I will keep my 2015 forever as it is a great friend to drive and is unbeatable for my going around the city center and immediate surroundings of Geneva

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

+@coocool67 The i3 was designed and built for city driving and in that arena, there is no better car. It gets challenged with cross country drives, but is still very usable. Part of the problem is that it was built for Europe where they have shorter commutes. Here in America we love our long drives so people give the range low marks. but I have a 50 mile round trip commute daily plus errands and never have an issue with range.

Honestly, I like the way this car looks way more than the i4.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+Marlen Hurtado Me too.The i4 is much less interesting and BMW's new baboon butt grill has got to go.

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

I LOVE the way. this car looks

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

It's kind of love it or hate it kind of look, I am definitely in the love it group.

I love my i3 60ah 2015!!!!! Thanks......from Portugal.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+antonio cordeiro This is the thing that I have seen as a common theme, so many people don't want to get the car for the looks and range. at the same time everyone who has had one love it.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+antonio cordeiro By the way, how is your battery holding up? 2015 is an older model and Portugal is a warmer climate so it is a pretty good test of the car.

@tocor71

2 жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires Hello, my i3, with the battery at 100%, has a range of 144km!!! in the on-board computer's secret code, it shows a capacity of 17.8kwh. it's an excellent EV..... unfortunately bmw decided to end up with their best product!

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+antonio cordeiro wow! The new usable capacity is 22 total and 18.6 usable so yours is holding up really well. Sadly you are right....there is sooo much more they could have done with that car

@cinesanctuary

10 ай бұрын

I have just bought a 2014 BEV from BMW. Range is still 80+ miles . Parking assist, comfort entry but no heated seats and cloth trim. I love the size, for the UK anything bigger is a problem for parking spaces etc. I love the light weight construction that allows an EV to have a weight of standard car.

I loved my 2014 i3 and the only reason i let it go was range. 250 mile range would make me happy.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 ай бұрын

Absolutely! The only time I consider replacing my car is on road trips..... San Diego to San Francisco gets a bit long charging every 90 miles 😭

I think it’s very futuristic carbon core was both expensive and not amenable to extension or augmentation. I love mine. I would’ve loved to have them additional batteries

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Steven Sandhoff Yes and no...the new iX actually uses the same or at least very similar material. And as far as the extension, that was what I was trying (poorly I guess) to explain. extension BETWEEN the a and c Pilar's would absolutely have the problem you mention. what I suggest is to keep that area the same and extend the area outside the a and c Pilar's and pull the wheels out.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Steven Sandhoff Oh and of course all of this is mitigated by changing to a structural battery

@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires To me, there's no need to extend it, especially if you get the rex version. The issues I think were * The rex is crippled in the US (but you can reprogram it back to the European standard) * The seat belts attaching to the back door, coupled with the fact that you can't open the back doors without first opening the front doors, just creates a design so funky, I think it's off-putting to many * rear wheel drive? I've read that with good winter tires, it actually performs decently in snow. But they should have made it AWD (edit: or give the option to turn on AWD) * the super narrow wheels give off golf cart vibes So I don't think it was any one thing, but all of the above makes it too polarizing. With that said, you can often find a 2017 model with 35K miles on carmax for $24K or less and with the $7,500 tax credit, it can become a very inexpensive option.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

Sorry this reply is so late. I could have sworn I replied to this already, but it looks like I didn't. Thanks for the reply and you make some good points which I will address here: * The US REx setting is not just stupid, but I would argue actually HARMS the gar by allowing it to drop to and stay at 6% soc. * Mounting the seatbelt to the upper body would have been much better. That said it is fun to watch newbies get garroted for not paying attention. 😂 * AWD would be fun, but I am sure it would kill the already sad range. * Hey....Like my high speed assault golf cart. 🛺 seriously....the tires suck. A longer wheel base would help that too.

