I’m not sure what it is about the BMW i3 BEV that makes it such a magnet for interesting conversations with strangers. Designed with sustainability front of mind, it looks amazing! Being fully electric, it produces zero emissions and is a great conversation piece.
Test driving this eco-packed pocket rocket although fun, had its challenges. With no petrol back up and only a 160km range in Comfort mode, after picking up my BMWi3 from the CarAdvice office, my whole weekend revolved around where I could charge it and for how long.
My adventure started way before I picked up the car. Plans to stay overnight at the Mercure Penrith after my High School reunion resulted in several interesting conversations with the hotel prior to my arrival. I’m sure they thought I was having them on! Nevertheless, they came up with an amicable solution enabling me to charge the car overnight and make it back home safe and sound.
The hotel staff were great. With no external power point available, they came up with the creative solution to put me in a courtyard room. Assisted by Rodney from the Maintenance Department, I parked the car up against the courtyard fence (which meant we had to go off road for a bit) and ran an extension cord from my room.
The car takes 11 hours for a full charge off a standard power point and about three hours from a ChargePoint. You can also purchase a BMW I Wallbox. This is a home mounted charging station that reduces charging time to six hours for a full charge. The Wallbox is $1,750 (incl.GST) with a two year warranty.
Charge points are currently free to use and are located in various public places. But I found them inconvenient opening hours not suiting my lifestyle, plus the thought of having to ‘hang around’ for a few hours waiting, didn’t appeal to me.
My only choice during my time with the car was to charge it from a standard power point wherever I went. Luckily, a power point was located on the column next to my parking space. My first home charge created lots of attention and resulted in me having interesting conversations about sustainability with several very nice men (okay, two). Yes, the BMW i3 is a man magnet!
My next challenge was a trip to visit my parents in Wollongong, 85kms south of Sydney. On my way there, I switched to Eco Pro mode. This reduces energy consumption by limiting features, plus it makes back energy increasing its range to 180kms. It does this via the accelerator pedal which doubles as a speed-sensitive braking recuperation system to regenerate energy and apply a controlled braking effect. Clever!
For added insurance, I drove well below the speed limit. If you happened to be behind me in the left hand lane heading to Wollongong, I’m sorry!!
I charged the car for approximately six hours before my trip back home. For this leg of my journey, I switched to Eco Pro+ mode to increase the range to 200kms. Features were reduced even further with climate control at minimum capacity and a possible maximum speed of 90kmh. Again, if you were behind me, please accept my apologies!
Clearly, the i3 is not a long distance car, which is why BMW offer a loan car service for long trips. Nonetheless, I made it back in one piece.
Features I loved about the car include its spacious interior with unique futuristic styling using natural, renewable, and sustainable materials. The feature door trim panels and dashboards are made from a renewable natural fibre, naturally-tanned leather and an open-pore eucalyptus wood from 100 % FSC®-certified forestry. Overall, 25 % renewable raw materials and recycled plastics are used in the interior. The textile seat coverings are 100 % recycled polyester, produced using 34 % PET. A further 25 % recycled plastics are used in the exterior.
Impressively, 95 % of the materials used to produce a BMW i3 can be recycled, setting a new sustainable standard.
I loved the silence of the engine, because, well, there isn’t one. Well, at least not a conventional one anyway… Even while in Eco Pro+ mode, the car can really go, reaching 0-100kmh in 7.2sec.
The tech features are great with Parking Assistant, Rear View Camera, climate control (when you can use it), Navigation, DAB+ tuner and Bluetooth functions.
The spaciousness continues to the boot and back seats. While the ‘suicide door’ feature looks cool it’s wrought with all sorts of issues. The main one being you can’t open the back door without the person in the front taking off their seatbelt and opening their door to access the back door ‘latch’.
Something I found strange is that the back windows don’t open. Why? I have no idea.
The other issue for me was the stability of the car. I found it a bit wobbly particularly going to Wollongong on what was a windy day. The car was all over the place requiring a firm hold of the steering wheel.
A pet hate was the indicator. You practically had to jam it down with force to keep it in place.
Other than that, I really enjoyed my time with the car and was very sorry to give it back considering the amount of attention and interesting conversations I was having.
This car is a real trailblazer for sustainability setting a high standard for what will be an exciting future for the automobile industry.
With growing convenient and accessible public charge points, technology to reduce charge time and better stability, everyone will want one. In fact, I already do.
Me picking up the car – excited and nervous all at the same time.
CarAdvice awarded the i3 a rating of 8/10.
Images courtesy of CarAdvice.com.au
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