https://www.msn.com/en-gb/autos/news/bmw-i3s-e2-80-93-long-term-test-is-an-electric-car-a-viable-day-to-day-proposition/ar-AAvpsMG BMW i3S – long-term test: is an electric car a viable day-to-day proposition? 03/04/2018 Kyle Fortune
[images © Provided by The Telegraph https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAvpqyp.img?h=400&w=640&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAvpzHq.img?h=352&w=563&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f https://img-s-msn-com.akamaized.net/tenant/amp/entityid/AAvpuUx.img?h=400&w=640&m=6&q=60&o=f&l=f ] The i3 has caused quite a stir since its introduction, offering stylish electric-only or range-extender-assisted driving with the cachet of a BMW badge. But what is like living with an electric car day-to-day? Our car: BMW i3S List price when new: £40,125 Price as tested: £45,810 Official fuel economy: 470.8mpg (EU Combined) April 3rd, 2018 Fuel economy this week: n/a Two weeks into the i3S’s tenure and I now have now the exact specification. I’d guessed at about £5,000 of options added to the £39,395 list price, and was only £85 out. That brings the total price to about £10,000 more than something like Volkswagen’s e-Golf, though if I’d chosen a regular i3 (rather than the S), and been brave enough to do without the range extender, that gap would drop significantly. Those options include the Melbourne Red paintwork (£550) which seems to be BMW’s preferred colour for the S. Inside it’s got the Suite trim, with dark oak matt, that adding a not insignificant £2,000 to the price. The i3S ‘Plus’ package brings sun protection glass, jet black wheels, Harman Kardon hi-fi and online entertainment for £1,100, all of which I could arguably do without; the £360 reversing camera and £170 Park Distance Control would be must-tick options, if they hadn't been already. There is also eDrive exterior sound, an £85 addition that emits a sound outside to warn pedestrians of its presence. Unsurprisingly I’ve never heard it, but presume it’s working - I’ll have Mrs Fortune drive past sometime and listen out for it. There’s Apple CarPlay preparation for £235, and enhanced Bluetooth with USB and voice control for a further £350. Another £790 is down to the addition of Driving Assistant Plus. It brings Active Crusie Control with Stop&Go function, Steering and lane control assist, Lane Departure Warning, Lane Keeping Assist with active side collision protection, Approach control warning and Person warning with city braking and cross traffic front warning. I’ll admit to being massively sceptical about such systems, often creating more distraction than assistance, so it’ll be interesting to see whether this suite of ‘driver aids’ works well enough to win me over… Pressed immediately into service outside what could be its comfort zone, the i3S took me to Heathrow airport last week. With the satnav suggesting 91 miles, and the cool map showing it would be possible on battery power only, I set off. Slowly, my cruise down the M40 mindful of battery consumption, sitting at around 60-65mph in the inside lane rather than at the greater speeds I’d usually travel at. Flicking between the modes makes an appreciable difference to the potential range, EcoPro mode working best, as EcoPro+ is speed limited. Using the heating and ventilation impacts heavily on the range, so my jacket was kept on, the heated seats used in an attempt to keep me toasty, though, obviously, not keeping my feet warm. Thicker socks on my next early morning airport run, then, or, just the hope that summer eventually arrives. It turns out Heathrow was no trouble at all to get to, arriving with 10 miles electric range remaining, though what was problematic was finding somewhere to charge for the return journey. a car parked in a parking lot © Provided by The Telegraph You’d think such a major UK transportation hub would have plenty of EV points, but sadly that’s not the case. I did a lot of research beforehand and did find one car park offering the ability to plug-in, though it served Terminal 2/3, rather than Terminal 5 that I was flying from - necessitating a bus and train transfer. Those two EV spaces at NCP Flightpath that did exist were also shared with disabled badgeholders, and on arrival both were taken. I managed to plug in regardless, somewhat abandoning the car around the back, with it charging via a slow three-pin socket accessed by my Chargemaster card. Apparently it’s bad etiquette for EV drivers to leave cars taking a space when they’ve charged, but I had no alternative. Speaking to the staff at the car park they didn’t see any problem either, saying one Tesla driver often leaves their car parked plugged in for weeks at a time. I’m glad they weren’t there when I was, then, though I guess that’s the gamble. a car driving down a dirt road © Provided by The