I love the 2014 BEV i3 I have for my day to day driving which seldom is above 30 miles. However, the range issue is a problem at some point because physiologically, you are just not going to take a longer trip. Sometimes just the idea of being able to go longer distances is appealing. I've ended up in situations where I am spending quite a bit of mental energy worrying about how much range I have. Now, the newer models would be more than adequate for most needs for me. I took my car from SF to LA and back it nearly doubled my travel time due to having to stop so many times. One way it that would take 5 hours took more like 12, even with high speed charging. Also, you are often at the whims of the charging stations that don''t always seem to work. if you are on your last mile and the only charging station isn't working, it is a real problem or you have to use the slow chargers. I have also found times when all the EV charging spots are full so you have to wait. Many of these are non i3 specific issues but are compounded with the range of the model I have. The family does not like it as much, getting in and out of the back seat with the suicide doors is not very easy when doing drop offs. Having 2-4 extra cells would make it more competitive with the Teslas and other EVs with better range. Having a longer body with regular doors could be quite a nice addition. I like the looks of it, none of the new EV offerings from BMW interest me.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. A lot to unpack there. First and foremost, hats off to you for doing LA to SF in a 2014 BEV. That sounds rough. the electric range is close to my 17 REx, but with no safety net. I had a fairly good charging experience going from SD to San Luis Obispo. took longer, but most chargers worked well. I highly recommend against trying to drive it to Vegas. The charging from SD to there was abysmal; so many broken chargers! The sors are a cute novelty, but can get frustrating quickly. Trying to side load in a cramped parking spot is a nightmare. I wish they had stuck with the car long enough to see the next range level. The 19 and newer models have 153 BEV range, which honestly starts to tip toe into a decent travel range. anything over 200 becomes decent for traveling longer distances. Adding those extra cells would have been so great. imagine if you only had to make a third of the stops on your trip. Oh and yeah...I agree about the newer BMW models...not for me....I do have a video coming out this weekend on the i7. I don't like the 7 series but the video has some interesting points to it....biggest one is that at least BMW is doing something more than just crossover/compact SUVs.

If you find this video useful or know someone who would, please share it. This video has a 9.6% (KZread's average is 4-5%) click through rate and a 97.8 like ratio. What all this means is when this video is in front of people, they pick it and when they watch it, they like it. It would be great if more people were to have the chance to see it. 😎

Wow! Six new subscribers this week. This is awesome. Thanks for subscribing...you are really going to make me work for the next video's subscriber shout outs

I’m in the UK where until the Pandemic sales of the i3 increased every year and then bounced back strongly. Always a longish waiting list so no discounts which made the car expensive. But it has built a cult status and residuals remain very strong. But returning to your question the model was discontinued because BMW only ever expected to make 250,000 cars as supposedly many of the machine tools were only designed for producing this number of vehicles. To extend production BMW would have had to make a substantial investment with little chance of a payback because competition and high production costs always meant that their margin on the i3 was very small. Much if the original investment was amortised as general research and development because the i branding indicated Innovation of materials and technology for future use in their mainstream products. The i3 had outlived its usefulness.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Richard Piper Thanks for the comment!! The cult following is easy to understand. Anyone I know that has an i3, loves it. I remember Sandy Munro discussing something about the tooling for the i3 being cost effective for limited runs. This definitely put them at a decision point and per your description, it was probably the better choice. I do absolutely agree that the investment would not pay off with the same design. I do still think that this retooling could be a great chance to do a redesign like I noted, probably better as they have folks that are much smarter than me about this. I am certain the past 8 years have taught them some lessons that could help them get better range and cut some of the cost.

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

I got mine right before the pandemic and was able to sell it for more during the pandemic 😅

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+That EV Chick Right! I get mine in March of 20 and checked it six months ago and the private party price was 25k 😁

Thanks for this. I had been hoping you would touch on the likely afterlife of the existing i3’s. Things like long term durability, potential as collectable classics, OEM and aftermarket parts and support including upgrades to modernize or improve weaknesses, predicted used prices and factors. Maybe another video?

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Andrew Hurst Thanks for the comment. Sad to say there is not much of an aftermarket for i3's 5 spurs has a cool frunk set up but I have emailed a couple times and never got an answer I am wrapping up a new video and will have a livestream this Monday 6pm pacific time.

@andrewhurst1472

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires , ideally someone out there would commercialize battery upgrade kits as the technology improves. Another nice upgrade kit would be for the console connectivity and entertainment system. One barrier to keeping these cars on the road long term is the “proprietary” service information and firmware. It would be great to see a comprehensive workshop manual made public (or subscription based on line) and easier access to the software for communication with the car’s “brains”. Since rust is not going to get them, I would hate to see them disappear from the roads due to designed obsolescence.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

I would love to see an aftermarket solid state replacement released It could get the range past 200 miles all by itself. And as you said, that would enable the care to pretty much last forever then. The software would be the absolute limiting factor as it is already pretty outdated. it is basically 2013 tech.

I loved my i3 I think it is such a GREAT car . Americans def like bigger cars, I will admit that although the i3 was great for grocery shopping, commuting and scooting around the city I do LOVE. my model Y - however, when I got the i3 used for 20k I could not afford a model Y

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+That EV Chick Thanks for the comment. I agree it is an awesome car. As far as space, while there isn't a ton, I have always been surprised how much bigger it is inside than it looks on the outside. Add to that I have transported boxes to LA for shipping and was able to fit 3 large Home Depot boxes 1 medium and a few other articles. I did look really hard at the Model Y this week with the great incentive Tesla had, but opted not to really just because not needing to take on another car payment vs what extra I get from the car, which for me is really just the longer range.

