Fits My Current Lifestyle - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Fits My Current Lifestyle - 2014 BMW i3 Long-Term Road Test

: My current lifestyle is a natural fit for an electric car like the 2014 BMW i3, in that I drive short distances in a congested urban area with a heavy proliferation of EV charging units. The fact that the BMW i3 sits a little higher off the ground and has a ton of storage areas also makes it mom-friendly.

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throwback

EVs are suburban runabouts. They certainly work as a second car if you have a garage to plug them in.

kirkhilles1

I'm wondering if Tesla got the idea right with their first pass - the Roadster. Obviously, it was just a Beta (or even Alpha) version in comparison to the P85D with Spaceballs mode, but I think commuter cars (at least until we hit fully self driving cars become available) are the sweet spot for electric. Make a small 2+2 convertible with 125 mile real-world-range with decent acceleration and make it affordable and low maintenance. That'd probably fit a lot of people's needs. No superchargers needed because you're charging every night.

schen72

I'm starting to think that maybe leasing an electric car may be worth it economically as a commuter car. It would be a big change for me, as I've never leased a car, and only paid cash upfront for all my cars. But with ever-changing electric engine technology, i'm not sure the "buy and drive for 20 years" strategy will work now.

eriches

throwback said:

EVs are suburban runabouts. They certainly work as a second car if you have a garage to plug them in.

That's what I'd thought previously, but now I'm realizing that the density of EV chargers in Southern California is such that you could easily get by without having a charger in your personal garage. One of my neighbors recently leased a Fiat 500e as a daily commuter car (it's a third car for him) and has no plans to get his own charger. Obviously, this doesn't apply to most of the U.S.

markedwards

It works in SF also. I've had an i3 BEV for over a year and exist quite happily with a combination of public DC fast charging and the 120v wall socket that already was next to my parking spot. Once or twice a week, I'll plug in at a DC fast charge for 15 minutes or so while shopping, drive home with 80% or more, then let it get to 100% overnight on the 120v. At this point, spending the several thousand dollars required to put a 240v circuit in my condo's multi-story, underground garage (long cable runs and post-tension concrete slab construction) doesn't make financial sense.