[bozola]

Any idea why BMW didn't make the i3 as aerodynamic as possible? You'd think you'd get a few more miles by having the lowest Cd.

[cblandin]

It's complicated. The rumor is that BMW was courting BMW legislators for years trying the get HOV stickers for the rEx version of the car and had to make a number of deals. Apparently, this went all the way back to the Arnold days, when the i3 only existed in the designer's mind's eye. Anyway, Arnold wanted something he could identify with, etc....and well, next thing you know...Johnny cab:

[jadnashuanh]

I do not know if I ever saw a posted Cd for the i3. But, consider that being designed for primarily city use, long distance high speed isn't really a mainstay for the vehicle - most city speed limits aren't that high, and for the vehicle to be a reasonable choice, you can't have a very long high-speed commute getting there. Drag does go up at the square of the velocity, so it only becomes a major factor when traveling on the highway, not so much around town.

The tall, narrow tires and smooth, somewhat teardrop shape may have better Cd than you think.

Anyone seen a listed Cd for the thing? I found it, it's listed as .29, which isn't bad.

[tommolog]

Originally Posted by cblandin

It's complicated. The rumor is that BMW was courting BMW legislators for years trying the get HOV stickers for the rEx version of the car and had to make a number of deals. Apparently, this went all the way back to the Arnold days, when the i3 only existed in the designer's mind's eye. Anyway, Arnold wanted something he could identify with, etc....and well, next thing you know...Johnny cab:

I know that's the rumors, but in reality it isn't the case. What BMW really wanted to achieve was to be the first car to get the BEVx designation, and they did. They never believed they would get a white sticker for the i3 since is has tailpipe as well as evaporative emissions. It has a gasoline engine onboard - no car with a gasoline engine qualifies for the white HOV sticker. They will of course take it if somehow CARB were to decide to give it, but they aren't expecting it and never really were.