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Test driving the BMW i3

I had an opportunity to test drive the BMW i3 while attending CES 2015. The i3 is an electric vehicle (ev) with the option for a small gas engine generator that can extend its driving range. The ev model has an estimated range of ~80 miles while the range extender model (REx) a range of ~150 miles, with an electric range dropping to ~70 miles due to the extra weight of the gas engine, generator, and fuel.

As an owner of a poor mans partial ev, the Toyota Plug-in Prius with ~10 miles of ev range, I was interested in driving an i3. I also haven't had the opportunity to drive any of the other EVs on the market.

The BMW exhibit was outside of the south hall of the convention center.


i3s were readied for the test drive after self-driving at 1 mph down a corridor. The self-driving demo wasn't very impressive, especially after watching Tesla's self-driving demo at speed, lane changes, and stopping behind a parked car.

In my opinion the i3 isn't a good looking car and is made less so by an odd pairing of orange and black. The black on black color option is passable but the overall body shape isn't doing the car any favors.

The interior of the car is pretty sparse, with a small central lcd panel showing vehicle information.

Driving the i3 took a few minutes to adjust to. Unlike an automatic transmission gas car, the i3 applies full regenerative breaking when you release the accelerator pedal. This means that a foot lift is equivalent to what would be a significant amount of braking in a normal car. It took a couple of start stop cycles to get used to this level of deceleration. The first few times I stopped I was surprised by the braking. By the time I moved my foot to the brake pedal the car had already stopped short of where I wanted it to. Once I started trusting the braking it felt more natural than having to switch pedals. A lift of the accelerator foot was more than enough braking to stop at lights or for cars pulling onto the road. Less foot movement also means faster transitions between acceleration and braking.

Acceleration felt great. I'm used to the Plug-in Prius so the i3 felt like a rocket. Electric motors have near instant torque and the i3 pulled hard from 20 through 60 mph.

The car was quiet and the steering and mechanical brakes felt good.

Overall the car drove well and seemed well designed and built.

The i3 is a nice car. I'd get one if they were around $35k USD. At 41k the i3 seems most appealing because the Tesla Model-S is more expensive. The i3 simply seems offers less value for the dollar than even the base model of the Model-S.

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