Traveling too far to get home? (Irresponsibly or Otherwise)

[thefuturenow]

In theory since the i3 has an 80-mile range, technically you can drive to a destination that is 80 miles away if you're not as concerned about getting back (otherwise then you're looking at 30-35 miles each way being the furthest to responsibly travel in a BEV model).

Let's say hypothetically you want to push the battery range, traveling to a destination that is 40 or even 50 miles away. In this hypothetical situation, let's also say there is no charger at the destination nor on the route back. What would you do if you end up at a destination 50 miles away from home with only 30 miles of range? Of course you can call up BMW and have them assist you in getting back but that is only for emergencies.

For instance there's a restaurant I enjoy that's roughly 42 miles away. Let's say on a good day my i3 displays a range of 88 miles. I decide to be adventurous and travel to said restaurant, then on my way out the remaining range on i3 is just about or less than what's required to get home. This sounds like an irresponsible trip but the car would be much less limiting if you could use the full range occasionally to get to a destination. How much more useful electric cars would be if chargers were commonplace in every major parking lot.

 

[janner]

Best thing to do is to drive more slowly - it's the most effective way to increase range.

 

[Boatguy]

Find a public charger. Have you tried Plugshare? There is a web site, and an app, and lots of information on lots of chargers.

 

[thefuturenow]

Find a public charger. Have you tried Plugshare? There is a web site, and an app, and lots of information on lots of chargers.

I've religiously checked Plugshare :lol:. There are a decent amount of public chargers but I don't think I or other EV owners will be completely satisfied until there is a DC fast charger within every 50-mile radius.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Find a public charger. Have you tried Plugshare? There is a web site, and an app, and lots of information on lots of chargers.

I've religiously checked Plugshare :lol:. There are a decent amount of public chargers but I don't think I or other EV owners will be completely satisfied until there is a DC fast charger within every 50-mile radius.

EVSE's are more of a destination solution, not a range-extending one...say you're going to be shopping or going to a movie, or out to eat, or play in the park...you're going to be there long enough to probably totally recharge the car. A CCS unit is not required, but might help with the volume (only if people stay around to open up your needed spot or idiots with ICE don't park in the space, blocking your access in the first place). A CCS unit is almost required if you're trying to put lots of miles on the car in one trip.

 

[Boatguy]

Find a public charger. Have you tried Plugshare? There is a web site, and an app, and lots of information on lots of chargers.

I've religiously checked Plugshare :lol:. There are a decent amount of public chargers but I don't think I or other EV owners will be completely satisfied until there is a DC fast charger within every 50-mile radius.

So you're not looking for information about your car, you're trolling for more chargers.

Buy a car with 250 miles of range and you'll be happy with chargers every 150 miles.

 

[thefuturenow]

Find a public charger. Have you tried Plugshare? There is a web site, and an app, and lots of information on lots of chargers.

I've religiously checked Plugshare :lol:. There are a decent amount of public chargers but I don't think I or other EV owners will be completely satisfied until there is a DC fast charger within every 50-mile radius.

So you're not looking for information about your car, you're trolling for more chargers.

Buy a car with 250 miles of range and you'll be happy with chargers every 150 miles.

Absolutely. I have a Tesla Model 3 on reserve and will be completely satisfied with the 215 mile range. Perhaps I should've clarified that on cars like these a DC fast charger every 50 miles would be very beneficial. While taking an i3 BEV from NJ to California doesn't make sense, it would be nice to be able to take the BEV model on a 150-200 mile trip.

I'm very close to signing on a REX i3 however.

 

[Boatguy]

it would be nice to be able to take the BEV model on a 150-200 mile trip.
I'm very close to signing on a REX i3 however.

I've been driving an i3 for a little short of two yeara and I would never want to take it on a 150-200 mile trip. It's a pretty miserable freeway car with slightly twitchy steering, very poor aerodynamics and short wheelbase hop that reminds me of a 60's era English sports car.

It does a fantastic job fulfilling it's design brief as a city car, but that design brief did not include 150-200 miles of freeway driving. It's an entirely different vehicle than a Tesla M3 which is targeting the BMW 3-series, Audi A4 and MB C-class. Unlimited high speed chargers will not change the nature of the i3.

 

[jadnashuanh]

In much of the rest of the world, the i3 is a relatively large car. I do agree, though, the i3 and the (who knows what it really will be or when it might arrive) Tesla M3 are not designed with the same purpose in mind. Those expecting the M3 to be available in any volume next year are probably smoking dope, though. Latest thing from Musk...I give people unreasonable deadlines to push them harder. The first of each of the Tesla models delivered so far had significant build qualities that cost the company lots of money to get as right as they could. The first adopters were relatively willing to abide by that...I think the person buying the M3 will be replacing what may be their only car, and if it doesn't work reliably, it could get ugly fast, especially if they've waited much longer than initially promised to get the thing in the first place. Good will only goes so far. First adopters, at least those that understand what's going on, tend to be understanding, but I think the majority of those seeking the M3 are expecting it to be something that it isn't. BMW had i3 numerous prototypes running around for a long time before they started to build them for sale...Tesla doesn't have a near production prototype yet, at least IMHO, otherwise, they'd be showing it.

As a first of its kind, at least my i3 has been much more reliable than other, first model year vehicles I've owned. Considering the amount of new stuff in it, that's a really big endorsement of their engineering staff. Mine has an April 2014 build date, so while it had been on sale in a few other places, it still hadn't been very long.

When used as designed, the i3 is quite good. That it also can be used by some for longer trips is a testament to its design, but it does not particularly excel at it. It's not bad, but it's not fantastic. Much easier in Europe where there are more CCS units (well, parts of CA aren't too bad from what I hear, but that's a long ways from where I'm at!).

 

[imolazhp]

Um, wut?

You will need to charge or you will need to find another way to get to and from your destination. Its really that simple.