What in the world were the BMW designers thinking?

[jitahs]

I actually like the i3. A lot. My wife (and I) would really like to get an EV as her commute is just 12 miles to East Boston (and I telecommute for the most part). Too bad it's not available in Massachusetts.

People are getting Leafs and Teslas delivered via flatbed from states that aren't well-served. Of course the service issue is real.

[jitahs]

And not just the ICE issue--the whole construction of the thing is of significant value in a production vehicle.

Yes. An equally large problem is the disposal or recycling of the current 2 billion vehicles on the road. There is no profitable business model on the horizon for this. Potentially, as I said upthread, EVs have a longer service life but someone has to step up on the back end to make costs work. In terms of hybrids, Luscious Garage in SOMA is fantastic in that regard, patching up much of the city's taxi fleet. Well someone who works there who shall remain nameless actually hit me with their car while I was riding, depositing me on the hood before sliding off, but hey I really like the garage anyway.

[jitahs]

The i8. Ha!

IMG_20141112_134844495.jpg

[nahtnoj]

Yes. An equally large problem is the disposal or recycling of the current 2 billion vehicles on the road. There is no profitable business model on the horizon for this. Potentially, as I said upthread, EVs have a longer service life but someone has to step up on the back end to make costs work. In terms of hybrids, Luscious Garage in SOMA is fantastic in that regard, patching up much of the city's taxi fleet. Well someone who works there who shall remain nameless actually hit me with their car while I was riding, depositing me on the hood before sliding off, but hey I really like the garage anyway.

Discovery needs to put a show on TV where a custom car shop owned by a few renegades with tattoos and facial hair buy old cars and convert them to electric propulsion. Like Neil Young's Lincvolt project, but less preachy, mission-driven, and high-minded. I'm only half kidding.

[spopepro]

Discovery needs to put a show on TV where a custom car shop owned by a few renegades with tattoos and facial hair buy old cars and convert them to electric propulsion. Like Neil Young's Lincvolt project, but less preachy, mission-driven, and high-minded. I'm only half kidding.

I long ago had all the plans put together for an EV conversion of a Karmann Ghia (I'd call it Karmann Electra... ) and it would have been sweet. But alas, I did not have the funds to make it all come together. Now, with no garage and no time, it's not going to happen. Which is too bad, because my back of the envelope calculations said I could probably get ~180 miles of range with OK to good performance with what I had planned, and this was 10 years ago with lead acid cells.

[Brandon White]

on the flip side - what in the world was VW thinking when they came up with the "e-Golf"? It doesn't look like an electric car? How will people know there is a smug asshole driving it? (sarcasm people!)

2015 VW e-Golf | Volkswagen

[nahtnoj]

They will know by carefully studying the trim and noting the blue accents.

[Brandon White]

They will know by carefully studying the trim and noting the blue accents.

I was joking ... :/ I like the idea of an e-golf though.

[davids]

on the flip side - what in the world was VW thinking when they came up with the "e-Golf"? It doesn't look like an electric car? How will people know there is a smug asshole driving it? (sarcasm people!)

2015 VW e-Golf | Volkswagen

That's the same tack used by Honda for the Accord and Civic. (Maybe the Sonata also?)

Glowing blue plastic bits.

[nahtnoj]

I was joking ... :/ I like the idea of an e-golf though.

I know, so was I - its really interesting to see how different manufacturers are handling this. VW is proceeding with typical Germanic understatement, while BMW is out in left field. VW is also deeply invested in TDi, so I don't think their heart is really in it.

[Brandon White]

I know, so was I - its really interesting to see how different manufacturers are handling this. VW is proceeding with typical Germanic understatement, while BMW is out in left field. VW is also deeply invested in TDi, so I don't think their heart is really in it.

Yes, I think their participation should end with 1 car - the e-golf. I hope they do it well too while pushing their TDis into most other cars.

[jitahs]

I dunno, a lot of people want to go stealth mode with their vehicles perhaps due to peer pressure. I think, well they are covering bets with dual paths. Can't really hurt much - their MQB platform plays equally well with ICE and E-engines.

On the Toyota lot recently there were 3 ERav4s at $50k, discontinued and dusty. Gray on the outside, an accent-less gray hole inside. That is a vehicle that has zero appeal to anyone.

[jitahs]

Vis-a-vis renewable energy, E-vehicles, auto manufacturing and the global marketplace this is extremely interesting to me:

"At the same time, China’s solar power presence is growing in the Bay Area. With the help of ChinaSF, the city’s public-private agency, seven Chinese clean-tech companies, mostly solar, have set up offices in San Francisco alone, including major ones like Yingli and Trini Solar (the latter ranked No. 1 for good environmental and social behavior in Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition’s latest survey.)
Last month, Hanergy Thin Film Power, a solar power panel manufacturer in Beijing, announced that it will set up an R&D facility in Silicon Valley The company described Silicon Valley as “an important base for product development ... . The base in the United States of America will enable a more extensive access to the global market.”
“Chinese solar and clean energy companies are looking for investments over here, of $100 million and above,” said Darlene Chiu Bryant. “I think that trend will continue.”

From Climate deal shines sun on Bay Area solar - SFGate

Many of the large auto manufacturers have already set up plants in Mexico; that massive investments are being made on the Pacific Rim in solar speaks volumes about Chinese solar companies' confidence in its salable future. Really exciting stuff.

[jitahs]

Things are happening at an astonishing pace. Elon is not the only guy thinking of EVs as part of the Distributed Energy solution, albeit on an extremely limited scale:

Nissan Begins Testing V2H Technology with Leaf-to-Home Charging Units - The Auto Future

[sbornia]

Haters gonna hate. This thing is cool. I do admit that part of the appeal is the little blue and white roundel, not sure I'd be so enamored if it were a KIA. One snuck up on me while I was riding, sounded like the whirring Jetson's car.

IMG_5025.jpg

[Mr B]

What I like about it is
- it's unashamedly concept-looking; none of this overly-focus-grouped granola bullshit put out by most other automakers.
- its construction type is a huge leap forward for a 'family' car.
It's an exciting thing, and the first versions of such groundbreaking cars always remain appealing; I'd cite the Lamborghini Countach and Renault Twingo (seriously) as examples.

[jitahs]

One snuck up on me while I was riding, sounded like the whirring Jetson's

I was waiting for that reference. There's a meme for everything:

spaceagemeetsstoneage.jpg

[Jonathan]

I've given up four wheels for two as a full time vehicle. My Ducati goes about 100 miles on a tank. The shorter interval is a little bit of a pita but I've adapted. My family could easily live with one of our vehicles having a 75-100 mile range.

[Gummee]

I've given up four wheels for two as a full time vehicle. My Ducati goes about 100 miles on a tank. The shorter interval is a little bit of a pita but I've adapted. My family could easily live with one of our vehicles having a 75-100 mile range.

My plan is to transition to a BMW GS-Adv and a van. GS-Adv for daily riding (400+ mi range anyone?!) and the van for races and those times when I need to haul bicycles/motos inside, out of the weather.

Anyone need an 02 Ford Focus with 82k miles on it? :ear

M

[jitahs]

In a world where the i3 exists, so must its glorious antipode: