BMW Launches i3 Electric Vehicle Across the Globe

It works as long as the number of long trips is a very small percentage. A quick informal survey indicates that out of 365 days about 2 days are "long trips", less than 1%. Keep in mind that if the BMW dealer has already loaned out all their loaners, it's only a phone call to get a vehicle from a car rental company.

 

If History repeats itself with BMW I would only suggest you lease the car and hand it in at lease end because after that the maintenance and repairs are expensive

 

Like we have learned from other technology rollouts, historical maintenance and repairs of a brand are not very indicative of what to expect on their EV models. Even the Prius was a significant deviance from other Toyota vehicles.

 

I would agree the lease is the normally the best deal with a bev or a bmw. Key will be residual value to calculate the lease rate. The leaf and volt have been better deals with leases. This lets out high milage drivers, but that isn't a great demographic for bevs, or even bEVx

Here is a bonus bit on the carbon fiber manufacturing.
Page 3 - BMW i3: Cheap, mass-produced carbon fiber cars finally come of age | ExtremeTech

 

You mean like reports of their ActiveE cars with motor issue? Or many software bugs? Wait... this is a case for BMW quality still sucks, even for EV.

 

Austin,
I wish that piece had more about the carbon fiber/aluminum bracing stuff. I just saw a brief paragraph on it.
Anyone have a link to a piece with further information?

 

It is a body on frame construction, with a carbon fiber body with plastic skin panels on a aluminum frame. Not many details available but perhaps some pictures will help, you can view them on this link
Look Inside BMW's Ultra-Green i3 Factory - Page 2

 

It seems like you all think a BMW EV will be bulletproof simply because it's an EV. Most problems my family has encountered with BMWs are luxury-related. Like auto-headlights, stereo, etc. Volt and PiP are simpler.

 

Yep, most of my Lexus problems are luxury-related as well, electric windows, power seats, stereo, etc...

 

Some Range extender information at least for the UK
Inside The Operation Of The BMW i3 Range Extender + Option Pricing

That means at least in the UK there is a button to turn the range extender on early, and probably software to give you full performance if you do. Its unlikely these options will be available in US market cars, but it should be easy for someone to copy what bmw does in europe.

The 18% answers when the REx kicks in on the car.

 

If this whole 'loaner car' is true, it would make an EV very practical for many people. Some may think that people only take one trip beyond 80 miles a year. This is definitely not the case for the type of executives who would drive a BMW. EV range is probably the biggest obstacle for many potential buyers. At least BMW is doing something about this instead of spewing out excuses.

 

It's reportedly November 16 in Europe and Q2 in the US.

 

The repair cost is supposed to be comparable with 1 series. The body panels are from dent-resistant carbon-reinforced plastic. The frame is from carbon composite. I have some experience with this material and repair from race bikes. It actually was more durable and cheaper to fix up than metal frames on other bikes. I think the biggest concern will be the availability of trained and certified techs to work on the i3. Otherwise, carbon and composite materials will revolutionize the car industry. Very durable, crash-resistant and lightweight. It's just a question of know-how, cost optimization and time.

 

So, are you saying, from your experience with bikes that carbon composite repair really isn't that much more expensive than more commonly used metals? Or that you think we can get there?

 

Bikes are not cars, and BMW is BMW.

I took his post to mean the latter.

 

You are right, it won't be cheap, because all body repair will be done at BMW Certified Collision Repair Centers. That said, the cost cannot and will not be astronomical, since it would scare customers away and create potential problems with insurance carriers. Insurers carry a lot of weight in Germany, where the average person is overinsured and purchases coverage for nearly everything. BMW has reportedly made body repair cost one of the focal points of the i3 project, and they designed tools and processes to facilitate repair of the carbon frame. The body panels snap onto the chassis and can be replaced without a lot of effort. I guess we will see when the first i3 comes in for repair next year

 

I do recall during the mid 1970's when I 1st began driving. That's when BMW imports took off. Then the reliability issues started coming in. They must be doing better by now - because back then there were reports of lots & lots of unhappy customers. I'm guessing that their experience with the electrified mini ... and with the 100 series bmw, that they've gotten most of the bugs worked out ... hopefully.
.

 

With increasing use of the high strength boron steel to reduce weight, the cost of car repairs have already gone up. Mostly because of the cost for the equipment needed for the repairs. Being high strength, the metal requires more force in order to bend back into place.

Repairing carbon fiber is essentially the same process as fixing fiber glass. Basically, a break is glued back together, and then reinforced with some layers of the fiber. There are specially equip. like vacuum bags, that can be used to ensure the epoxy is completely squeezed into the break and fibers. Cheaper than an hydraulic press for bending high strength steel.

For body panels, labor costs are going to be the limit on when it is cheaper to just replace the part. Important structural parts are just going to be replaced. The shops likely won't want the liability of doing a repair. That will likely keep repair costs higher than for steel.

 

These body panels resist dings. They will be replaced not repaired. Its likely that they won't fade, so they will be painted at the factory, and shipped out. That may make it take longer for parts, but.... fewer repairs, lower cost because doesn't need shop paint.

The frame is aluminum, so it likely is more expensive to fix frame damage. With the batteries on frame, frame damage is quite likely very expensive. Body damage, if it is in the Carbon Fiber shell and not panels will likely require being repaired at bmw. It may be less than other bmws to fix, but you won't be able to go to Joe mechanic.

 

Have fun changing oil or other maintenance work on the range extender. This is no Prius or PiP. It is not intended for the mass market.

Why BMW’s i3 Electric Car is Really a Plug-in Hybrid | MIT Technology Review