By the way....if this extension seems like a lot of work, think of this...Chevy just did something like this with the bolt EV vs the EUV

I understand the range issue some people would have. But the average daily driving range for most people is just under 30 miles. I think that was one thought behind the design and manufacturing of the i3 to meet and go well beyond this criteria. Sometimes reality and desire are very different. Personal driving needs vary for each of us. For me, I drive less than 10K miles per year which easily fits in the range design intended. I purchased a 2017 i3 Rex used for $18 with 19K miles in 2020 and currently have 29K miles on it. I really enjoy driving the car around town and the turning radius is the best I have experienced. My one issue with the design is expensive low resistance tires which will need replacement more often than any other car I've owned. The i3 is certainly not a car everyone will like for some reason or another but for me it matches my driving needs and I love all the innovations this car has. Here's a video that really explains how the i3 is the modern time Model T. kzread.info/dash/bejne/p3imlq5vct3WgJs.html

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Michael Metti Thank you for the input. I agree about the range issue. I mention it because this is a commonly cited reason not to get one, but just like you, my real life experience has been that this range is fine. Even, if I could go back in time I might not have gotten the REx. Most of the times I used it, I could have made it with the extra battery of the BEV. All that and Ia major difference between our experiences is that I drive the crap out of mine. I put about 16k per year. I have a 50 mile round trip commute, and this is our "grocery getter". Yet even with that I have no complaints with the range. I agree even more about the tires, if they were to have made my concept version of the car, more standard sized tires would have been a MUST. Also, I have seen the video before and agree with a lot of it. The i3 was truly revolutionary (arguably more than Tesla). Most people do not appreciate just what they went through to design and build this car. I have some of these changes noted in my video "Why did I buy an i3". Thanks again for the comment and I hope for you many more years of enjoyable i3 ownership

Love the Cuban shirt

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

4 ай бұрын

Thank you very much. I have several. 😁

Love my 2021 s, Rexi is the way to go!

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Fucking GCrappymail 2021s....Nice. The REx is an awesome safety net, but to be honest,at least 80% of the times I've used it I wouldn't have needed it if I had the extra range the BEV has. with the range you get on the 21, it would have been more like 95%. Of course, there would still be that 5% that it would be a life saver.

They made so many of them that it was more lucrative to make bigger production runs from steel instead. That’s why the axed it. Also the Samsung prismatic cells they used didn’t materialise with a higher energy density, so they would have had a to redesign the pack and inverter, then you might as well transition to a sheetmetal design in a shape that more people will like.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment. Cost was always part of the i3's problem and sheet metal is cheaper than CFRP, but worldwide sales were steadily increasing so this still seems like a dubious choice. The battery issue makes much more sense. Samsung was making great gains in the range, but it was still far short of the industry standard of above 200 miles. A company called Lion Smart made a battery that they put into an i3 that was supposed to achieve 400 miles. It would have been so cool to have seen BMW contract with them. At $60k+ for 400 miles of range, BMW would not have been able to produce enough i3's for the demand

I have owned my 2017 Bev (94Ah) since new and it will not be sold. It still looks like new and has

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Ай бұрын

@nixer65 I completely agree! I would love to get something with longer range, but can't bear to give up my i3. my wife wants and EQB which does have double the range but it looks SOOO boring in comparison. I LOVE my ludicrous mode golf cart.

Interior design is one aspect where the i3 lives on too. Look at the VW ID.4's interior. It has i3 written all over it. So does the Nissan Ariya.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+Michel Clasquin-Johnson I had not looked at the interior of the ID4 before. The sweep down under the screen and the two tone seats do scream i3.

@savedfaves

Жыл бұрын

ID.4 has a much worse interior design than i3, IMO

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

I agree. I see the similarities for sure, but the i3 just did it better. This is now a 10 year old design and still looks cooler inside than most brand new cars.

The I3 Rex is dope, wish they could bring it back but just the Rex version. If they brought it back increased the size to something like the bolt euv, give it 200 miles of range and additional 100 miles of range with the range extender, priced at 35k they would definitely be able to compete with the model 3.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

I agree completely. They also need some focused marketing. a lot of consumers and manufacturers are drifting towards hybrids right now. This would fit well into that market. Educational ads helping people understand the difference and benefits of a serial hybrid could really make this car trend. The only thing I would say is that it would not want to go against the Teslas, but after the Prius crowd.

