BATTERY AND GAS
BMW i3 eases range anxiety
Sustainable mobility is a buzz phrase that’s here to stay. The latest expression of it is found in the revised BMW i3; it now has a larger battery, a greater electric driving range and, just in case, a small gas engine to provide the juice needed to extend the drive further. The combination does away with range anxiety. Even on a-6 C day, the i3 will satisfy most commutes without dipping into the rangeextender’s nine-litre gas tank.
The biggest change to the i3 is the inclusion of a new 33 kWh battery. The added capacity, which is up around 50 per cent from the previous unit without any change in the package dimensions, extends the electric-only driving range to 200 kilometres, which is more than most will ever need on any given day.
The 650-cubic-centimetre twocylinder gas-powered generator then stretches things to a substantial total of 350 km.
Range aside, the i3 remains a fun ride with better than expected electric performance. In this case, the supply of electrons drives an electric motor that twists out 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque from the first rev. This and the carbon-fibre passenger safety cell, which keeps the i3’s mass down, is not only good for the driving range, it also worked wonders for performance. The i3 runs from rest to 100 km/h in 7.9 seconds with the range-extender and its 125 kilograms of additional mass, or 7.3 seconds in the model without the gas engine. Both times are very quick for an electric vehicle.
One such test, on a -6 C day, proved the i3’s larger battery more than lives up to billing and claimed range. The drive route included 46.7 kilometres of highway driving with the cruise control set to 105 km/h; the rest was a mix of suburban (speed limits up to 80 km/h) and city driving.
The drive mode choice was also mixed — Eco Pro on the highway and Eco Pro+ for the rest, which limits the top speed to 90 km/h and minimizes heat output.
The day started with a driving distance of 201 km showing in Eco Pro+ mode. By the time the battery’s range had dropped to 11 km, I had driven 183.9 km with an average power consumption of 14.7 kW/h per 100 kilometres. Pushed to the max, and with the recouped power regenerative braking brings, it would have been possible to stretch the drive to 200 km before the range extender kicked in. Given the intermittent use of the heated driver’s seat, the range was better than I expected. It also served to validate BMW’s number.
A big part of the overall efficiency is down to the one-pedal drive. When regenerative braking is initiated, lifting off the go pedal slows the car down and is strong enough to the point where it illuminates the brake lights to alert the driver behind.
Anticipating the need to slow allows drivers to modulate the braking system, so the i3 comes to a graceful halt at a red light. In the end, the use of the brake pedal became very much a secondary consideration — I used it once on the entire drive to avoid a car that cut me off.
Another handy feature is the “i Remote” app. It allows the driver to check the state of charge, lock and unlock the car, precondition the cabin and, at the end of the drive, it rates the driver’s performance.
The rest of the i3 is pretty basic in nature; the instrumentation is minimalistic and the recycled materials look, well, a little chintzy. That aside, the seating is comfortable, there is plenty of rear seat space for two adults and the sightlines are wide open.
The only thing that takes some getting used to is the suicidehinged rear door. It can only be opened after the front door is swung out of the way, and when open, the upper latch point waits to take a chunk out of an unsuspecting head — it only takes one encounter to learn to duck.
In spite of its somewhat ungainly looks, the i3 handles tidily. The ride is comfortable without rolling through a corner and it gives the driver some real feedback from the steering, which is far from the electric-car norm. This makes it the sportiest ride at the affordable end of the electric-car spectrum.
The latest BMW i3 delivers peppy performance and a realistic driving range and it is extremely cost effective; Natural Resources Canada says it has an annual fuel cost of $602, and that feeds the needs of both the battery and range extender.
While some may view the i3 as a bit of an odd duck, it is a very good electric choice that arrives without the usual range anxiety.