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      04-19-2014, 04:24 PM   #1
cblandin
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Volt Owner Review of i3...

Well, I finally got to test drive the i3 today....my review posted over at GM-volt.com:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?109465
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      04-20-2014, 06:52 AM   #2
Efthreeoh
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Thanks for posting your review(s). I read all three, the i3, ELR, and Tesla S. I was great to read a well-rounded, unbiased brand/country-of-origin, car-guy review of all three cars. I've not yet driven the i3, and probably won't because its range does not fit my commute; however, the Tesla and Volt do. I've driven the Volt and was highly impressed with it. Like you, I'm a self proclaimed car-guy (with far less impressive hardware though), but I've had a good amount of seat time in every 3-series since the E21, so I'll call myself being quite familiar with a good-handling small sports sedan. To me the Volt is far above adequate for a blend of sportiness, efficiency, and fun-to-drive quotient for a daily driver and I could see satisfyingly replacing my E90 with one for 85% of the driving I actually do with it.

Your reviews should help people consider each car on its own merits; as each car, save the Volt/ELR, offers a similar but vastly unique over-all performance equation as a derivation of vehicle not solely powered by on-board internal combustion.
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      04-20-2014, 12:54 PM   #3
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Thanks Eft...glad you like it.
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      04-20-2014, 04:56 PM   #4
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The i3, even with the REx, is not, nor was it intended to be a general purpose ICE replacement. The Volt is. They therefore have different design goals. The i3 is smaller, but taller, so easier access and visibility, shorter turning radius, shorter to fit in places the Volt can't. You can take the Volt on a long distance tour, the gas tank is sufficient so you do not have to stop that often, and the engine/generator are sized to maintain the motive power the whole time, but unless you could plug it in regularly, there are a lot of other cars that get better mileage. The REx is not that big, the gas tank is not that big, and while it can maintain under some circumstances, they intentionally didn't make it bigger because the design goals didn't suggest it. Think of the REx on the i3 as more of a comfort factor in case your journey takes an unexpected turn, and you cannot recharge along the way. Personally, if it needed to be used on a daily commute, I'd pick a different vehicle.

IF those design goals meet your needs, then the i3 may be a good match for you. If they do not, then pick something else.

My guess is that, similar to the i8, BMW will have some other hybrid designs in the works that may address those other needs. With today's battery tech, I don't think they'll go towards Tesla's design parameters, but only time will tell. There are experimental batteries that can hold more and can be recharged faster, but it will be awhile before they make it to production. Same thing about fuel cells. But, just like building a network of charging stations (much easier to do than hydrogen), hydrogen is MUCH harder to find, and harder to distribute, making a hydrogen fuel cell much less viable. Now, there are ways to crack stuff like gasoline to release hydrogen, but then you have the carbon to get rid of...that's not currently very good use of that material, or that easy to do in a vehicle. You could make your own hydrogen as long as you have water and power, but safely storing it at home may be an issue. The high pressure pump required to make storage practical, is also a big energy user, so while using hydrogen is pretty efficient, the whole fuel cycle isn't.
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      04-22-2014, 06:18 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jadnashuanh View Post
The i3, even with the REx, is not, nor was it intended to be a general purpose ICE replacement. The Volt is. They therefore have different design goals. The i3 is smaller, but taller, so easier access and visibility, shorter turning radius, shorter to fit in places the Volt can't. You can take the Volt on a long distance tour, the gas tank is sufficient so you do not have to stop that often, and the engine/generator are sized to maintain the motive power the whole time, but unless you could plug it in regularly, there are a lot of other cars that get better mileage. The REx is not that big, the gas tank is not that big, and while it can maintain under some circumstances, they intentionally didn't make it bigger because the design goals didn't suggest it. Think of the REx on the i3 as more of a comfort factor in case your journey takes an unexpected turn, and you cannot recharge along the way. Personally, if it needed to be used on a daily commute, I'd pick a different vehicle.

IF those design goals meet your needs, then the i3 may be a good match for you. If they do not, then pick something else.

My guess is that, similar to the i8, BMW will have some other hybrid designs in the works that may address those other needs. With today's battery tech, I don't think they'll go towards Tesla's design parameters, but only time will tell. There are experimental batteries that can hold more and can be recharged faster, but it will be awhile before they make it to production. Same thing about fuel cells. But, just like building a network of charging stations (much easier to do than hydrogen), hydrogen is MUCH harder to find, and harder to distribute, making a hydrogen fuel cell much less viable. Now, there are ways to crack stuff like gasoline to release hydrogen, but then you have the carbon to get rid of...that's not currently very good use of that material, or that easy to do in a vehicle. You could make your own hydrogen as long as you have water and power, but safely storing it at home may be an issue. The high pressure pump required to make storage practical, is also a big energy user, so while using hydrogen is pretty efficient, the whole fuel cycle isn't.

100% agree - there are places in the world that the i3 will be the most perfect vehicle.

Unfortunately here in FL, I do not see it as a realistic vehicle - but I do tip my hat to BMW for making it available worldwide.
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