At the risk of sounding conspiratorial, it seems that the i3 was an over-built technology demonstrator that somehow got semi-mass produced. As such it fails to meet the "designed obsolescence" model of modern mass consumer manufacturing. Despite sharing similar architecture ,future BMW ev’s will likely embrace the 70k mile (dump it and run) pattern BMW has historically shown us.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 ай бұрын

Nothing conspiratorial about it. BMW allowed their I division to do what ever they wanted for their first car and the went all out. As a result it is absolutely over built. The CFRP won't rust meaning the busy could last practically forever. The design still looks fresh even a decade after it's release. and according to Samsung, the batteries could last up to 500,000 miles. From a longevity standpoint this car could outlive almost any BMW on the road.

Maybe interesting to know, (BMW i) was until shortly a extra company based in Leipzig, Saxony. This subsidiary company was only created for production of electric cars launched by BMW. The head company (BMW AG) is located in Munich, Bavaria, Germany

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+ʂɾɾɾҽղղղ •● Thanks for the comment and the information. And they opened a special factory at Moses Lake for the CFRP. BMW really took this seriously in the beginning!

I own the REX 2016 - and in the years I have owned it (6 years) the maintenance cost has been very very low close to zero. Did replace the rubbing sleelves around the front wheel shockers - but a part from that, NOTHING (only oil change and tires). I'm sure that the car manufacturers do "factor in". Their "Excel sheet" expects some money through the sails of spare parts. Is it possible that they just made the car to well? The new car price is high and therefore we can expect that the manufacturing/invention cost has also been high doing this from ground up and making this car with all those features it has. Also it is known that there was not a fall support on the BMW board of the BMW for the production of this car (two blocks) - and as the sale did not (possibly) support the "required" numbers it became harder "at the board" to back up more of this production. BMW had to find a way to compete with the other manufacurers that had, mostly, just taken their "old" design and put electrical drive train in - cheap. They still had thiat option up their sleave. So to not being left totally in "the dust" they probably had to do similar things. To hold on to their BMW customers, that were probably in the next years going to look for an EV - and it was already obvious that the BMW i3 would not "catch" all their trusty BMW fans - wanting even more costly cars (... partly to show off and also as they have the funcing and want to have a bigger EV) - But similar looking "old" models probably would and "tick" all the boxes. Best Regards from Iceland

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

9 ай бұрын

Agreed on both points. First the I division was absolutely dedicated not only to electric but all forms of sustainability through the full life cycle of the vehicle. At the same time, the were a total wild card within bmw and the company otherwise had no interest in going electric other than sheer compliance. As for the single platform for multiple drivetrains (ice/hybrid/EV), this is absolutely a German thing, Mercedes is basically doing the same thing with the eqb/glb.I think this approach is sensible from a traditional sense, but ultimately will drag the company down for years

the short front is not bad for Cw, a raindrop is the optimal shape, its the backend that should be sloped for better Cw, but then its a total other car.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

I agree that the short front isn't a problem. My concern is the flatness of it. I think some amount of point like many other cars or maybe rounding (like aptera uses). Tapering the back would improve aero but would kill the headroom. People are always amazed when they see the inside of my car saying how much bigger it is inside than it looks outside. Sloping the back would kill that

The i3 was very much a child of the CEO at the time of its launch. The decision to not redesign the i3 into a newer model but instead use ICE-platform cars was the result of larger capacity batteries becoming available for platforms that could be used for both ICE, hybrid and BEV cars

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

9 ай бұрын

+Cedarcanoe they definitely see the ice platform as their future. I think this really limits them and I personally have no interest in the i4 or iX because of things like the lack of a frunk. I can definitely see the i3 as the child of the CEO of the time. Too bad he didn't raise his child. continuous development of the platform during it's lifetime could have seen BMW as one of Tesla's closet rivals today

Thats a good question, but Im thinking the i3 is very popular and lets face it, manufacturing an EV takes a lot of resources, and there simply isnt enough resources to manufacture a lot of EV.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

I was just in Budapest and they are everywhere!! as far as not enough resources, both the i4 and iX use a lot more than the i3, and the clock is ticking for them to be 100% electric

They dropped it because the cost to produce the car was high with the carbon fiber frame. Keeping the total cost of the car affordable meant there was less profit per car.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

11 ай бұрын

+jerry Carter The production cost certainly was high(so was the purchase price). I wonder what their margins were? Many EVs on the market today actually lose money on each unit sold. Supposedly the MachE loses 40% each. I have no doubt the i3 had miniscule, and maybe even similar negative margins itself...Just curious how it compares.

The management board wanted to go back to the look of their old favourites like the M3, M5 etc. Just electric. The i3 was just to 'different '.

@richardchristian5011

Жыл бұрын

The route they are taking supports that, but I really think that was a terrible mistake. And not even so much because of the end of the i3, but because I think that while the cross multi drivetrain design they are currently using is a bad choice. The lack of a frunk is a liability and the design shows a lack of commitment to going electric.

