BMW i3 range extender?

S

sunsurfer

Member
What do you think of the BMW i3 range extender version as an everyday car? My wife wants an easier car to drive than the A2 (?!) and I can get a used i3 REX for about £15k. Some of you have direct experience of the i3.
  • Is it a BMW? Does it handle and perform similarly to its stable mates?
  • Is the electric range adequate - we live about 30 miles outside of Edinburgh
  • Does the range extender engine fully ensure you have adequate range for say touring in remote Scotland or will I be left desperate for electric charge or a petrol station
  • Is it quality? £15k is about 5 times more than a decent A2
  • Is it cheap to run?
  • We have solar panels on the roof - will this make charging even cheaper?
  • Any problems or concerns I should consider?
Cheers and thanks
 
Solution
oowee
Your solar pv is mostly wasted now I would guess unless you have an electric boiler so charging a car battery is a good idea. Effectively free fuel, although the energy cost is much less than diesel. The small engine is very noisy when in use but gives arange of about 80 miles and then you can top it up from a can. You will want to avoid using it when the electric motor is so much quieter. Great thing with the rex is it takes away all of the range anxiety and you can use the elctric to it's fullest.
You should also consider battery degredation.
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BMW are not struggling with battery technology - they have just gone down the same route as everybody else - massive batteries in massive SUV's so they don't miss out on the market segment that apparently everyone wants.

The i3 could probably have got to 240 miles if they had done a Mk 4 as they originally intended.

Covid disruption and the fact that they want the i3 factory re-tooled to produce other more profitable models put paid to that, so the last i3's will be made in June.
 
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The problem is that they probably didn't make enough profit from it. Why else would they stop making it?

RAB
 
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RAB said:
That's not actual degradation Lukas. It's simply due to lower ambient temperatures. Batteries work less efficiently at lower temperatures and energy is required for heating. These are taken into account when calculating range. It's no different to a fossil car!

RAB
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My english - degradation is real and yes once a pack is degraded, winter range is even more (than when new) reduced due to higher demands (wet roads, wipers, lights, heating etc) and lower temperature - including rate and capacity during charging.
 
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ecoangel said:
My english - degradation is real and yes once a pack is degraded, winter range is even more (than when new) reduced due to higher demands (wet roads, wipers, lights, heating etc) and lower temperature - including rate and capacity during charging.
Click to expand...
By degradation, I mean permanent loss of battery capacity, independent of temperature. Loss of range in winter, due to lower battery temperature, battery heating (if present) and greater demand for cabin heating etc., is entirely separate.

RAB
 
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ecoangel said:
My english - degradation is real and yes once a pack is degraded, winter range is even more (than when new) reduced due to higher demands (wet roads, wipers, lights, heating etc) and lower temperature - including rate and capacity during charging.
Click to expand...
e.g. New: 80 mile range in summer , 55 mile range in winter. Degraded pack: 65 mile summer, 40 miles winter....
 
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