Category Archives: i3

2016 BMW i3 94Ah review

November 17, 2016BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

The new BMW i3 94Ah adds more electric range to what’s arguably the most distinctive everyday electric vehicle

A battery upgrade for the BMW i3 sees range almost doubled

The BMW i3 94Ah has just had its first major upgrade since this radical all-electric model was launched two and a half years ago.

The unusual 94Ah name refers to the car’s brand new lithium ion battery pack, which allows the i3 to travel longer distances between charges. Mounted under the cabin floor, the new battery is the same physical size as the original i3’s battery, which means there’s no reduction in boot space, but the energy density of the unit has been improved by 50% to 33kWh.

What’s the 2016 BMW i3 94Ah like to drive?

The biggest change you’ll notice when driving the new i3 is the extra range. Although the official EU testing regime rates the new i3 as having a 195-mile range, even BMW acknowledges this is not indicative of its real-world capability.

Instead, it claims the 94Ah has a realistic range of 124 miles, a figure that can even be achieved in more extreme weather conditions. Electric vehicles usually suffer a range reduction in cold, winter weather, when the car’s heating and headlights are in use. Summer range can also suffer if the energy-hungry air-con is being used. However, BMW promises the i3 will deliver that 124-mile range whatever the weather.

MK Start-up Marketplace

November 3, 2016Blog, BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, Milton KeynesTrevor Larkum

We’ve been invited to have an electric car display at the MK Start-up Marketplace in Milton Keynes so that’s where we are today.

The event is about showcasing small businesses and is being held in Middleton Hall, the large open area outside John Lewis. Bringing in a car, our BMW i3, meant we had to arrive early, so we’re already setup and awaiting our first visitors.

[Part 2]

Top 5 best Electric Cars

Electric cars are getting better all the time, making them a more realistic proposition for more people. These are currently our experts’ favourite five

More and more people are coming to realise that an electric a car is a genuine proposition for 21st-centrury motoring.

With increasing amounts of us living in the city or the suburbs, and never needing to undertake long journeys by car, the relaxing drive and low running costs of an electric car are making them all the more attractive.

Of course, most are not without their limitations – most have a real-world range of no more than 100 miles; they’re comparatively dear to buy; and, you need easy access to charging facilities – but as long as you can live with those restrictions (and more people than will admit it, can…), an electric car is a very sensible choice.

The question is what to buy, but with more and more makers selling electric cars, you can find pretty much whatever you want – from city cars to sports cars, and all points in between. And, if you are tempted, let our experts guide you through the best of the current crop.

Nissan Leaf – the British-built one

More than any other, the Leaf is the car that convinced a sceptical public that an electric car was something to consider; and, even now, it’s a compelling proposition. Around town – which is the natural habitat of an electric car – the Leaf is smooth, comfortable and near-silent. Even in the heaviest traffic, the way it drives is supremely relaxing. Above all, apart from the range, there are no sacrifices to make: the Leaf is a decent five-seater, while the boot will take plenty of luggage. As with any electric car, everyday motoring can cost just pennies, and to cap it all, it even costs less to service than a comparable Pulsar.

Renault Zoe – the (relatively) cheap one

One of the main attractions of electric cars is that they cost so little to run, but the trouble with so many of them is that they cost so much to buy. Not so the Zoe, which is yours for little more than the price of a decently-specced Clio. The beauty of it is that, despite the fact that you’re not spending a million dollars, the Zoe is still a very smart-looking little thing. The blue accents on the outside are complemented by a hi-tech interior; and, as the car was designed from the ground up as an electric car, the batteries don’t limit the car’s practicality too much. It’s good to drive, too, and the icing on the cake is a five-star Euro NCAP crash test rating.

The Pleasure of Public Charging

October 24, 2016Blog, BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94AhTrevor Larkum

After the pain of public charging on our way to Stoke the rest of the trip went very well. We found the public charge points in the John Street car park easily (though only one had its light on).

Unfortunately they didn’t have any signage indicating what network they belonged to. On a whim I waved an old Plugged-in Midlands card at the charger and it started to work.

We left the car on charge for the rest of the day while we had lunch and then watched the gym displays. I was able to monitor the charging on my phone like last time, but this time it completed without a hitch.

At the end of the day we got back to a fully charged i3. With its long range we were able to get home, some 100+ miles south, without a single stop.