I loved it and the last look was way bwttwr, the issue i think is carbon fiber construction, to expensive to manufactire. So it would not conpete in price and make profit. Tesla bigger coat 38k. With way bwtter tec. Still i love my i3s rex, it is a great city car, no hyway had bad experienxe wirh charging no enough chargers, thank go for the rex.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

8 ай бұрын

+Frank Velik It really is a great car. I'm sure the carbon fiber contributed to it's demise. That said, I really love the carbon fiber. it is great knowing I can't get a door ding in the parking lot. It is a sad reality that the short range really depends on a good charging network. Here in San Diego it is no problem, but I drove to Las Vegas and ...yeah the REx was a life saver.

What ? 😢 noooooooooo no no I just figured they have the Rex option and I'm goin to buy it

@richardchristian5011

Жыл бұрын

Good news is, you still can. This car was expensive when new. But they depreciate massively in the first year making them nicely priced. You can pick up a 2021 REx with a 2022 purchase date for under 40k and have more warranty than a brand new one would. 😁

Range is one of the reasons they got rid of it. The car isn't just competing with mini, that will have double its current range next year, but every other EV that has more range than it. Only purists are spending €50K on an i3 with all of the competition that has come up around it since its inception. If the range of the i3 was 250 miles and more and the wheels were not so skinny then I reckon it would sell much, much better.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+savedfaves Thanks for the reply. I think the range point is sort of a complicated one one. In a world of cost equals range, the i3 always was, and would always be on the losing end. that said, the need for longer EV range is more often a little overstated. I have a 50 daily commute and run errands most nights and never have a problem with my range. Road trips is always the counter to this and while the shorter range is more inconvenient, I went from San Diego to San Luis Obispo and back for $18. All that said, I agree more range was needed as the bar is raised higher every year. 250 would still be shorter than is should be, especially for the price, but it would still be competitive. I would sooooo love to see normal width tires on an i3, I know it would seriously hurt the range but I think it would be well offset by not having to go on a scavenger hunt and take out a mortgage every time it need tires. My son just replaced his 19's and 5he best deal we could get was $818.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

Also, In my mail account I have that you had posted a nice milage breakdown, however I can't find it in my comments. please repost here.

I have a 2022 i3s. I get 4.6 miles per kWh and it has a useable battery of 39 (42in total) so 39x4.6=179.4 miles. I drive it fairly quickly and enjoy the acceleration and it is coded to always start in sport mode. I think your ranges are a bit mean.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Entropy My references for these numbers were BMW and Wikipedia. that being said, they never made sense to me because the BEV and REx numbers do not increase proportionally to each other as the battery capacity increases. All I can attest to is that I drive pretty aggressively and get 3.7 with an average range of almost exactly the 115 that I am supposed to get, so good on you for getting 4.6.

@entropy5431

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires Thanks for your reply. I'm in the UK and I got the car in March, the weather has been mostly warm so it will drop in winter. Coupled with that I rarely do motorway miles (approx 30%). Just under 5000 miles so far so I'll get a yearly figure after winter but I doubt it will drop much.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Entropy I think I figured out the big difference in the numbers. You have a BEV, right?

@entropy5431

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires Yes, at least in the UK they stopped selling the Rex in 2018.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Entropy In the US they sold it until they stopped both. Not sure why, I assume it is to try to compete with longer range competition, but that doesn't really work.

The i4 is in no possible way a replacement for the i3. But the Not-for-America iX1 and iX3 are. Sort of. I may end up with one of those, but they are just not as exciting as an i3. But a few years ago I saw Samsung's battery roadmap. We should be on a 180aH battery by now, no chassis changes required.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+Michel Clasquin-Johnson It absolutely shouldn't be but bmw loves to do this sort of thing. Look at how the replaced the z3 with the z4. more similar chassis but the weight difference is profound. 180 kw i3 sounds awesome. I still think elongating the chassis would have helped the driving and then we would be looking at a 225aH battery 😱

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

I loved me i3 it was so fun, right now I have a ModelY, totally different but more useful for me as I drive into te mountains where it is cold, or I can't charge. every night. The EV Kona and Bolt seem to be simila; however, I do not think they have the same charm as. the i3

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

I can totally see your decision. The i3's Achilles heal has always been it's range. I drive into the mountains to play in the snow some times and between the cold and going up hill, my range takes a nose dive. That is why the car that could take the place of my i3 would be the Aptera (600 mile range)

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires I gotta look that one up. The battery management on the Tesla too is much better, the cold doesn't effect it as much and the preheating before fast charging is great. I did LOVE the i3 and if i could keep two cars I would. I prefer the i3 for daily tasks

@richardchristian5011

Жыл бұрын

@thatevchick As a daily driver I will still choose the i3, but the range isn't even comparable to Tesla. And sadly even in the 2021 models they are still using more or less 2013 technology while Tesla is using 2023/2024 tech.

