Thinking of buying a 2017 I3 Bev

[Obioban]

If you have a second car you can use for the 1% of the time you need to drive >120 miles in one go (as you said you do), the BEV is a no brainer IMO. 300 lbs lighter, ICE car maintenance vs almost no maintenance (brake fluid and cabin air filter every two years), and avoids 90% of the reliability issues you see people having.

I bought a 94aH BEV this year, and it's amazing how infrequently the range is an issue. So far, it's never been an issue-- and I give zero consideration to efficiency in my driving. Starting out every day with 100% range (assuming you can charge at home) really makes the range a very different situation than an ICE car with the same range.

 

[jadnashuanh]

If you can keep the car plugged in overnight and set a departure time, your range loss when leaving in the morning isn't as large as just getting in and driving off in the cold. Warming the battery and the cabin while connected to the grid can save a lot. Keep in mind also that the BEV has a heat pump. To get heat in the REx, it is always using resistance heating (the BEV uses that as a backup if it's heat pump can't keep up).

 

[sipabit]

It really depends on your intended usage. With only 7k miles expected per year, i suspect you're taking frequent short trips rather than fewer long trips. Generally, I go for as low of a range as I can get away with to reap the benefits of a lighter more nimble vehicle, a smaller bomb is always a good thing, and go BEV over REX to get rid of all the gas vehicle requirements like oil changes, etc.

Just don't be one of those people that think they need 400 miles of range for their 50mi commute .