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Was a great run... A back up gas engine to charge the batteries was way smarter than Toyota's original hybrid design... Had it not been for how much a BMW costs to maintain, they'd of been way more popular.

 

i3, more like...bye3

 

interesting car, if quality and reliability are foreign to you

 

We traded in a 2017 Prius Prime and kept the superior 2014 BMW i3-REx that is my wife's car.

Bob Wilson

 

Please tell us more about what they did better than Prius in their design?

 

Requirements are somewhat personal:

• 20 mile daily commute
  • 25 mi EV range of Prius Prime left only 5 miles for errands like groceries or lunch
  • 72 mi EV range o BMW i3-REx left 50 miles for errands like groceries, lunch, eating out
• elderly occupants on cross country
  • Prius Prime excessive +500 mile single tank range - biology required more frequent breaks. The car outdrove the humans inside.
  • BMW i3-REx - the 39 MPG at 70 mph with a 2.3 gallon fuel tank meant a fuel stop every 1 hr 15 minutes. Both of us, my wife and myself, are elderly and have an increased need for biology breaks ... which coincided with refueling the BMW.

When the vehicle matches the user requirements, happiness and high usage occurs.

Bob Wilson

 

Wow... I'd go crazy if I had to pull over every 1 hour and 15 minutes!
I'm the kinda guy that likes to drive 13 hours non-stop except for one tank of gas. Peeing in a bottle while driving is a huge time saver!

 

see bobs i3 repair thread

 

The warranty repair?

 

Having long ago decoupled biology breaks from refueling breaks, I simply have no concept of excessive fuel range anymore. But I definitely do get concerned about short fuel ranges. 39 * 2.3 = 90 miles, which is shorter than the on-route fuel station spacing in too many places we travel, or even the detour route spacing on some of them. Even without the extra fuel needed for mountain climbing. A Prius burns an extra gallon per about 10,000 feet of climb, and some of that is not recoverable on the downslope.

All that screams "bachelor".

 

Pure EV, 90 miles would be unusable for cross country trips. That is why the Range Extender was so brilliant.

Bob Wilson

 

East of the Rockies, through the heartland to the eastern seaboard, I see the brilliance. But for off-Interstate travels through the Intermountain West's National Parks and scenic and recreational backcountry, mid-range EV + 2-digit Range Extender just doesn't cut it.

 

it's pretty obvious why it got right sized

 

Your article is very interesting, I got a lot of useful information from it, I look forward to your next articles.

 

The i3 was more of an experiment. BMW learned what it wanted and is selling more popular plug-in vehicles.

Carbon Fiber for lower weight but that made it expensive.
The small, tall, city car packaging made the price new relegate to low volume once competition started producing better plug-ins.

BMW now has the i4 and 330e. The 330e is less expensive than the i3 although options can raise the price. It only has 23 miles of electric range versus the i3s 126 miles, but likely will be similar fuel efficiency on long trips with a more capable engine. The i4 has 300 miles of range but is more expensive. The kona electric with 258 miles of range is much less expensive.
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=45116&id=43745&id=45133&id=44444
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=43745&id=44984&id=45013&id=45119

I'm sure when the chip shortage dissipates used car prices will drop and people will be able to pick up an affordable used i3. The rav4 prime is more of a sweet spot for phevs, but toyota simply doesn't make enough for high sales. Its a better formula. The BEVx concept from california regulators was faulted from the start, but this was a great attempt to satisfy them. With battery prices dropping a great deal since the i3 introduction that tiny gas tank and expensive light weight material didn't make much sense. bmw could make a heavier less expensive steel i3 with say a 75 mile range and a 3 cylinder Atkinson engine and likely stay in that segment.

 

The i3 was designed for Europe, where small city cars sell better. The range extender was enough to cover the distances between cities there.

 

Brilliant BMW engineers???????? They simply copied the Chevy Volt concept; a car suited to N.A. needs; and you didn't have to pay extra for the gasoline backup/range extender.

 

i would have bought a bolt/volt if they had made one as large as a prius, or a bit larger

 

But ... doesn't the i4 do those routes better? Isn't the best selling city car in Europe the fiat 500 or panda that cost less than half as much as the i3. Sure it isn't as nice or have as much personality but if you are going short distances in the city does it matter? If you are going on longer trips the tesla model 3 rwd costs less and has sold a lot more than the i3.

I am not seeing a market at this price point. Neither did bmw, which is why it is leaving production. bmw will continue making the less expensive mini cooper including the electric version.