Telegraph Arriving back at Heathrow after two nights away to a fully, free, charged i3S was very pleasing, the run home being more brisk, sitting for the most part at 70mph up the M40, and with the heater on more of the time. I still managed to get home with around 10 miles battery range remaining. All that means the i3S has already passed its most significant distance test in the first week of my ‘ownership’, which is something of a relief. March 27th, 2018 Fuel economy this week: n/a I must admit that I’m more than a little bit giddy with excitement about running an i3S. Ever since the i3 was introduced I’ve used any excuse I could to borrow one, and with the new S model being added to the line-up it gave me an excuse to ask for one on a longer-term basis. The i3 is BMW’s take on our electrified future, the more earnest i3 sitting alongside the glamorous i8 sports car and pushing electric mobility under the BMW “i” brand. I say earnest, but, the i3 is cool, in how it’s built, looks and drives. BMW really has gone for an all-new design with its i models, rather than taking regular production cars and fitting electric motors and batteries underneath their more conventional bodies. The i3 is distinct, then, a clear visual statement of electric intent, the bold styling making the most of its electric vehicle packaging - which places batteries under the floor, has an electric motor driving the rear wheels and, as mine is a range-extender, a 650cc two-cylinder petrol engine that works as a generator to charge the battery pack and add to the potential range. I’ll try and avoid using that, but with the NEDC maximum battery-only range being 137 miles, and my job often taking me further than that, I like the peace of mind it provides. BMW says that about 60 per cent of i3 buyers opt for this range-extender version (abbreviated to REX) for much the same reason. It will be particularly suited to my daily schedule, which is largely urban driving, short hops with the kids to school and back. Indeed, it is on precisely these journeys that electric cars make the most sense. a circuit board © Provided by The Telegraph The longer trips I’ll be using it for means airport runs of about 90 miles from my home. It’s then I’ll be testing the motorway services charging network - and occasionally relying on the extra distance that REX petrol engine brings. The "as tested" price above is currently not available, as I’ve no idea what additional equipment has been added. Extrapolating from the BMW’s configurator, it has about £4,000 of options added to its £40,125 price. I’ll list those properly when I get the exact details of its specification in the next few days. What I can tell you is that being the S it’s the more sporting, driver-focussed i3. Allowing that is a small hike in power to 181bhp, sitting on suspension that’s both 10mm lower, with wider tyres riding on 20-inch alloy wheels and Dynamic Stability Control that’s been re-calibrated to suit all of that. A more engaging, brisker i3, then, with a corresponding dent in the potential range, but that’s a compromise I’m prepared to live with. The 0-62mph time is a rapid 7.7 seconds, its pace up to 30mph enough to make my old long-term 911 feel tardy, thanks to the instant torque. Not that I’ll be driving it like I did the Porsche, at least not until I’m fully tuned in to how far it’ll travel depending on how it’s driven. It’s going to be interesting finding out, sometimes challenging, but then that’s kind of the point. [© msn.com] ... https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/bmwi/bmw-i3/bmw-i3s-features-and-specs.html BMW i3s - Features & Specifications - BMW USA Explore the features and specifications of the BMW i3s ... (dated) https://www.bmwusa.com/vehicles/bmwi/bmw-i3/bmw-i3s-features-and-specs.html 2018 BMW i3s first drive review: sportier and nearly as efficient Mar 7, 2018 - BMW's Test Fest in Palm Springs, California, at The Thermal Club attracts a broad range of cars. The star of the show is the 600-horsepower 2018 BMW M5. But before I can test that wild sport sedan on the track, I'll do my best to balance my carbon footprint in the new 2018 BMW i3s ... + http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/san-fernando-valley-ev-shoppers-can-get-a-$10-000-discount-on-the-electric-bmw-i3-and-i3s-at-pacific-bmw-1001560051 San Fernando Valley Ev Shoppers Can Get A $10,000 Discount On The Electric Bmw I3 And I3s At Pacific Bmw Apr. 3, 2018 Getting an electric vehicle just became a more affordable proposition for EV shoppers in the San Fernando Valley [CA] with a new promotion for the electrified BMW i3 and i3s at Pacific BMW in Glendale. Southern California Edison (SCE) is offering a $10,000 discount for the purchase of a new BMW i3 or i3 for SCE residential ... 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