Hello dear i3 drivers and wannabees,
As a brand new i3 owner in Utrecht, the Netherlands, I would like to introduce myself a bit. I received a capparis-white i3 BEV with standard interior and wheels last week, after a 3 months wait time (a very long time to wait for something so desirable).
As I am already very familiar with electric driving (I also own a Renault Kangoo Elec'tricite from 2002 for 3 years now, NiCad batteries, practical range 80-100km), the driving experience of the i3 did not overwhelm me that much, but still it is a very big step from the Kangoo to the i3.
To say that the i3 is ahead of it's time is true, as was the Kangoo back then. The Kangoo could also be ordered with a Rex, similar to the i3 Rex, but only ten years earlier :mrgreen:
Still the i3 is not perfect, on the highway it tends to rock back and forth sometimes when the road is wobbly, the short nose is not very well visible when parking, you feel every crack in the road surface, although nicely damped. It is not a flying carpet, but I would not like that either, so I will get used to it.
The Ecopro setting is the one to use, because in citydriving, you don't need that much power unless some M3 want to get humiliated at the traffic light
I managed to have a real-world range of more than 150 km in ecopro mode already, so I am very delighted with the efficiency of this car. I think with careful (non-bmw style) of driving, it should be possible to get 180 km of range -when avoiding highways- in ecopro mode, especially in summer and when the battery has sufficient cycles on it to reach its full potential. I guess the highway range will be around 100-110 km at 100-110 km/h with limited comfort heating/cooling. The cruise control is very important to reach good range figures, even on secondary roads. In the Netherlands, at least in my surroundings, we have the advantage of flat smooth roads without much hills (although it can be windy).
I am a bit worried about the on board charger, I already discovered that not all public charging points are compatible with the 32-amp cord that came with the car. The charger could well be the weakest point in regards to making longer distance trips in unknown territory, until the CCS network has been rolled out. Overnight charging is my common charging regime, so it is not that much of a problem however. It gets very crowded at my home public charge spot since a few months (due to lots of "monstrous" phev's appearing in the small, crowded streets of my home town). Schuko charging works surprisingly good, as tried at my parents place: about 20km/h charging.
I think BMW has taken a very brave step to introduce a car like the i3 as it has already a kult status imho. Bravo!
As a brand new i3 owner in Utrecht, the Netherlands, I would like to introduce myself a bit. I received a capparis-white i3 BEV with standard interior and wheels last week, after a 3 months wait time (a very long time to wait for something so desirable).
As I am already very familiar with electric driving (I also own a Renault Kangoo Elec'tricite from 2002 for 3 years now, NiCad batteries, practical range 80-100km), the driving experience of the i3 did not overwhelm me that much, but still it is a very big step from the Kangoo to the i3.
To say that the i3 is ahead of it's time is true, as was the Kangoo back then. The Kangoo could also be ordered with a Rex, similar to the i3 Rex, but only ten years earlier :mrgreen:
Still the i3 is not perfect, on the highway it tends to rock back and forth sometimes when the road is wobbly, the short nose is not very well visible when parking, you feel every crack in the road surface, although nicely damped. It is not a flying carpet, but I would not like that either, so I will get used to it.
The Ecopro setting is the one to use, because in citydriving, you don't need that much power unless some M3 want to get humiliated at the traffic light
I managed to have a real-world range of more than 150 km in ecopro mode already, so I am very delighted with the efficiency of this car. I think with careful (non-bmw style) of driving, it should be possible to get 180 km of range -when avoiding highways- in ecopro mode, especially in summer and when the battery has sufficient cycles on it to reach its full potential. I guess the highway range will be around 100-110 km at 100-110 km/h with limited comfort heating/cooling. The cruise control is very important to reach good range figures, even on secondary roads. In the Netherlands, at least in my surroundings, we have the advantage of flat smooth roads without much hills (although it can be windy).I am a bit worried about the on board charger, I already discovered that not all public charging points are compatible with the 32-amp cord that came with the car. The charger could well be the weakest point in regards to making longer distance trips in unknown territory, until the CCS network has been rolled out. Overnight charging is my common charging regime, so it is not that much of a problem however. It gets very crowded at my home public charge spot since a few months (due to lots of "monstrous" phev's appearing in the small, crowded streets of my home town). Schuko charging works surprisingly good, as tried at my parents place: about 20km/h charging.
I think BMW has taken a very brave step to introduce a car like the i3 as it has already a kult status imho. Bravo!
