Recent content by ultraturtle

HeatShield will make custom shields for a reasonable price. Mine work well. Strongly recommended.

Funny how 4 years have passed, and nothing much has changed. The i3 REx, along with the Volt and PiP, remain the only serious EVs with unlimited range. Unlike vehicles limited to their battery range, a range extended EV can serve as your only vehicle. The embedded energy and associated...

Side by side comparisons between our 2014 i3 without a moonroof and our 2017 i3 with a moonroof prove that the largely transparent fabric slider that covers the top glass does nearly nothing to cut out the sun baking our heads. Does anyone know of source of insulated panels to sandwich between...

Looking for another car more than 4 years after placing a deposit for one of the first i3 REX's to be delivered in North America, I was amazed to discover that no automaker has even tried to create a better car. None, that is, except BMW. We were initially looking for something a bit less...

Absolutely. I'm actually quite surprised that even after a year and a half of these cars being offered for sale, no automaker (including BMW, unfortunately) has even attempted to surpass it.

You won't know if there is a problem until you receive your title. This was my second PHEV purchase in Georgia, so I was ready for a slog fest, and the Motor Vehicle Department was up for another fight. This time, my BMW dealer (Global Imports) was able to override the default entries and...

Keep in mind that the engine will not shut down during its warm up cycle, which is roughly 6 minutes. From page 55 of the Engine Training Manual:

Spot on. There is a reason Tesla specifically declines any capacity warranty. From page 5 of the Tesla Model S Warranty document: While the warranty covers the battery pack for unlimited miles, it does not cover much. As long as the battery can move the Tesla forward a few feet, replacement...

I still do not understand why folks entertain the discussion of BEV v REx i3. The real choice is between BEV at all (Nissan LEAF, Tesla Model S, BMW i3 BEV, compliance car...) vs a Range Extended Electric Vehicle, also known as a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) - (Chevy Volt, Toyota Prius...

As much fun as folks have bashing the i3 REx because of efficiency lost due to the extra weight, keep in mind that at 117 MPGe, it is more efficient than any other EV currently manufactured except for the limited production Chevy Spark EV compliance car (1,014 sold this year) at 119 MPGe, and...

It absolutely will. To make all that you read on this forum about any limitations of power when operating on the REx irrelevant, and make longer trips with fewer stops, use Tom's suggestion to "code" the REx to enable manual activation. Then on any longer trip, manually activate the REx when...

What gets subsidized is probably a matter of semantics. ZEV credits are big money - valued between $3,929 and $5,000 each. Tesla has sold and banked hundreds of millions of dollars worth of ZEV credits, and would not be profitable without that revenue. How they work is a bit complex...

Re #2 The included Occasional Use Cable is a 12 Amp EVSE. It will limit charging amperage to no more than 12 amps regardless of the ampacity of the circuit wiring and circuit protection supplying the charge. Re #3: Cost of a separate meter is typically extreme. Better to prove to your...

Jadnashuanh is correct. Per page 57 of the W20 Engine Document: Not that this matters a great deal for this discussion, as it only burns an ounce or two of gasoline during this maintenence run at idle power. Run time depends on the starting temperature of the combustion engine, and I've...

I love the wheels, but the summer tires will be replaced with all-season versions assuming that 20" all-seasons will be available by the time these wear out.