They simply needed the plant to produce another car EV in their line.

@richardchristian5011

Жыл бұрын

I wish that were true, but they are building the Mini Countryman at the Leipzig plant 😭

Love it and own an I3s. 👍

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+E Auto - I would expect you do. I love my i3 and if I had the s I can only imagine liking it even more. 😁

They got rid of it for a very obvious reason which applies to every commercial product, one word , dollars.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

11 ай бұрын

Most certainly money was the motivation. I looked for a while and can't find data to answer the question that comes from that......did this change really pay off? I would love to know the margin on the i3 vs the i4 or iX. If they greatly improved their margins than good for them. If not then their hunt for more profits led them astray. Many manufacturers today are struggling with making EVs profitably.

When they ended the great REX option it was finished....

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+who cares I can see that. While I think the REx would have become increasingly irrelevant as range increases; the i3 is the only car that you can get that setup.The Volt was so.ething like it, but not really.

@whocares264

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires volt, not in the uk, charging infrastructure, not in the uk, as there are more EVs there is an argument the rex is more relevant for a relaxing trip...

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+who cares I can see that. there are still parts of the USA where is almost non-existent and where there are chargers, they are broken. My REx came in super handy when I came across the third broken charger in a row on my way to Vegas

BMW wanted the name back for an electric 3 series.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Mart Shearer And they will absolutely use it...sadly it will be much less interesting of a car

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

Hahah!

@cedarcanoe

9 ай бұрын

Indeed, a new BMW i3 was shown on a motor show in China last week. It looked like any normal BMW sedan

Mazda is probably the closest alternative to i3

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

11 ай бұрын

+Mariusz Kozłowski Absolutely....minus the carbon fiber it is almost an exact duplicate of the idea behind the i3. Since the video, I have even heard they have a REx version. Sadly the idea was not so widely accepted for the i3 and without the clout of the badge and the stylish interior, the mx30 has met a very cold response

Putin is to blame!! Like everything else in western world :-) ... I drive Porsche cayenne diesel and car 2 is BMW i3... Perfect on "short" trips..

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+SH HS While I don't mind blaming him...this one might be a stretch. For sure short trips are the i3's forte. That said I have driven it many times to LA from San Diego with no complaints. One trip from San Diego to San Luis Obispo, that went pretty well. And one trip to Vegas (future video) that went pretty bad though.You can absolutely take it on longer tips, but you definitely need a it's the journey more than the destination mindset.

@shhs6127

4 ай бұрын

USA is not Europe.. Europe have smal distance and smal roads.. i3 is city++ car.. not long-range.. We learn how to service car and upgrade and going to drive it A's long we can.. I cal him PUTIN.. best car everybody hate how don't have him... 🎉 and different to understand.. but when you du you just ❤🎉🎉 ... We drive every day 54km++ In winter real range is 95km.. Summer 135km... That is more then we need.. Porsche do other stuff.. on weekends.. (working horse) i3 is just "zippy" everyday car.. Perfect for europe + ... You can charge it on 10-16A.. Europe don't have power to deliver to big EV. Norway have problems and that is country how have 85% extra power.. (they export) ... And cable system is oppgradet in many places..

No real need to stretch it. Just replace the Rex with an extra battery. I suspect the reason they dropped it was either: A. Internal infighting. Too bold and new for the old guys B. It was not profitable due to the CFRP carbon fiber C China didn't like it.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

They definitely could put at least one module in there and would be an option I think, but that complicates the thermal battery management system; stretching would be simpler for management and would add a little bit of stability to the ride. There are a couple of reasons I have heard in the comments that sound logical. The CFRP tooling did have a run limit and they did reach that so they would have to retool, which they clearly decided not to. As time has passed since this video, I think I have a new theory; it was an EV only platform. All their. New platforms are configured to be able to be ICE, hybrid or BEV. This is the direction they are going for the foreseeable future. The i3 doesn't fit that plan.

