SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the EVs-are-making-a-charge-on-ICEs dept.
The BMW i3 has been on sale since 2014, and in that time, BMW has seen fit to expand its battery size and, by proxy, its range. For the 2019 model year, it's getting yet another battery upgrade, and it's a big one.
The 2019 BMW i3 will come with a 42.2-kWh battery (120 amp-hours), which should permit for up to 153 miles of all-electric driving. This is a roughly 30 percent improvement over the previous 94-Ah battery, which allowed for 115 miles of range. The i3's first battery was just 60 Ah, offering a range of just 81 miles. Oh, how far we've come.
BMW will offer the battery in both variants of the i3. The standard i3 uses a 170-horsepower electric motor, powerful enough to get the little EV to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds. The i3s, on the other hand, is the sportier trim, offering a 181-hp electric motor and a 6.8-second sprint to 60.
Will EVs (electric vehicles) like this succeed in replacing ICEs (internal combustion engines) as commuter cars?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday September 28 2018, @06:31PM (5 children)
Agreed with most of that. I haven't visited the sites to see how accurate your claims are.
But, practical. I'm not about to buy a new car, for any reason I can think of. I'm happy with older cars. But, that range is getting within shooting distance of my minimum requirements. For me to consider an electric, it will have to be capable of two day's commute, with a little reserve at least. Call it 225 mile range. That would still be something of a stepdown, in the range department. My current vehicle can commute about 3.5 or 3.6 days, and "recharge" is about five minutes.
Of course, the bad thing about electricity is, power outage. If the power went out when I had a full charge, I could only count on getting to work two days, then I'm forced to hitch a ride, or miss work. Walking or bicycling is not an option when you live ~50 miles from work, and there is no mass transit here.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by bob_super on Friday September 28 2018, @07:21PM
Can we make a simple rule that the outliers with 50-mile-each-way commutes have to specify it in the first sentence of electric car discussions ?
That's not a ding at your comment or yourself, since you did present your use case correctly. But there are so many others who express their opinion without realizing that they are outliers, and generalizing happily without taking into account that usually an 11-figures company has studied their market... (yes, mishaps happen, but a lot less recently that historically)
(Score: 3, Insightful) by NewNic on Friday September 28 2018, @07:48PM (3 children)
Charging an electric car take a matter of seconds.
That's how long it takes to plug in the charger (EVSE) connector in the evening and unplug it in the morning. Who cars what happens while it is sitting in a garage or driveway overnight?
Can you park your ICE car at home in the evening and wake to a full tank?
Seriously, if filling an ICE vehicle is so convenient, why do companies like this exist:
https://www.trybooster.com/ [trybooster.com]
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Friday September 28 2018, @09:34PM (2 children)
I have 2 use cases: a commute that's 38 miles one way, unless I detour to avoid traffic which easily blows that up to 40 miles, and the occasional road trip. A 76 mile round trip is pushing it for the shorter range electric cars. Can't guarantee a place to charge up will be available at work.
A big adjustment would be remembering to plug in when I arrive home. Not good to be scrambling to get out to door and rush off to work only to discover that I forgot to fill up. No big deal when we're talking about a 5 minute delay at one of the many gas stations around. But if we're talking 30 minutes to recharge the batteries to 80%, that's a problem. That would make me late for work. A 160 mile range is the minimum that would give me a 2 day cushion.
The road trip was the deal killer. When electric cars had a range of only 60 miles or so, with at least a 30 minute wait to go another 60 miles, or 50 miles if you can only recharge to 80%, it was unacceptable. 80% of 160 miles is 128 miles, much more reasonable. I could learn to live with that-- it's a lot better than 1/2 your time recharging a car with a range of only 62 miles-- but I'd rather not.
(Score: 2) by NewNic on Friday September 28 2018, @09:54PM
The problem is with your memory, not the car.
Even if I forgot to charge, where I live, I could get to a fast charger that is 5 minutes from home, then spend another 5 minutes charging (need just enough to get to work, where I can charge it), so I would only be ~10 minutes late.
lib·er·tar·i·an·ism ˌlibərˈterēənizəm/ noun: Magical thinking that useful idiots mistake for serious political theory
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 29 2018, @11:49AM
Try to remember the seven P's
Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.
Leave a light on in your car? You could wake up to a dead battery no matter what.