, and even the DC fast charge option may have been a waste. I bought that option for future use, should they actually expand the network and expand my options. Luckily, I have a second car that I use for longer trips which I find more comfortable and I can go nearly 500-miles before I have to stop to refuel If I can personally last that long! It's nice to have options.

[Gif]

Thanks for those thoughts. Yes, "need" and "want" are different I know, that's why I posed the question as need

I'm in Wales and need to travel into the wilds on a fairly regular basis and my wife's health is not great so sometimes get called in an emergency so ReX is kind of a necessity (I can't be waiting for a charge). I have a second work horse too but don't really want to rely on that other vehicle. Doing a 110 mile trip to central Wales with only a couple of known chargers on route is not really sensible in a BEV in my opinion. Especially in temperature extremes when range is limited!

Don't get me wrong, most of my journeys are normal commute and short stuff so BEV would be fine for that but I do have those fairly regular longer jaunts into EV dark territory and I want to make as much use of the car as I can if I am going to justify buying it

[Brice]

Okay, I went to talk to Sytner Cardiff yesterday and their very enthusiastic and knowledgable iMan (Ben) spent ages talking through the car and gave me a test drive and I have to say it performed exactly as I had read on here and elsewhere.

So I'm now faced with the decision about what to do. New ReX or used ReX. If new what spec? Good to hear that DC Rapid Charging is now standard.

Do I need Sport Pack?
-HK
-LED
-Sun protection
-Alloys
Do I need Park Assist?
Do I need Pro Media?
Do I need a sunroof?
Do I need anything else that's useful?

Any informative comments most welcome while I ponder

Trying one is buying one. Welcome to the club of those who went addict at first contact. I should receive mine next Wednesday.

Here is the model:
- REx (no quick charge because optional and don't need it)
- Color Shadow Black (it comes with 19" trims upgrade comparing to the base ugly ones)
- Nav Pro (the basic one looks like a rip off in term of design...)
- HK sound because love listening to music with Deezer (Jazz, Rock, Classic, anything in fact) and I can't wait to enjoy this in a quiet electric car)
- Sunroof : wanted one until I tried an i3 equiped with it. Decided finally that it was just an annoyance to me (my wife agreed)
- Full LED for the style
- Lodge inside (wool / leather) : a must have to me
- Tinted windows because it looks cool and if it can protect a bit against the warmth, why not.

Hope it will help a tiny bit. If you want more detail per decision/option, I'll be glad to answer.

Edit:
Park Assist: Honestly, if you don't live / work in the city, that is a useless option. Just too bad we can't only pick the back camera because it looks great and can be handy at times.
Security stuff with lane assist, anti collision at low speed etc... Here to, I think it depends on your habits. Personally, it was not that useful to have so... no.
The only thing that annoys me a bit is that I wanted warming seat and especially the Confort Access... but I had to make a choice.. Budget matters.

[I33t]

Agree Park Assist is not required for two reasons. Firstly, parking the i3 is a total breeze. It has to be the easiest car to park I have ever tried. The short wheelbase and extremely tight turning circle gives the car manoeuvrability few others have. Secondly, there have been reports here that there is a risk of scratching the alloys using park assist. I've never tried.

The reverse cam is more important. If you have to get Park Assist to get the cam, so be it. Be nice if they split them up.

[jadnashuanh]

This may help people outside of the USA, but federal laws will require all new vehicles after, I think, 2018 to have a backup camera. Manufacturers are supposed to be phasing them in as standard up until that point. How that might change the 'standard' features other places, depends on the contract that market makes with the factory and local laws or regulations. I used to be able to twist and look back easily...can't do that any more, so the camera is almost a requirement for safety. You can see the ground close up, whereas, a lot of that area is blocked from the mirrors.

[Gif]

Park Assist: Honestly, if you don't live / work in the city, that is a useless option. Just too bad we can't only pick the back camera because it looks great and can be handy at times.

It worked okay on the test car except it uses adjacent cars as lineup and as the one car behind was slightly on the kerb, the i3 put itself there as well. Maybe that is the alloy concern!

Security stuff with lane assist, anti collision at low speed etc... Here to, I think it depends on your habits. Personally, it was not that useful to have so... no.

My son's Nissan has all that stuff. It often gives false positives and I don't trust it anyway. Sudden beeps at 70mph are not good for your heart especially when there is nothing near you. I'd rather ensure I am awake and alert to that sort of danger.

The only thing that annoys me a bit is that I wanted warming seat

Do you mean heated seats? Isn't that standard?

[Brice]

The only thing that annoys me a bit is that I wanted warming seat

Do you mean heated seats? Isn't that standard?

Sorry. I'm french and do my best for the english part, but I sometimes make mistakes. So yes, concerning the heated seats, it is an option, in France at least, but we clearly have the worst deal around here. No way to negotiate pricing, no quick charge as standard but optional apparently (to be confirmed for the 94Ah), no big packages as Mega / Deca / Tera etc... We only had the Urban Life (that gives us LED - the daylight ones, not "FULL" LED) and auto AC, multi function steering wheel etc... Apart from this, every thing is an option or a small package (safety, parking, ...) and Heated Seats is not part of a package.

EDIT: And that's why they had problem to sell it at some point. To boost the sales, the created in January 2016 the "Black Edition" which provided as standard: full black painting (now called "Black Shadow" and optional), better trims included, and included that "Urban Life" package. In total, for an extra 500 bucks, you had close to 4000 bucks of options included. And this is how I managed to buy one (I'll get it tonight at the dealer )