GRA
Well-known member
True, but some people are trying to justify it on that basis, so I thought I'd nip that in the bud :lol: From the reviews so far, it doesn't appear that BMW's usual 'Utimate driving machine' mantra is going to fly.evnow said:No one ever bought a BMW for economic reasonsGRA said:So unless you can base your decision solely on environmental reasons, it can't be justified on an economic basis.
Again, depends on your motivation and your needs. To me, utility implies that I can use something in the widest range of conditions with the least cost and inconvenience. An ICE wins hands down due to its universal infrastructure, relative tolerance of temperature extremes, rapidity of refueling and long range at reasonable cost (not counting the environmental externalities, obviously), all of which virtually eliminate any need for pre-planning and allow maximum spontaneity. YMMV.evnow said:To me driving long distances (like doing to Seattle downtown and back) without using gas is a great "utility".As for overall utility, the Volt wins hands-down, as it can do un-refueled road trips that would be onerous in the i3.
IOW, in my book - longer EV range = better utility.
BEVs may never achieve the rapidity of refueling or the portability of fuel supplies possible with a liquid or gaseous fuel, but once they have enough range in all conditions to exceed the bladder capacity of the average person and such range is affordable, it won't matter. We aren't there yet, but we're getting closer [Edit: Of course, it may be that affordable FCEVs with eco-friendly H2 will ultimately win that race]. If Nissan or one of the other 'affordable' BEV manufacturers would offer a REx, we'd be getting somewhere. Even if they charged as much as BMW does for the option, I expect they'd be swamped with customers.