The Pain of Public Charging

October 23, 2016Blog, BMW, Charging, Ecotricity, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94AhTrevor Larkum

I haven’t written one of these posts for some time as the public charging infrastructure has improved significantly in scale and reliability over the last three years. However, so far today has been a bit like returning to the bad old days.

We’re driving from Northampton to Stoke for one of our daughter’s regular gymnastics events. It’s fairly relaxed as with the new i3 94Ah we have plenty of range to get there without charging en route.

However as the family needed two comfort breaks on the way I took the opportunities to try charging. The results were disappointing.

At Corley Services on the M6 there was a Leaf at one of the two Ecotricity charge points. Unfortunately it was the only one that had a CCS connector compatible with the i3 so I could see I wasn’t going to get a charge. In fact it looked like he was having problems and was on the phone to Ecotricity. However when I came back out of the building later I could see and hear he was charging.

I was more hopeful at Stafford services when pulling in as both charge points were vacant. However I had 3 failed attempts to charge using the Ecotricity app, with the message ‘Remote Start failed’.

At that point I gave up and we got back on the motorway. At least with the i3 94Ah we could get where we were going without needing to charge.

[Part 2]

BMW Notes Strong Demand For Plug-In Models, And 7,000 Pre-Orders For Upgraded i3

October 20, 2016Electric Cars, i3, i3 94Ah, News, Reviews and CommentTrevor Larkum

Recently, BMW announced its second quarter and half year sales results with record number of deliveries and revenues.

One of the strong points of that report was the high demand of plug-in electric cars, which are rapidly taking over production volumes at the company.

The German manufacturer expanded its lineup to seven electrified models in Q2, which resulted in total first half sales that were 87% higher than year ago.

In total BMW delivered 23,675 all-electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the first 6 months of 2016. BMW added that by the end of July, customers had placed more than 7,000 orders for new version of the BMW i3 with its upgraded 33 kWh battery.

The pre-order demand is three times higher as compared to the launch of the i3 in 2014, and suggests that we should pretty excellent results for BMW plug-ins going forward.

“The BMW Group currently offers seven electrified models including plug-in hybrids, such as the new BMW 740e or the recently launched BMW 330e and BMW 225xe Active Tourer, and the fully electric BMW i3.

Thanks to the expanded range of electrified models, sales of this type of vehicle in the first six months of the year were just under 87% higher than the same period last year: a total of 23,675 have been delivered to customers worldwide. Furthermore, to the end of July 2016, over 7,000 orders had been received for the additional BMW i3 model with significantly extended battery range, which only celebrated its market launch in July. This is more than three times the figure of orders received for the first generation BMW i3 at the equivalent launch period.”

Source: Inside EVs

Rhapsody in Blue, Part 2

October 16, 2016Blog, BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94AhTrevor Larkum

The rest of our trip yesterday to visit Birmingham University went very well. As I had hoped we made it from Northampton to Birmingham Uni and back on a single charge of the i3.

Not just that, but after the university visit we went shopping in the city centre, at the Bullring shopping centre. Then getting back to Northampton we made a detour to Kingsthorpe.

Overall we managed 128 miles since charging the previous night, and still had 13% left in the battery, worth about another 15-18 miles. Most of the time on the motorway I was using cruise control set to 60, 65 or 70 – so real ‘motorway speeds’. Having said that, the M1 has a large section of road works where the limit is set to 50 so undoubtedly that did help the range.

Nonetheless, achieving a range of about 145 miles on a journey mostly on motorway is a great result and an endorsement of the new 94Ah version of the i3.

[Part 3]

Rhapsody in Blue, at Corley Services

October 15, 2016Blog, BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94AhTrevor Larkum

We have just arrived at Corley Services on the M6 near Birmingham on another university open day trip. Our blue i3 arrives just before a Soul EV in a very similar blue finishes its charge and leaves.

This trip is much shorter than the Liverpool one so we have the option of not charging at all. That’s just as well as the Electric Highway app won’t let us charge – some sort of glitch. It’s telling us the charge point is still in use even after the other car has driven away.

[Part 2]

BMW i3 Business Lease from £235 per month

October 14, 2016Blog, BMW, Electric Cars, i3, i3 94AhTrevor Larkum

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