Discussing our BMW i3-REx

It’s easy to see that per-mile costs are lower for EVs. The buy-in cost to obtain that low rate are very high. Thus far, this has made EVs “fetish” cars for homeowners with ample disposable income. It doesn’t scale. If we ever see the long-rumored Tesla Model 2, with a purchase price in the range of a Corolla or Civic, that charges from 20% to 80% in under 15 minutes, EVs will become viable for the majority of Americans.

 

The market is the market. My trade-in is worth pretty much the same just about anywhere. I want an EV that can tow a small utility trailer. Right now, that means a Tesla Model Y or VW ID.4. I strongly prefer the Tesla. New Hampshire has no income tax, so a large part of state revenue is property tax. That includes motor vehicles. We pay two fees at annual registration renewal. The first is based on GWVR, levied by the state, and the second is based on asset value, levied by the town. We have very high electricity rates, near the highest in the USA. There is no significant cost saving from using electricity instead of gasoline. There is no off-peak electricity discount. A $60,000 car costs about $1200 for the first year of registration. We don't buy $1200 worth of gas or both of our cars, combined. Our annual registration costs are about $650 for both cars combined. Still, I would like to get a Model Y. Maybe when the new models are in the pipeline from Texas, with the new single-piece front and rear castings, structural battery, and 4680 cells, I will go to see one. Tesla has no presence in New Hampshire, but they have several locations in Massachusetts that are not too far away. My neighbor is on his third Nissan Leaf, and is very enthusiastic about the total cost of ownership. He charges for free at work, so his financial incentive is much larger than mine.

 

you're right in one sense. "scale" always turns on one's wealth. If you can't afford a 750 cc motor bike, you may have to settle 125cc motor bike. If you run an airline and you can spend hundreds of millions, you upgrade to the more efficient jet that will pay for themselves in a few years due to cost of fuel.
Speaking 'cost of fuel' ....

With gas quickly approaching $5/gallon, people have begun to dump their trailers, especially the huge ones. Just saw a beautiful double axle for WAY less than ½ the cost you would normally find new, yet it's only a year old. Gas is already WAY above that in much of California. A ¾ton truck w/big trailer? You're looking at hundreds of dollars to travel less & less distance.
Impossible nowadays to jump to an electric car when manufacturers have no chips to manufacture them. Elon Musk just notified there will be no new 2022 cars from Tesla due to the chip shortage. Not much consolation knowing chips are cheap by offshoring all the business now - is it.
.

 

Yes. There is a value proposition spending more up front for lower costs over time. I don't see that yet in the USA EV market. The technology is moving very quickly. I'll celebrate my 60th birthday later this year, and I want to experience EV ownership while I can have some fun with it. I have no illusions of saving money. I'm in it for the enjoyment.

 

[QUOTE="slowmachine, post: 3233889, member: 63541" ....a purchase price in the range of a Corolla or Civic...[/quote]
You won't see that. You are replacing an iron or aluminum engine with coils and coils of copper. You will see BEVs reach price parity with an ICE car over 3 to 5 years of ownership though. Europe was probably already there before the pandemic.

BEVs for the lower cost segments depends more on growing material production and supply chains to enable the efficiencies of scale to support such cars. Until then manufacturers will build BEVs with better margins to pay off the EV investment.

Many EVs are already at that, or close too it. The hurdle is a charging network that can support such charge rates.

You really don't need a truck to tow. The Model S and 3 had a tow rating before the arrival of the X and Y. Just like many cars once had tow ratings in the US. If you want to tow on trips, the issue is that Superchargers, and most other chargers, aren't laid out to charge a car with trailer attached. You have to disconnect the trailer or block a bunch of other chargers.

 

My towing is strictly limited to local trips for building supplies and hauling trash to the dump, all within 25 miles of home. I have owned a bunch of pickups and a few large SUVs, but the wastefulness of running errands in them just so I can haul something every other month or so is no longer acceptable to me. A RAV4 hybrid or Prime is the least efficient option that I will accept. For the money, I’d rather have a BEV than a hybrid. I have about a year before I will truly need another vehicle, so I’m in no rush.

 

Why is it that such a fine car as the BMW i3-REx was discontinued? It seems like an ideal around town car, and has the ability to travel long distances, although only in a somewhat awkward jumps of an hour or so between refueling or charging for an hour or so. But it was still usable, so why kill the production?

 

In Europe, improvements in the BEV's range and expanding charging network meant less people opting for the REx. When introduced the BEV had an EPA range of 75miles. The 2019 model doubled that with the largest battery option.

In the US, BMW had to compromise with CARB to get more ZEV credits for the REx over that of a PHEV. That resulted in a hobbled car. In Europe, you could turn the range extender on basically whenever you wanted. CARB was worried about people only running on gasoline, even though the engine couldn't supply 100% of the EV's side power. So an American REx couldn't turn on the extender until the battery was essentially depleted. Plus, the already small gas tank capacity was reduced a bit. The REx can be used for trips here, but the range extender was really designed for covering the shorter trips between European cities.

You could, as Bob did, pay a 'tuner' to activated the European software, but the press was already filled with reports of the car being underpowered in hybrid mode. There was also a case filed against BMW over that reduced power being unsafe.

For both markets, the i3 had good reliability, except for the engine. Then the extender seemed to be an after thought. Can't fault BMW with going with an off the self motorcycle engine to save costs, but they seemed to have no interest in improving it during the REx's run. Sounds like there was low hanging fruit in the software to improve efficiency that wasn't pursued.

While BMW improved upon the cost of using carbon fiber, a full CF bodied car still isn't cheap. The i3 was conceived when batteries were still expensive. Make extensive use CF to reduce weight was deemed worth the cost. It was also good advertisement for BMW's CF ability, which is why Toyota went into a partnership with them. But batteries got cheaper and more energy dense than expected. It's why the BEV model's range has improved so much. An "entry level" BEV doesn't need such drastic weight reduction methods any longer. There isn't going to be a gen2 i3.

 

I should think the Koreans will be able to help you with this within the next 12-18 months. Korean-based YouTube channels (in English - I don't speak Korean) are carrying lots of stories about smaller brothers and sisters for the EV6 and Ioniq 5 that are coming soon.

 

It's a shame, because it is a cool car with a lot of good ideas.

A Gen2 i3 pure BEV could be a good thing. I think given BMW's collaboration with CATL, there's really no need for an ICE range extender any more. With the i3's light weight and clever design, I'd imagine you could get close to 250 miles WLTP out of a 50-60kWh battery - more than you can get on a Rex with the battery and fuel tank combined. The Rex was a brilliant solution for the challenges of the time, but I think battery technology has probably overtaken it.

 

Wouldn't this add too much weight? Sliding doors are great for big MPVs, but for a smallish car they have a big impact on ride, handling, safety and energy consumption.

 

A used BEV is on my consideration list.

The aluminum frame and carbon fiber body add the car's quirkiness, but also add to the cost of a tiny quirky car. The i4 loses the i3 charm to be a sedan, but it likely will sell better.

 

It would be fun, I think. Bob certainly seems very happy with his.

My day with an iX3 (not, apparently, available in North America) really impressed me. It was the most relaxing car I've ever driven, I think.