@Joyloveslux

9 ай бұрын

C., most likely

You seemed to not talk about the rex option, which I think is brilliant. It immediately eliminates range anxiety. I don't think there was any one thing that killed it. A few things that weren't great decisions for it, however, were (at least in my eyes) * The driver and front passenger seatbelts anchoring to the back doors - They should have attached them to the roof * The back door can't open unless the front ones open first? - not a deal breaker, because the other option would have been just to make it a two door car, which lands up being the same thing * They crippled the US rex version - For those who don't know, the rex charges the batter as you drive in order to give the car more range. California got involved with the US version and crippled it such that you can't turn on the rex until there's only 6.5% battery charge remaining. The problem with that is that it's not able to charge the battery as fast as you use it, so it then "solves" that problem (one that it created) by only allowing you to drive at 40mph and limits the heat/air conditioning too. Thankfully, you can get around this by reprogramming it to the European standard ($70 ODBC connector from Amazon and an iPhone app), but your average mom isn't going to want to do this * Rear wheel only drive - I've read that with good winter tires, it actually is a somewhat decent performer if there's snow on the ground. But for me, this turned me off big time. In the winter, I have to constantly watch the forecast and don't want to get caught with any icing on the road. I also wasn't a fan of the super narrow tires. It gave it golf cart vibes to me. You can pick these up used for under $25K and since the tax credit still applies (until the end of 2022), you can get a 2017 model with 30K miles or less for $17K, which is a steal. I think that's awesome and with the rex, 95% of drivers would be served by this car. But the quirkiness of the design and the crippling of the US version did it in. But I LOVE the idea of 110 - 150 miles of range which then can get pushed to 220+ with a gas generator.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the comment. You are correct, I did not talk about the REx. I have covered it it in other videos. Check out my videos "why did I buy an i3" and "Beginners guide to electrified vehicles". I have a REx and love it. That said, with an updated battery and the extra cells I think the car won't need the REx any longer. I totally agree that the US REx settings are ridiculous. I coded mine and it completely changes the vehicle. Aaaaannnd yeah, the tires suck.

Scotty kilmer would say 52,000 for a gas ev is crazy when you can buy a 1.8 litre corolla cheap😅

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

3 ай бұрын

+@donthompson9862 Yeah, well Scotty is not the biggest EV fan. 😂 That said, my son got his i3 for 17k at two and a half years old so that's not so bad.

@donthompson9862

3 ай бұрын

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires yeah and they look pretty cool.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

3 ай бұрын

+@donthompson9862 THANK YOU! If you look back at the reviews when this car came out, so many called it ugly...I don't agree at all. a decade after it's release it still looks more futuristic than most cars on the road.

I think that it took BMW years to realize that you could build and sell an electric car that wasn't an electro-buggy. Nissan moved on and BMW was a hold out. They just decided to dump it completely and start over.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

Electro-buggy.....I like it!!!! If I could go back in time that would be my channel name. 😂 They certainly can, and should sell other cars as well. I just don't think that means they had to stop making the i3. It remains to the day the coolest EV they have ever made. Help me understand the part about Nissan moving on though....they still make the Leaf.

@deathguppie

5 ай бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires Nissan, does not make the "Leaf" anymore, they make a relatively normal looking hatchback that happens to be electric. I agree, though, BMW could have and IMHO should have taken a page from Nissan and just reworked the car into something more mainstream, but that company couldn't see past the dollar signs that all the other big manufacturers were seeing with luxury electric vehicles. No matter what anyone thinks of the looks of the Chevy Bolt one has to hand it to them for making a realistically affordable 250+ mile vehicle. No one else is even trying as far as I can tell.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

@@deathguppie definitely short sighted on their part. The worst part is they took a lot of elements from the i3 into the iX and then bumped the price up 30k... couldn't agree more about being blinded by dollar signs. As for the leaf, are you in a country other than USA? I know different markets have different availabilities. But the leaf is still for sale here. Link to follow

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

@@deathguppie www.nissanusa.com/vehicles/electric-cars/leaf.html?dcp=psn.58700008604892895&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAzoeuBhDqARIsAMdH14GqaTcztQjPh1p1LWW9ygVx0LLyLBflQtijTHL5dRcOIcjLVKkspVUaAgmqEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

@deathguppie

5 ай бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires Oh, yea, but it's not an electo-buggy. The original design with it's bug eyes and extreme angles was definitely an electro-buggy. Then there were all the regular car converted into golf carts by taking away all the range and adding batteries, well, like the VW e-golf, or the Ford or Fiat.. Then everyone realized that Tesla was right and everyone wanted their electric cars to be real cars with real range, not buggies, or knock offs, and now they are all making real electric cars.. real expensive electric cars, but there it is. Only Nissan and Chevy build an affordable electric car with range.

My i3 is the only car I had the last 35 years that makes me smile when I get in. The only other car that could do it was my old Peugeut 106 Rally. The problem with the newer i4 is that it is not designed to be an EV, they used the ICE car and made it EV. It is not so spacious for the length of the car, and it is ugly!!!!

