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Buying a BMW i3? This is why you will want the REx

7K views 44 replies 14 participants last post by  Snaxmuppet 
#1 ·
#2 ·
Another great post and this sums up our reasoning perfectly;

"So I say to anyone considering getting a BMW i3... get the REx option. Sure, it is quite a bit extra. But you will not regret it when rapid chargers break down or are occupied... as will be the case more and more from now on as the rapid charge network gets busier and busier - that is when it is working at all!"
 
#3 ·
Autocar refreshed their i3 review yesterday and they agree with you.

The decision to spec the REx or not is discussed a lot elsewhere, it's a bit of a hot topic but I can see it from both points of view. I would have spec'd BEV if I had a 2nd car but it seems a waste to have another car sat on my drive that I only use 5 or 6 times a year (in effect, the REx is my 2nd car, tucked away in the boot).

I just think it's good that BMW offer the choice (first manufacturer to do so ?).
 
#5 ·
It would bother me to constantly carrying the extra weight around, but then my driving needs are simple. I have kept our mini and it would be nice if the government made that tax exempt say on the basis that owning an ev you could nominate one ordinary car as tax free to go with. Such things would be popular.
 
#7 · (Edited)
@Matt Beard Thx for pointing out the typo! Changed :)

@richardglover Perhams I am looking at this all wrong but I have never remotely been concerned at carrying the extra weight. In fact, there is a lot of importance placed on weight and I understand why. The i3 is a great example of how cars of tomorrow will save weight IMO. However, my EV efficiency on the Ampera is not all that different to that of the Leaf so although it clearly would be lighter without the ICE I am not sure that in practical terms it makes a lot of difference and in any case, any difference it makes is far outweighed in my opinion by the flexibility of never ever being inconvenienced by a failed or busy charging infrastructure.

Would I prefer not to have to carry around an ICE? Of course... but I don't think we are at that stage yet where 100% BEVs can offer anything similar to the experience of owning an ICE. When it does then I'll be the first to ditch the Ampera (or whatever ER-EV I have at the time) and go 100% battery for both cars.
 
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#8 ·
my worry is BMW will use the REX to prove "BEV are not viable yet since everyone is buying the REX"

Some may believe this to be true but I completely disagree, if its your 2nd car, and the range fits your usage profile, dont buy a REX because your frightened into it
 
#11 ·
my worry is BMW will use the REX to prove "BEV are not viable yet since everyone is buying the REX.
I can see your point but having been up to London and spent some time with the UK sales manager and some of the technical team I think that this is certainly not their objective.

However, if the majority is going for the REx, and I expect they will, then it would say something wouldn't it. To me it will suggest that people want the flexibility of not being inconvenienced by risking running flat or by charger failure or queuing.

I can't imagine many people being "frightened" into it though. The inconvenience is real not imagined. My trip today shows that very clearly. Why should people have to struggle when they don't have to?

My opinion is that the BEV is not yet ready for all types of use and so is not a complete ICE replacement. People need the safety net of a REx (or ER-EV) right now and will do for some time to come. When people cannot imagine themselves running flat or having to stop for ages and many times to charge on long trips then, and only then, will they, and I, consider EVs ready for the mainstream. Give them a 250+ mile real-world range and a 30 minute charging option and then things will start to look a little different.
 
#12 ·
I can see your point but having been up to London and spent some time with the UK sales manager and some of the technical team I think that this is certainly not their objective.
Unless there's been the u-turn of all u-turns, those towards the top at BMW are placing their long term bets on hydrogen. Perhaps (as some have eluded to) a plugin-hydrogen-hybrid is in their thinking? God knows what abbreviations we'd have for that kind of beast?! :D
 
#17 ·
Absolutely, the REX is the only option for me, having driven one a couple of times now its pretty clear that REX is the option that would convince people to ditch their ICE cars, it’s the safety net most people don’t need in reality but it’s the safety factor the car needs in order to sell it to the masses. We know most REX drivers will do their level best not to use petrol because versus the cost of electricity it would be stupid to run it for any extended period on petrol.

No network even the Tesla network can be said to be 100% reliable, Tesla have far more redundancy obviously but no e charging station can be relied on 100% however the plethora of petrol stations would ensure that in a REX you would never get stranded and there is no need to compromise.

It is my opinion that BMW see the future as hybrid REX vehicles, and Kevin is right in that sadly the current Rapid Charging network isn’t rapid and isn’t reliable, I want to make a trip up to Chester to see my sister she’s having a party, a day ago I said yes sure thing, now both chargers en route are offline, one of them has been offline for a long time which means I cant go, there just isn’t the redundancy or reliability there at the moment.

The REX isn’t a cheap option but I don’t know how many times people will be able to stand the fact that their trip are “on” on the one day and “off” on the next, this simply is not a problem with the REX.

I love my car for what it is, a short range town car pretending that long journeys are possible with any certainty at the moment is foolish and has to be undertaken with the knowledge that you might not make it or might need recovery.

I would imagine if you were let down and flat bedded more than 2-3 times in a pure BEV it would be enough to make you look at REX or dare I say it even go back to an ICE car.
 
