Leccy Beemers

[MrMischief]

I'm not too sure about these, the whole hybrid thing is too underdeveloped IMHO at the moment but after being overtaken by a black one in stealth mode :cool: I admit it looks pretty cool & can go like the clappers (for a few miles :hand:).

Had a look round one at the dealership & think there's a major design flaw in the way it gets recharged. Why would you want the plug point to be in the front wing? The (dirty, gritty) cable gets dragged down the delicate paintwork, there's bound to be countless cars coming back for paint repairs :sad:

Plus the little door opens outwards, easy for anyone to catch (rip off) if it's at a public charging point :frown:

Simple things that I'm sure they could've sorted easily at the design stage (front/rear point with a sliding door?). Boils my blood :ragin:

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And these...euuuw...sorry if anybody has one, I'm sure it's a lovely wee car, but why spend nigh on £30k to have an interior like this? :wtf:
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[Eddie_JCW]

I'd take either of them in a heartbeat, you'd be very surprised at how far these cars have come from the first hybrids/electric cars. The i3 is quicker to 30 than an e92 M3! As a petrolhead it's a little worrying but if you look at where the super cars are going and electricity doesn't seem such a bad thing. I think underdeveloped is the wrong phrase to label the cars with unless you mean the charging infrastructure then I'd possibly agree but not if the car has a range extender or is a true hybrid.

I keep looking at the i3 I really like the whole car and it's such a nice car to sit in, it feels much bigger inside that it looks. It would be the perfect daily for me and keep the JCW as the weekend toy but I can't have both right now maybe an option in a couple of years if I can resist the F56 JCW :lol:

Oh and as for the i8 :drools: I think they're quite simply the best looking car in production at the moment! I'd be willing to accept the risk of the flap being damaged but it's not the sort of car you'd leave charging in a place it's likely to get broken deliberately.

[MrMischief]

I'd take either of them in a heartbeat, you'd be very surprised at how far these cars have come from the first hybrids/electric cars. The i3 is quicker to 30 than an e92 M3! As a petrolhead it's a little worrying but if you look at where the super cars are going and electricity doesn't seem such a bad thing. I think underdeveloped is the wrong phrase to label the cars with unless you mean the charging infrastructure then I'd possibly agree but not if the car has a range extender or is a true hybrid.

I keep looking at the i3 I really like the whole car and it's such a nice car to sit in, it feels much bigger inside that it looks. It would be the perfect daily for me and keep the JCW as the weekend toy but I can't have both right now maybe an option in a couple of years if I can resist the F56 JCW :lol:

Oh and as for the i8 :drools: I think they're quite simply the best looking car in production at the moment! I'd be willing to accept the risk of the flap being damaged but it's not the sort of car you'd leave charging in a place it's likely to get broken deliberately.

Hmmmm, electric cars are always going to be quick off the mark as they have maximum torque available instantly. The Sinclair C5 was quick off the mark...doesn't make it a great car :lol:

Looking at the infrastructure, it's slowly coming together, but nowhere near supportive enough for anyone that loves driving to have one as a first car. By that, I mean going out for a run up the hills at the weekend...simply not viable yet, but no doubt with the government support the charging points will appear. As for the development in technology, I agree they've come a long way but again, the batteries are still too heavy & don't hold sufficient range yet. Also, recharging time is still too long especially if you live rurally. Give them a few years & they'll either fade away (like the C5) or become the next best thing & the issues will become a thing of the past. It's still using electricity though...a dirty power source unless generated through solar/wind power etc.

As for the design issues, I was really looking at the fact the power point appears to be positioned badly - most charging stations I've seen have the chargers directly in front/behind the parking space, not alongside it - even the ones I've seen in Germany. Regarding the flap, it sticks outwith the silhouette of the car, so even if it's not pulled off deliberately, it's easy for someone to knock it off accidentally.

I'm afraid to admit it, but Nissan seemed to have a better design on the Leaf lol
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I agree though, once time goes on, they'll become more affordable & the batteries will perform better...only time will tell. Just a shame by then, there will be loads of scratched i8's on the secondhand market :sad:

[MINI William]

Coming from someone who has driven an i8, they are incredible. Doesn't matter if you are in electric mode or in hybrid. When you put the car into Sport (hybrid) it sounds fantastic. When we were out in the car we had people stopping in the street, kids stopping playing games just to look at the car.

With th the continued development that BMW are putting in I can only see it as a good thing.