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

3 ай бұрын

+@chrishar110 I agree with loving the i3. My previous car was a Z3 and people will ask me" do you miss driving it?" and they are shocked when I tell them no. The i3 drives like you gave Tim the toolman Taylor a go cart and an unlimited budget. Even we are looking for something with 7 seats and more range.....but the thought of giving up the i3 is a total deal breaker.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

3 ай бұрын

+@chrishar110 Oh, and I have a video on why BMW and Mercedes do that. check it out if you haven't already seen it. there is nothing in the BMW line up that matches the i3 in my opinion.

I disagree about the range. You need 200 - 300 miles for round trip. my i3 died at 45k miles. drivetrain malfunction

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

3 ай бұрын

+@henrywycislo9454 Tanks for the comment. Little lost on the first part, round trip where? As for the second part, what caused the malfunction? And was it under warranty. What a shame it failed at only 45k! I'm at 88k and still going strong.

I think with all the carbon fiber, it was too expensive to produce.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Leslie Weir Thanks for the comment. It is certainly more expensive than more traditional construction but not so much more because rather than being regular carbon fiber it is carbon fiber reinforced plastic. My understanding is that the tooling that is more expensive over longer runs. it was designed to last for about 250k units and they have passed that so they would have to pay to redo it and sadly they chose not to.

@lesliegweir

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires It's too bad the I3 is gone. I've driven one and it was fun.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Leslie Weir I completely agree. if my current i3 was destroyed today, I would likely buy another (2021 i3s BEV)

I love my I3 would buy another one 🥲

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Elton Polk I agree 👍👍👍 2019 or newer for the longer range and an s model as I have heard they drive a bit better. not sure if I would get a Rex again... here in SoCal the charging is pretty plentiful.

@thatevchick

Жыл бұрын

Such a good car!

@Joyloveslux

9 ай бұрын

Im considering this and its OCT2023. Is it still good?

It was too expensive to build and so they lost money on each unit.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Entropy Thanks for the comment. I have no doubt that their margins were thin, but I doubt they lost money, or why would have started production in the first place. I think I have seen similar comments before and have not been able to find a reference to support or disprove it. If you have a reference please share as I would like to check it out.

@entropy5431

Жыл бұрын

@@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires I don't have a reference but like you I have read it several times. I think BMW's reasoning was that they learnt many lessons by early entry to the EV market. At least (again) that's what I've read.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+Entropy I totally agree with that. One argument I had heard was that the i3 was only ever meant to be an experimental platform that paid for itself with limited sales. I do believe they learned a lot from this. It just seems like it would have been smart to apply these lessons learned to the platform to make it better rather than ending it. Of course I'm not sure what these lessons were since bolting the hood shut on the iX seems like a step backward from the i3's shoe box

Mazda did not steal the door-style from the I3. If anybody stole anything, BMW stole the door-design it from the RX7

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

9 ай бұрын

Definitely the RX7 did this first, though I would argue the i3 uses them better. I have to point out that I didn't use the word "steal". I did say the doors are one of many things that the MX-30 a copy of the i3. The other factors include body design, range and even range extender version.

They must have dropped it because they weren’t making enough money . I have a 2020 i3s and I love it, bigger battery and no RE makes it worthwhile🤓 the new BMW’s are plain ugly

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

7 ай бұрын

So I am going to answer this backwards......YES THEY ARE...just plain ugly. OK, with that out of the way. I recently got some insight on their EV plan. The i3 was killed specifically for its tagline "born electric". It is the only BMW to live up to that...and that is not their plan. All their EVs must be cross platform to reduce production costs.

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

7 ай бұрын

And also....I love mine too. With a longer range battery, it would be awesome...could you imagine dropping a super high density solid state with 300+ miles of range. 😁😁😁

@davidlovejoy2382

5 ай бұрын

Monroe and Associates did a breakdown and cost per vehicle and estimated that BMW only needed to sell 20,000 units / year to make a profit. They did that every year

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

5 ай бұрын

@@davidlovejoy2382 Great point! And with improved range and making sure they still qualified for the federal tax credit and they would still have those sales

Very informative… thank you. Maybe because it is kind of a ugly looking car 😁😁

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

2 жыл бұрын

+Rohan's PLAY Time & Family Adventures It is a very polarizing look. A lot of people do think it is ugly, but a lot like it's funky/eclectic look. I love the all glass back and the sweeping lines. Like I said in the video, I think lengthening it would make it more attractive. But for me, I love my high speed attack pod.

@martshearer498

Жыл бұрын

As one KZread reviewer notes, the exterior isn't "ugly", it's....."German pretty."

@richardchristian5011

Жыл бұрын

@@martshearer498 Lol......I am going to have to use that one.....not for the car but for myself 😁

Fake

@Wings_Wheels_and_Wires

Жыл бұрын

+michelle Penza please elaborate. What is fake?