[catpat8000]

My wife drives around 50-60 miles, several times per week. I'm starting to wonder if it's too much for her to move to the i3. I'm sure it can do 50-60 miles on a hot, sunny day. But what about 50 miles in the rain, wipers going, in the evening, with the headlights on and the heater going?

Is there any sense of the car's real world range available yet?

Pat

[jadnashuanh]

On a hot and sunny day, it can probably get easily over 100-miles, and depending on where and how she's driving, you have two additional modes that are successively more efficient that give you about 12% more in each step. And, some places have a way to plug in - shopping malls, etc. Worst case, opt for the REx.

[Touring]

I live in Oslo, with freezing temperatures 60 miles works fine, but thats the upper "safe" limit. In california cold is no problem I guess, but if she is stuck in traffic jams in summer with AC on for hours then it might be a problem.

To keep YOU out of trouble maybe REx could be a good investment

[cblandin]

My Volt is rated at 35 miles on a charge. My worst days in Dallas (coldest winter days...in the 20s or 30s) I've gotten as low as 26 miles - that 75% of the rated range. On my better (normal better, not one-of-a kind better) I get low 40s. In general, plan on a plus or minus 25% from the EPA rated range, which will likely be somewhere around 80 miles. Low speed steady state driving in mild weather can really inflate the number (i.e. my personal best is around 52 miles...fully 50% better than the rated range...under such conditions). The other factor is freeway speeds...anything above 65 mph can drmatically reduce range. My wife consistently puts down range numbers worse than me since she usually dries a 325 hp hot rod, and when she gets in my Volt she is usually above 70 mph on the freeway. I can't say I blame her..I came from an M5 for Pete's sake! The Volt has tamed me.

[catpat8000]

Originally Posted by Touring

I live in Oslo, with freezing temperatures 60 miles works fine, but thats the upper "safe" limit. In california cold is no problem I guess, but if she is stuck in traffic jams in summer with AC on for hours then it might be a problem.

To keep YOU out of trouble maybe REx could be a good investment

REx is out of the question in California if, as has been reported, it prevents the car from obtaining a car pool sticker.

Pat

[ultraturtle]

Originally Posted by cblandin

The Volt has tamed me.

Well... The i3 has untamed me.

Little known secret of the EV world is that mad acceleration does not impact efficiency at all in comparison to internal combustion engines. Floor an EV and it delivers nearly all of its energy to acceleration. Floor an ICE, and you spit mostly atmospheric garbage and unburnt fuel. Any difference in fuel (kWh) consumption between an EV driven like a grandma and one that accelerates to the same speed like a madman, is explained almost exclusively by the total aerodynamic drag spent at high speed simply because you got there more quickly, and therefore spent more time in a high drag environment.

I look forward to every opportunity to dash out in my wife's i3 to hot rod around in a guilt free manner after spending a couple of years dropping other cars only at the light in my current plug-in EV.

[Chihuahua]

Originally Posted by catpat8000

REx is out of the question in California if, as has been reported, it prevents the car from obtaining a car pool sticker.

Pat

Was chatting with my best friend today who lives in San Jose, and he confirmed to me that the REX i3 will NOT qualify for that sticker. He's looking at trading in his E60 for a Tesla, and got that confirmation from other car dealers that sell various versions of hybrid cars. Looks like it has to be 100% EV to get it out there based on what he told me. Dumb move on the part of CA lawmakers if you ask me.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by ultraturtle

Well... The i3 has untamed me.

Little known secret of the EV world is that mad acceleration does not impact efficiency at all in comparison to internal combustion engines. Floor an EV and it delivers nearly all of its energy to acceleration. Floor an ICE, and you spit mostly atmospheric garbage and unburnt fuel. Any difference in fuel (kWh) consumption between an EV driven like a grandma and one that accelerates to the same speed like a madman, is explained almost exclusively by the total aerodynamic drag spent at high speed simply because you got there more quickly, and therefore spent more time in a high drag environment.

I look forward to every opportunity to dash out in my wife's i3 to hot rod around in a guilt free manner after spending a couple of years dropping other cars only at the light in my current plug-in EV.

Ah, a speeding environmentalist. Lovely.

Oxymoron: a phrase in which two words of contradictory meaning are used together for special effect, e.g. "wise fool" or "legal murder"

[jadnashuanh]

The two successively aggressive Eco modes on the i3 disable various things like max speed and the heater (not the seat heaters, though, if I read it correctly). So, depending on the topography, I don't think you'll have problems getting the 60-miles out of it in worst case situations unless a bunch of it is on the freeway, or there are long, steep grades you need to regularly deal with. In the city, the regen from stopping helps. On the freeway, except in stop and go, you won't be getting much, and the drag at speed becomes more of a factor.

[cblandin]

Originally Posted by ultraturtle

Well... The i3 has untamed me.

Little known secret of the EV world is that mad acceleration does not impact efficiency at all in comparison to internal combustion engines. Floor an EV and it delivers nearly all of its energy to acceleration. Floor an ICE, and you spit mostly atmospheric garbage and unburnt fuel. Any difference in fuel (kWh) consumption between an EV driven like a grandma and one that accelerates to the same speed like a madman, is explained almost exclusively by the total aerodynamic drag spent at high speed simply because you got there more quickly, and therefore spent more time in a high drag environment.

I look forward to every opportunity to dash out in my wife's i3 to hot rod around in a guilt free manner after spending a couple of years dropping other cars only at the light in my current plug-in EV.

So how come every EV has an Eco mode that neuters throttle response. Heck, on my Volt, there is a little floating green ball and you are supposed to keep it in the middle for maximum efficiency. Hard acceleration in "Normal" mode or the use of "Sport" mode (neither of which actually changes the amount of power produced at full throttle) has the ball sailing into the inefficient zone. Is it as dramatic as an ICE? No, but it does make a difference and I can see a decrease in my range when I zip around in Sport mode vs. Normal. Indeed, over on the i3 forum I asked if the i3 inspired owners to drive it like a hot hatch (hoping for a sporty ride). One of the respondents indicated that in some ways the quick acceleration in the i3 was its Achilles heal as dipping into that performance too often caused range to drop precipitously. There is no free lunch. Having said that, the opportunities to nail it as a percentage of total drive time are often small and THAT is where I think it averages out to minimize the impact (as compared to, say, driving at higher freeway speeds for several minutes at a time) - the latter (freeway speeds) are the "taming" I was referring to. No EV with a modest battery likes 70 mph cruising.

[jadnashuanh]

The fuel killers with any vehicle are drag (increases at the square of the velocity) and stop and go. With an EV, you can recoup some of that when stopping, but not with an ICE. On an ICE, unless you exceed a certain level of acceleration, and force excess enrichment (doesn't happen as much on modern FI engines), getting to cruising speed quicker is more efficient than slowly getting there slowly and the engine rpm going up/down as it shifts - more time at higher RPM- it's all about that cross-over point of added enrichment. Since slowing down to then speed up again is very inefficient, judicial use of the cruise control will make freeway driving more efficient than 'winging it' on your own.

I'm pretty sure I'd have plenty of room once in the i3, but not sure about getting there! I don't bend very well anymore. I'm looking forward to a chance to try one out, but my first opportunity is not until May. It's got plenty of range for my typical use, and I plan to keep my ICE for when it isn't. Don't think the REx is worth the cost for me, either, since it will still need regular servicing, or at least more than on the pure EV without one.

It will be interesting to see how well the charge station infrastructure gets built out in the next year or two. If I do get one, I plan on getting the fast DC charge option, and hope there are at least a few around where I typically drive!