Now, you may say the number hardly makes a car a bestseller, but
consider this: Only one other electric car has ever been put on the
road with a normal plate - a Tesla Roadster.
None of the other carmakers with electric models managed to sell
any. The Mitsubishi iMiEV, Renault Fluence ZE, Nissan Leaf and
Chevrolet Volt were all here, mostly as part of a $20-million
"test-bed" scheme that allowed these cars to run around tax-free.
Another $75-million trial is on the way, with new participants such
as China's BYD and France's Bollore looking to join. These companies
are, of course, hoping the trial will pave the way for long-term tax
breaks for electric cars.
In my opinion, this is a crutch mentality that is slowing down electric car adoption.
If companies want their cars to sell, just make them desirable. And that is exactly what BMW has done.
The stunning i8 plug-in hybrid sports model reviewed last week is
one example. Despite its rather hefty price tag of $600,000, demand is
outstripping supply.
The i3 is another example. This is a full electric car, backed by a
small twocylinder engine that kicks in to power up the batteries if
they run low.
But over the course of a week since taking delivery of this
long-term test car, the petrol engine kicked in only once - last
weekend, when several errands had to be run back to back.
On normal weekdays, the i3's realistic range of 90 to 100km is more
than adequate. In fact, with my workplace just five minutes away, I
could go up to four days without plugging the i3 in.
If I had been truly determined not to rely on the so-called range
extender (the small petrol engine), I could have driven to BMW agent
Performance Motors.
A high-voltage quick charger there would have juiced up the i3 to 80
per cent in under 30 minutes. A full charge via a normal household
socket takes eight to nine hours.
A smartphone app that comes with the i3 also tells me where I can find a public charging point.
These are just for extra peace of mind, really. Because for nine out
of 10 times, plugging the car in at home will be sufficient for all
your mobility needs.
What I find a little disconcerting is how quickly the range falls
initially. At full charge, the range meter reads 115km. But when you
come back an hour later and start up the car, it could say 100km. What
accounted for the unused 15km?
And often, after driving just 2km, the range drops by 5 to 8km.
Thankfully, the consumption rate slows down after the midway point.
In the default Comfort mode, which comes with full acceleration and
airconditioning potential, the car is good for 90 to 100km. It depends
on how much idling time you encounter.
In EcoPro mode, the air-conditioning is not so powerful but still
good enough for evenings. There is a slight drop in acceleration, but
progress is still very brisk. The improvement in consumption here is
minute, so I would not bother with it.
In EcoPro Plus mode, the car goes without air-conditioning
(compressor is deactivated) and acceleration is further dulled. In this
mode, the car is still driveable and consumption improves by 10 to 20
per cent.
The discomfort of not having airconditioning is not worth the
savings. So, in short, just leave the car in Comfort mode, which gives
you access to sports-car-like performance.
The stated 0 to 100kmh timing is 7.9 seconds, but the i3's
acceleration is so perfectly linear (the beauty of electric motors)
that it feels like a much faster car. You get 250Nm of torque the
moment you depress the acclerator. And unlike in combustion engines,
where torque tapers off after 4,000rpm or so, the i3's maximum shove is
maintained as long as your foot is on the pedal.
Much of the i3's performance is attributable to its lightweight body.
Made largely of carbon-fibre and plastic, the BMW tall hatch weighs
only 1.2 tonnes (about 200kg lighter than a Mercedes-Benz A-class).
This makes for one exhilarating car.
This, in fact, is its most loveable trait. Its second-most loveable trait is its low running cost.
Based on today's cost of electricity and petrol, you stand to save
close to $1,000 a year on fuel if your current car is a Volkswagen Golf
or equivalent, and you clock 19,000km a year.
The bummer is its road tax. The Land Transport Authority has deemed
it fit to slap the i3 with an annual road tax of around $1,700 - more
than what a 2.4litre petrol car attracts. It effectively wipes out the
electric car's fuel savings.
While I started this article saying that electric cars should not
rely on subsidies to succeed, I think the road tax for the i3 is
unneccessarily and unjustly punitive.
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