Used BMW i3 experiences

DrPhilG · 01-05-2019 09:33AM

Soarer wrote: »

What's the range on the 94ah?

How heavy is your boot?

Mine is heavy and I go from 145km in winter to 180km in summer. Plus 100-120km on the REx.

Soarer · 01-05-2019 09:39AM

I'd be fairly light. I'm normally between 12-13kWh per 100km in the Leaf.

Edit: That said, most of my driving is in 50-80km/h zones.

Gumbo · 01-05-2019 11:17AM

Soarer wrote: »

What's the range on the 94ah?

To give a rough idea :

kceire wrote: »

Done my first motorway trip in the i3 today since buying in February and also my longest trip at 125km!

So door to door was 125km.
North Dublin to the Sheraton Hotel in Athlone.
Left house at 98.5% and cruise control set to 100kmh and arrived with 25% remaining.

Roads were empty except for the M50, which meant 90-100 due to traffic.

On the way home I toyed with a few different speeds set.

18.2km @ 100kmh used 10%
14.6km @ 110kmh used 10%
14.5km @ 120kmh used 10%

All done using cruise control.
Normal operation, so lights, radio and climate control on.
Mix of rain and dry speeds and all about 10 degrees out.

2016 i3 94Ah BEV.

The highest i've seen my GOM was 240km.
I'm going to try do an everyday test to see what my everyday range should be.

unkel · 01-05-2019 12:00PM

Soarer wrote: »

I'd be fairly light. I'm normally between 12-13kWh per 100km in the Leaf.

Edit: That said, most of my driving is in 50-80km/h zones.

That's a very light foot and a perfect speed for an EV. You'll do about 10-11kWh/100km in the BEV 94Ah. Range well over 200km

01-05-2019 12:14PM

I get from 140 Kms hard driving on the Motorway to about 230 Kms is the most I got and still had about 11% in fine weather 60-80-90 Km local roads non motorway.

Gumbo · 01-05-2019 03:16PM

So today I left the office at 100% SOC.
Drove from City Center to Clongriffin through town, so a mixture of 30kmh, 50kmh and 60kmh.
A few traffic light grand prix bursts but generally your normal every day driving.

No Climate on as the weather is fab, but the sun roof was fully open.

10% got me 26.1km. So a theoretical range for every day driving of about 261km.
But we don't drive to 0%, so even allowing for a recharge at 5%, I should get about 248km in good weather.

In that, there's plenty of room for improvement, no mad acceleration, try anticipate red lights etc but in reality, I don't drive like that.

DrPhilG · 01-05-2019 03:27PM

My problem is that on the 9-14km trip to or from work (depending which route I take) there are lots of long stretches to tempt me up to high speed.

Gumbo · 01-05-2019 04:19PM

DrPhilG wrote: »

My problem is that on the 9-14km trip to or from work (depending which route I take) there are lots of long stretches to tempt me up to high speed.

It is certainly a lot easier to drive the i3 at speed than the Leaf, that's one thing i've noticed also

ewj1978 · 01-05-2019 04:36PM

Drove the 72km to work today.
Used 37%.
95% of the journey is at 100kmh or greater..
last 5% is windy up + down backroad. Mainly up.

unkel · 01-05-2019 04:41PM

Hail the nice weather

My 3.8kwp PV array going through my 3.6kW inverter was showing me an output of 3.7kW today whenever the clouds were gone. Sweet.

Gumbo · 01-05-2019 06:14PM

unkel wrote: »

Hail the nice weather

My 3.8kwp PV array going through my 3.6kW inverter was showing me an output of 3.7kW today whenever the clouds were gone. Sweet.

Same here, 3.3kw peak production.
Generated 12.9kwh.
Full hot water tank again.

Still waiting on my contact to sort out SEAI procedure for battery only supply and fit.

Pretty much constant generation since 5am and still generating power now, albeit only 400w!

metricspaces · 02-05-2019 09:22AM

kceire wrote: »

Still waiting on my contact to sort out SEAI procedure for battery only supply and fit.