#23 ·
I quoted my current travel pattern above, it is not restricted by what the car is capable of in one full charge plus one full tank. That is not to say that I have not been further, but it has usually involved an overnight stop, sometimes with the opportunity to recharge. If I felt it beneficial or needed to travel further, the 300 mile range would not restrict me. One in journey charge at around 250 miles would not deter me.
 
#24 ·
The Ampera is a very capable car indeed and I would have had one in a heartbeat if It were not for the lack of enthusiasm at the dealers, hoping this will change in time, their residuals seem quite high still but I wouldn’t discount one although a BMW I3 REX or a Tesla Model S is more likely my next choice of car, the Model S is looking more likely as I need the space for the kids and all the kids stuff, the only thing that is a bit tight for us with the I3 is the boot space, apart from that we love the car and as already mentioned the REX is for me the best option.

The Model S is a very big car, now I would be OK with that but the wife might not be so keen, going to wait until the right hand drive cars are in the country and go and have a test drive in a Model S to see if we like it as a family, I noticed the app isn’t available in this country yet, its on the Android playstore, thought I might have a look at that first and see, be interested to see how the 3rd party apps play with the model S I like the idea of that too.

I can safely say I don’t think my next car is going to be another Nissan Leaf, it’s a great car for what it is but we need a little more I think as we go on, the Model S is total overkill for what we need but then so are most cars in this price bracket, you only live once though don’t you!
 
#28 · (Edited)
The BEV does have very similar range to the LEAF, the REx is a little bit less.

I'm presuming what Eunicholas is referring to is someone recording the point at which the REx automatically turned on which, by default, is set to 20% battery charge i.e. before it has depleted. I'd still be interested in a link though to have a look.

Most testers get quite a lot better than that in Eco Pro+. For example, this is a recent review where the tester drove a REx in Eco Pro+ for 76 miles and still had 21 miles left on the battery range gauge (youtube link set to start at the right point) : http://goo.gl/uvJT9X
 
#36 ·
I have specced the Rex on the i3 purely because it gives you options. As it turns out, there's only two normal journeys I am likely to make which the Zoe can't do - one is a 100 miles roundtrip, the other is around 250. Although I'm happy to use our ICE for those journeys, the i3 is better equipped so I figured we might as well get the Rex so we could use it for nearly all our journeys. All the ICE will be used for now is holidays (unless I can convince my wife not to take so much stuff) and driving to Germany (and the occasional work trip when we need two cars).
 
#37 ·
It's interesting to read this early feedback; I'm midway through my 3 year Nissan LEAF lease and decision time will be 2Q 2015 for a replacement car in August 2015. I've made no firm decisions yet my current thinking goes along the lines of:

- Nissan LEAF Accenta - has the heat pump, rapid charging and for a small fee 32A charging. It's also over £100pm cheaper than a similar spec BMW i3 EV only
- BMW i3 - has the great option of a REX BUT you have to add so many extras (heat pump, rapid charging) to get a reasonable spec. My LEAF Mk1 has so many toys that I would compromise lots to get an i3 without all the extras.
- Tesla Model S 60kw - Yes this potentially is available on our company car scheme BUT is probably double the cost of a LEAF or £200pm more than a BMW...but then it is a TESLA.

The other consideration is that our default car lease is 4 years; so chose an i3 and in the mean time two new Tesla models will have comes out and you could be still driving a car that is a 6 year old model and out of date EV. I think of how futuristic the LEAF was when I took delivery in August 2012, now with only 16A charging and not heat pump it's compromises galore over winter driving.... I still love the LEAF just things move quick in EV land right now so long leases are not a great option.
 
#38 ·
Our Leaf is coming up to 3 years old now and I think we have decided to skip the i3 and wait for the Gen 3 Tesla and decide then. Until then (probably another 3 years?) our Mk1 Leaf will be perfectly fine.

I am hoping that when the time comes that we can have just the one BEV that will meet all our needs so we don't need a 2nd car at all and for that I think we need at least 200 mile real-world range and truly rapid charging like the Tesla superchargers.

So, the question might be... do I sell the Mk1 Leaf or, as it won't be worth much, do I keep it as a potential classic in years to come? :)
 
#39 ·
Through our company car lease scheme we have 2 providers and one of them has introduced a new option to switch car midway through a 4 year lease; this would be ideal as the changes in tech are quite rapid in EV land at the moment. The Gen 3 Tesla looks a great idea - but is it a LEAF Accenta or i3 Rex that is the stop gap 2 year car....

Now if Nisssan release this 150 mile range LEAF they keep asking existing customers about......
 
#42 ·
Especially if you can bolt on a new 150 mile range battery pack, could it really be 'plug and play'? You look at the production line for LEAF and they just lift the pack up and bolt it in place....
 
#44 ·
Keep it Paul.
I will hold on to my lovely blue Leaf. Had it's first mot today and 36k service. Weirdly the battery scores are better than on the last service, all 5 star ratings.
And now a lesser spotted Blue LEAF since they ceased the colour as an option....
 
#45 ·
Good advice from everyone, thanks :)

I must admit that the idea of keeping it and upgrading and doing a battery upgrade appeals once the warranty ends in 2 years.

Our first MOT is in a couple of weeks too :)
 
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