BMW i3 42 kWh charging comparison

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[CP-xjkm]

Great commentary! I have i3s, it is so cool to charge it to 90% with no stress. It actually makes i3 possible to drive long distances. Imagine the same competition but with 50kW charger.

[oscorpiono]

I3 is a great car I have the 94 Ah Rex and it’s just amazing having the backup along with the fast charging.

If the battery is cold however, the 94 ah charges as slow as 22 kw but again, this is where the Rex saves the day, drive on the Rex to the next charge point after 30-40 mins driving it will be warm enough for max speed.

You can also drive it hard and fast charge forever and the battery never gets hot. The AC cooled battery works great, never throttles due to heat.

Mine is 2017 with 100, 000 kms and no notable loss on range.

Great car I love it.

[SSLOW]

Haha for the moment I thought I was at a horse race. Bjorn, you’re the best

[blobstrom]

I thought it he was commentating on the UK grand national horse race..
Well done i3

[DarkLordZewo]

i ordered e-208 last month :D cant wait for it to come <3

[jost]

Interesting to see that the i3 won! Flat charging curve removes the need to arrive almost empty at the charging station in order to get high charging speed.

[Catacang]

This video shows clearly why in some European countries the i3 is so popular. Many countries don't have chargers faster than 50 kW. The charging network is sparse so you most often can't bail out and go for another station because that's the only one for the next 40 or 50 kms (e.g. in highway reststations).
The i3 is outstanding in these situations: they arrive with some random state of charge (e.g. 20%, 30%, 40%), charge at the charger maximum speed up to 85% or 90% and are on their way. They end up being faster than more recent cars like the e-208.

[AaronStarkLinux]

Still I prefer e208 for the city rush is much better, I can unplug at 60-70% and go.

[Trades]

The i3 is a gem. A shame it didn't sell to where BMW can justify its expensive CFRP body and unique powertrain, hence the new i4 and iX which shares more commonality to conventional BMW products.

[philw]

i run an i3 (33ah rex) and a tesla model 3P so feel I can make a comment. The tesla is undoubtedly a serious car with great tech, range and performance, and i really rate it. But im still really fond of our plucky little i3 - it just feels more solid (sorry Bjorn - that's just my experience, but if in doubt, just try shutting a door, or the trunk lid on both, side by side, and tell me which sounds better!), its way quieter, has been reliable so far (3years), and is just less 'finicky' in daily use. Its also still delivering almost all the range it had when new (maybe 5 miles less overall) and the interior still feels absolutely as new. There are a lot of i3 haters out there, and it is now an older design to be fair, but it still delivers well for most peoples daily needs in reality. Probably helps that they don't get rapid charged that much as short range cars though - maybe 4 times ever in my case, but it is a (very) part time fossil i guess!). Shame they haven't tried pushing the range up a bit more and giving it another refresh though as the others have definitely caught up comprehensively.

[ianpies]

Thanks for doing this, it’s great to compare actual charging performance. The i3 is great if you want/need a full charge as it only really slows at 95% - I’d been conditioned to expect poor charge speed above 80% - this obviously applies to some cars but not the i3.

[pilotandthecity]

Cool video my friend! As you must know by now, I drive this car actually long distance. I use the 15-90% range while charging during long distance driving ( around 700km) . ABRP gave me this advice. If you drive the car this way, you have to stop every 2hrs, about 37 minutes.
For me perfect. Almost perfect ;) . Actually I would love a car, with the charme and quality of the i3, but with some technical aspects of the model 3. I can’t find this car yet.

You’re so right about the potential of the i3. With 75kW charging till 87% it would be actually very fast. And where is the promised battery update? They promised. But nothing about that till now?! Someone whit some inside info?
units are sold and figures still go up. For this almost 8 years young car.
Imagine this car, with IDrive 7, a 160Ah battery and 100kW charger. And then, ..with this very solide structure.
I don’t understand the BMW management. As if they really don’t want to give the car an available update. Sad. If they would offer it tomorrow, I would buy it today. Strange not to use the potential of this car. They will regret it later I’m afraid.

[petrihietanen]

You sounded like a bookie commenting the horse race. Real motor mouth!

[hopskip]

Bjorn, is Norway getting the MG5 sw EV ? I would love to see you do a review on it.

[gordonbrittas]

German brother from another mother !!!! Quality comentary.

[kaiwaldeck]

Update for the i3 is coming next year due to 2024 building cycle. Rumor has it that it will have an further optimized pack with 60 kWh gross cap. and could manage a 75 kw flat charging curve. With an updated and radar baised driving assist and a refreshed display array together with stable pricing, this 2013 started EV could still lead it´ s class segment. Well done BMW engineers of 2010-2013 !

[rud]

I like watching charging video although so far, driving and charging my car has been so much a non issue that it is almost boring. 😔

[bjoernlubetzki]

Almost like the German brother from another mother....You got me on that one. I had to pause the video until I stop laughing.

[charlesholder]

It would be interesting to see you test the New MG G5. It is supposed to have more range than the ZS EV but is it any better?

[Glyn]

Hi Bjorn great video have you every thought of doing horse racing commentary in the U.K. ? On a more serious note if you were to replace you model 3 what would you choose another model 3 ?