How much is the grant to get a battery if you already have solar PV?

Gumbo · 02-05-2019 09:39AM

metricspaces wrote: »

How much is the grant to get a battery if you already have solar PV?

Its supposed to be €1000.

Effects · 08-05-2019 05:46PM

So took a look the at the i3 in the UK I’ve had my eye on.
It’s a 2015, 33000 on the clock, 17.2 kWh max capacity.
How do those figures seem for a 4 year old i3?
Am I right to presume this is the 60Ah version?
It looks like it has the connection for CCS charging based on the charge port.

I do a 200km trip about once a month. Will I get away with a charge halfway or will I need to charge twice?

Being the 60Ah version I guess it’ll be cheaper that the longer range models.

Gumbo · 08-05-2019 06:13PM

Yes deffo a 60Ah version.
Will be cheaper than a 94Ah of course.

100km should be doable from it. I’d say you may have to charge 3 times but you’d make it home with spare.

jhegarty · 08-05-2019 08:02PM

Effects wrote: »

So took a look the at the i3 in the UK I’ve had my eye on.
It’s a 2015, 33000 on the clock, 17.2 kWh max capacity.
How do those figures seem for a 4 year old i3?
Am I right to presume this is the 60Ah version?
It looks like it has the connection for CCS charging based on the charge port.

I do a 200km trip about once a month. Will I get away with a charge halfway or will I need to charge twice?

Being the 60Ah version I guess it’ll be cheaper that the longer range models.

That will be a 60ah. I don't see any issue with everything you posted.

Make sure it has CCS as this was an option and there was very few CCS stations in the UK when this car was new.

Will be able to do 100km in all but the worst weather (unless you floor it). Forget it on a sub zero day.

How much are they looking for it ?

unkel · 08-05-2019 08:10PM

This one?

Linky

CentsPerLitre · 08-05-2019 08:13PM

What’s the economy like of an electric car as regards your electric bill?

unkel · 08-05-2019 08:17PM

CentsPerLitre wrote: »

What’s the economy like of an electric car as regards your electric bill?

It costs about one tenth per km in electricity compared to a diesel

Or in other words, if you currently spend €30 per week on diesel, your electricity bill will go up by €3 per week

This is charging your car at home on the night rate. All public charging in Ireland is still free and there are more and more private chargepoints like at shopping malls and more and more work charging. This is generally also free. And if you have a decent solar PV system at home you can charge for free from the sun

jhegarty · 08-05-2019 08:20PM

unkel wrote: »

This one?

Linky

If it's that one I see:

pros:
Leather seats
good sat nav

cons:
no heated seats (more important than on an ice because it users very little power)
no parking package (front parking sensors , rear camera , self park)

I also don't see a picture of the charge port , so would be worried about the ccs.

Effects · 08-05-2019 08:45PM

It’s not the one you linked Unkel, but gives me an idea what it’s worth.
It belongs to a family member in London that’s moving country.
So good opportunity to buy one that I know the seller/history and hopefully get it at a good price.

The charge connectors looks like it has CCS but I’ll have to confirm.

Lovely to drive and decent amount of space in it.

I’m used to being able to lug a lot of stuff around but I’ll have to get used to that.

Genghis · 08-05-2019 11:05PM

jhegarty wrote: »

If it's that one I see:

pros:
Leather seats
good sat nav

cons:
no heated seats (more important than on an ice because it users very little power)
no parking package (front parking sensors , rear camera , self park)

I also don't see a picture of the charge port , so would be worried about the ccs.

I looked at that very car late March. Theres something not quite right there.

Had 3-4 emails and 2 phone calls, went as far as pricing flights / ferry. Seller was a little evasive with me whrn I asked about a mark on it, got a bad feeling from the way he tried to avoid answering it, and said goodbye.

Its on the market 8 weeks, maybe more, its the only one in the sub 15k bracket that is there more than 3 weeks, and I've been watching it daily.

Have to imagine, its well priced, that people have viewed it but declined.

