TomT said:
Of course, "like" doesn't necessarily mean it will ever come to pass... Nissan has ventured a number of likes as well, which have yet to see the light of day...
surfingslovak said:
Agreed. I asked Jose Guerrero about the REx trim, and he confirmed that he would like to be able to offer the heat pump there too, since it would make the car more efficient overall.
Point taken, Tom. I think many here might have an appreciation for that. It's worth noting that Jose has already succeeded in making the heat pump standard in the US on the BEV trim. It's an option in Germany. Much like Nissan, they pay close attention to early adopters. Since many people are new to EVs in Germany, it's really up to us to point out how valuable certain features are. Especially, when you start using the vehicle in the real world. I would encourage anyone who would like to see the heat pump in the REx trim to comment about it in the
Facebook group or contact BMW directly. And of course, there is Tom Moloughney, who has been instrumental to this program in so many ways. If you comment on his blog, you can be certain that your opinion will get noticed.
adric22 said:
The Tesla is most definitely out of my price range, even the most base model possible. The BMW i3 is, however, possible for me to afford most likely on a lease. And I most definitely want the REX version. Since we own both a Leaf and a Volt we have come to really appreciate the freedom that the range extender offers on the Volt.
Personally, I'm hoping that BMW will consider offering a more basic version of the i3 in the future. Much like what Nissan has done with the LEAF S trim. I think that they will sell every i3 they can make initially, but some de-contenting would help their volume down the road. Much like with the LEAF S, one could argue that commuters, who would take an i3 out on a 3-year lease, might not necessarily care about whiz-bang features, LED lights, navigation, connectivity and other things. We had this discussion a while ago, and I was positively surprised when Nissan decided to offer the stripper model. Currently, the premium one has to pay over the basic LEAF S is about 40% here in the US. This premium is only 17% in Europe, which in my mind shows that there is enough room for de-contenting.
Likewise, I'm hopeful that they will offer a larger battery option at some point. When you look at the REx trim, the vehicle is ready to accept about 260 lbs of additional weight. Looking at the gross weight of the pack, this could translate up to 10 kWh of battery capacity. Obviously, this improved BEV trim could not be offered with a REx due to total weight considerations.
