2014 BMW i3 Electric Car – Economical, Practical and Fun to Drive

The 2014 BMW i3 Costs Much Less to Operate than Gas-Powered Cars

Congratulations!  It takes courage and insight to consider a car as different from everything else on the road as the new BMW i3 electric car.  Hopefully it’s that very difference that you find attractive; the high technology, zero pollution, sustainable manufacturing, and the uniqueness of virtually every aspect from the styling to how it drives.

Reduce The Cost of Your Morning Commute with the Electric BMW i3 in Jupiter and West Palm Beach

If, however, what you’re looking for is a way to dramatically cut the amount of money you spend getting to and from work, you’re still looking at the right car.  According to a study by the Northeast Group focusing on 25 utilities in 14 states, if electricity was gasoline, it would cost 75 cents a gallon.  Or, if you look at it the way the EPA does, the i3 delivers fuel economy equivalent to 134 miles per gallon.

The last time you could buy a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. for 75 cents was in the late 1970s.  By comparison, the current average for gas prices in the U.S. is about $3.70 a gallon–almost five times as much.  So the BMW i3 is the car of tomorrow that you can drive today for yesterday’s prices.

Driving Range and Recharging the 2014 BMW i3

Aside from that, what else do you need to know?  Well, many people are concerned about being stuck by the side of the road with no juice left in the batteries, so you should know that the on-board batteries are good for about 80 miles of driving with a full charge.  You can plug the i3 into wall current overnight or while you’re at work to re-charge, or use a public charging station for an even quicker dose of current.  For drivers who need more range, the i3 can be ordered with the optional ‘range extender,’ a small, 2-cylinder gasoline engine attached to a generator that keeps the car moving for another 80 miles.  If you need more than 160 miles, just fill up the 1.9-gallon gas tank and keep driving.

Unique Aspects of the 2014 BMW i3

As for the rest, a 5-door, 4-passenger urban commuter vehicle is hardly a job description that lends itself to swoopy styling, but however you feel about how the i3 looks, rest assured that it is both beautifully finished and solid as a rock.  And, because of how tall it is, and the way the rear doors are hinged, getting in and out is a breeze.

The interior is just as uniquely styled as the exterior, but it’s remarkably spacious, the seats are comfortable and if the instrument screens and unusual arrangement of the start/stop button and gearshift feel a bit odd at first, they’ll soon seem perfectly logical and easy to use.

Driving Impressions of the 2014 BMW i3

On the road, there ’s one more extraordinary thing to get used to, but also something to enjoy.  The i3 is equipped with a ‘regenerative braking system’ that helps re-charge the battery.  The system will actually bring the car to a complete halt if you take your foot completely off the accelerator.  In practical terms, this means that you drive the i3 mainly with your right foot, using the brake pedal only if you need to stop suddenly.

Once you get used to this procedure, really no different than driving a golf cart, you can start enjoying the silky-smooth acceleration that’s typical of electric cars and especially true of the BMW i3.  The 125-kilowatt electric motor driving the rear wheels produces 170 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, which translates into 0 to 60 mph in seven seconds.  However, from 0 to 45 mph the i3 actually accelerates faster than the 560 horsepower BMW M5 sport sedan!

And that’s really the heart of the matter.  Not only is the BMW i3 high-tech enough to keep your inner space ranger happy, and economical enough to make your inner Scrooge smile, it’s also a gas to drive… so to speak.

A wide selection of 2014 BMW i3s are available at Braman BMW in West Palm Beach and Jupiter and you can lease one for as little as $399 per month. Come in today to drive the future of automobile engineering.