Rear Passenger Windows and egress options

How does a rear passenger exit the i3 in an emergency if the front occupants can't open their doors?

It seems the side windows are fixed to save weight - so no wind down option.

Can they exit through the rear hatch from inside - assuming no luggage in the way ?

I would recommend BMW at least provide a rear window vent position as a partial solution.

Better still an emergency door release that detaches the rear door so it can be thrown out like an aircraft over-wing escape panel.

ecoangel said:

How does a rear passenger exit the i3 in an emergency if the front occupants can't open their doors?

It seems the side windows are fixed to save weight - so no wind down option.

Can they exit through the rear hatch from inside - assuming no luggage in the way ?

I would recommend BMW at least provide a rear window vent position as a partial solution.

Better still an emergency door release that detaches the rear door so it can be thrown out like an aircraft over-wing escape panel.

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Nobody on the Forum has commented on the ventilation in the i3. Modern cars are much better at getting fresh air into the cabin than they are at letting stale air out. If the rear windows are fixed, how does stale air exit the car?

There is no way to open the rear doors without the fronts being opened first...the front door locks into the rear only when it is closed.

bryand said:

ecoangel said:

If the rear windows are fixed, how does stale air exit the car?

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Click to expand...

Through venting systems every car has that has nothing to do with the rear windows.

He exits just like any vehicle that only has two doors. If you can get one front one open, then you can open the rear, but otherwise that's no different than on a two-door car. The CFRP body is a lot less likely to buckle than steel, so getting a door jammed is probably a lot less likely than with most cars. On most cars, the rear windows don't go down far enough for the average person to get through them in an emergency, anyways. The option is to try to break one out, easy with the right tool, really hard, otherwise.

Same way as any other emergency exit from a car:



If you don't have one of those, remove a headrest and use the posts to shatter the window.

i3 doesn't have removable headrests...

The rear ones are removeable, but awkward if the rear seats are occupied.

Well, we have choices then.

Equip the car with a window hammer; put up with a bit of awkwardness removing a headrest to save your life; or just sit there complaining and wait for whatever is causing the emergency to kill or maim you.

This is not rocket science, but it does take a bit of quick thinking at the time. Knowing your options beforehand is a benefit. It's a good idea to educate your regular passengers on this type of information, it can save lives.