Next-gen BMW EVs to get new battery tech for 620-mile range (opens in new tab)

The i3 was an interesting engineering prototype and it was overpriced. But had they developed a better more mainstream package around the car it could have still been a pretty decent seller.

And the follow up versions could have improved, that is what many internally at BMW expected. They wanted the next evolution of all their major cars to go EV.

However management pulled the rug from that and basically said the next full product cycle is gone be mostly ICE with some PHEV and very little pure electric.

So they went from a company who was transitioning to EV rapitly, to a company that focused on a strategy of 'everything' meaning architectures that are ICE, PHEV, HEV, even hydrogen and electric.

Over-priced? For what it was, yes, but some of that was the BMW badge. And the interior was nicer than the competition, too. But the lead I'm referring to is being one of the first three to mass-produce EVs, and one of those three was an unknown (Tesla). BMW already knew how to build cars, they just needed to learn how to electrify them. Tesla had to go learn how to build cars, which I'll assume was harder than electrifying something you already know how to build. So while Tesla was jamming pieces of 2x4 wood into fender panels, and zip-tying pieces together, Tesla was still becoming BMW faster than BMW was becoming Tesla (to horribly butcher a Netflix CEO's words). Only the last couple of years have seen BMW trickle out something that isn't an i3.

As for Nissan, I'm with you on Chevy's competition. But I was on about how they were the first modern manufacturer of mass-produced BEVs and eleven years later...they still have just the one model that sits on the low-end. And as you point out, that singular model's lunch is probably getting eaten by Chevy Bolts.

BMW was very early in on R&D for practical electric cars compared to most legacy automakers. Maybe the first large-ish scale thing was the 1 Series ActiveE (some family friends were in the Electronaut program), but they’ve been exploring it for decades.

The i3’s price (and especially looks) we’re problems, but they absolutely could have had a strong contender years ahead of other legacy auto makers.

Came here to say this. Not only are Toyota dragging their heels on EV development, but they also - famously - spend huge sums of money to thwart stricter emissions legislation in California (which has historically had an outsize influence on Federal standards), Japan and elsewhere.[1] This shameful conduct gets a big fat zero, nada, zilch coverage in Toyota’s home country.

I wish more people would call them out on their hypocritical bullshit but they continue to successfully coast on their friendly “cool Japan” _kaizen_ reputation while quietly dragging us out the back to slit our throats.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27961606

Late reply to say that when it comes to Toyota and EVs, it goes beyond disappointment: I don’t think about Toyota at all. Until you invoked their name, I had forgotten that they’re even working on an EV.

Yeah, most batteries have to carry their own oxidizer, so I guess this would be a more fair comparison. I guess that's an advantage of an air breathing engine/motor. However there are air breathing batteries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium%E2%80%93air_battery

A fairer comparison would be to create a series hybrid with gasoline and minimum battery size. then the energy output of total gasoline + engine efficiency (~30%) vs battery + EV motor efficiency. the reason I insist this is because there is a thermodynamic efficiency maximum for engines so physics caps getting energy out of gas engines.

then the numbers become more realistic.

BMW i3 (late 2013-2022) and its direct successor iX are both clean sheet designed BEVs.

Toyota has had a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle lease program in southern california for at least 5 years, but, to your point, adoption is constrained because hydrogen fueling infrastructure was purpose built to test the idea, and so is not at all widely available.

I would give scrapyards a try for a stop gap solution. You could find perfectly working parts until new stock is in place.