Soarer · 14-05-2019 12:14PM

Does the REx benefit from the PHEV or BEV reduction in tolls?

unkel · 14-05-2019 12:30PM

Yes, it's a PHEV so you get only 25% off. In BEV you get 50% off all tolls and 75% off the M50 off peak. You do not get this extra off peak discount in PHEV

Most of my M50 toll crossings now cost just €0.58 :cool:

I'm saving about €200-€250 per year (not commuting through the M50 toll, mostly off peak savings)

metricspaces · 14-05-2019 12:40PM

If going for a 2017 i3 REX, what are the things to look out for? Things that are optional?

Is there something about the charging connection? Different models can have a different connection which let you charge at different speeds?

DrPhilG · 14-05-2019 01:19PM

metricspaces wrote: »

If going for a 2017 i3 REX, what are the things to look out for? Things that are optional?

Is there something about the charging connection? Different models can have a different connection which let you charge at different speeds?

On the older models fast charging was optional but I think it's standard from about 2016 on.

daheff · 14-05-2019 05:03PM

unkel wrote: »

Yes, it's a PHEV so you get only 25% off. In BEV you get 50% off all tolls and 75% off the M50 off peak. You do not get this extra off peak discount in PHEV

Most of my M50 toll crossings now cost just €0.58 :cool:

I'm saving about €200-€250 per year (not commuting through the M50 toll, mostly off peak savings)

Just to chip in here, you only get the discount with a tag account....so if you are an infrequent user, the extra monthly account fee may negate the saving

14-05-2019 05:08PM

The 2017 with larger 94 Ah battery has a wonderful 11 Kw charger which can make much better use of the AC public chargers in Ireland , most of them are 22 Kw , so the i3 can make full use of the 11 Kw charger. Leaf, Ioniq , Egolf, etc charge at only 7 Kw. The Renault Zoe can make use of the full 22 Kw and the Model S with it's optional Dual 10 Kw chargers.

You can get from about 10-90 % in about 2 hrs 20 mins which is very useful compared to a single phase 7 Kw charge + more AC charging when you're in town doing your business means much less time needing to sit and wait at a fast charger or wait in a queue of cars though having the Rex means you're not likely to hang around.

The AC network is a lot busier now with the uptake of normal PHEV with their tiny batteries they need charging much more frequently.

The only question is whether spending a few hundred euro's is worth it or not, the option is there , the convenience was worth it for me.

You would love the Rex a lot more, there's nothing like pulling up to a charger and seeing one 40 Kwh Leaf charging, another 40 Kwh waiting and a Kona and then heading off again on the Rex leaving all that madness behind.

If you can find the Media professional package " I think that's what it's called" you get the full size screen and good sat nav with traffic monitoring, the standard screen looks gammy because it has an awful looking plastic bezel.

You can also see if you can get the i3 S model which is more sporty, better handling and steering feel but the ride is supposed to be very firm , it is a little more powerful and more responsive, I have not driven it yet to compare , the standard setup to me has a good balance between handling and comfort for back country road fun.

It's a great car, it's no sports car but you can thrash it about pretty well once you know how it behaves.

the 44 Kwh i3 is watered down a bit, the steering is definitely watered down and feels more "normal" less, responsive . This is probably because they have the S now for those that want some fun. Unfortunately the 44 Kw has no rex option a real shame, they obviously get tax benefits for having a full EV only model in Germany , there's no other reason to remove the Rex as an option. Let the buyer decide !

Anyway after all the rambling........ I still love driving it after 1.5 years and haven't got bored of it yet, truly smashing and very unique car, it is extra special.

An all wheel drive 300-400 hp i3 would be really something ! :-)

14-05-2019 05:19PM

The Tolls wouldn't bother me , what would bother me is being in an EV only in Ireland with such a poor public charging network. The Rex is worth much, much more than any toll discounts.

unkel · 14-05-2019 06:11PM

daheff wrote: »

Just to chip in here, you only get the discount with a tag account....so if you are an infrequent user, the extra monthly account fee may negate the saving

You don't need to pay a monthly fee to get a tag account.

Used BMW i3 experiences

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