BMW i3 | Fully Charged

The BMW i3 was launched last year but is already available in the UK. I very much enjoyed driving it, although briefly. Not only is it an amazing car, but the way it's manufactured and what it's made from is equally impressive.
www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/new-vehicl...

[@FilipeFerro]

I love this car. I test drove it for a whole day and it was so much fun. Charging is still a major problem if you live in a condo/apartment :/ but if DC fast chargers become more common, waiting 20 minutes every few days wouldn't be so bad.

[@Ritcheyyy]

Hell yes I want this car, I will buy it in about 4 years, already have 10+kW of solar on the roof, amazing

[@khw0ng_]

one of the best electric car

[@futurepower89]

Glad to see you're making vids again!

[@Project-Air]

Great show as usual! I was looking forward to you reviewing the i3.

[@norwegianzound]

What amazes me is how he kept the windows clear in that rain. My fogs up like a pea souper in the wet, unless I put the aircon on full blast. The heater is rubbish as well. It's either on at 28 degrees melting my face or cold once I put it at any number below 25 degrees. Otherwise I love it.

[@addisonphillips245]

Nicely represented the concept! Great!

[@SuperNano2020]

what a great episode! :)

[@stephenralph7480]

An i3 with the range extender engine has to be the next car for me. An excellent vehicle that will be so cheap to run compared with my 2003 Audi A6 Avant dual fuel Petrol/LPG.

[@FIuxWave]

awesome!

[@JohnInSale]

Nice film, i hope they'll lend you one and you can do a proper real world review over a period of time !!!

[@AlanStainer]

I am not normally a BMW fan, but this actually makes me want to have one. Jealous of *****

[@PeterVanNess_ThePaver]

+Jason Munro, I'm thinking the goal wasn't to have perfect competition but to give the driver's an experience they wouldn't forget.

[@Beanoraa5]

Hi Robert would really love an electric car but can't afford the high price of a new one, would you recommend a secondhand model. I see the first generation Leaf with low miles are about £10,000 now,would these be a good buy and what should I look out for when buying a used electric car. Thanks

[@Dave23547]

How did those skinny tires handle the wet road - how well did the i3 grip the road.

[@HesteBremse]

Sorry but I have wanted to say this for a while now. I enjoy fully charged since it is a different kind of Auto Show and a very needed one. But please Mr. Robert Llewellyn - I think it would be such an extra bonus to the shows if you could get a few track/driving courses - Because after all FC is focused on cars. I know it is not something that is absolutely necessary to make the show work - Most of the shows work quite well and the main message of going green comes though, but there is always that little ehh! when it comes around automotive enthusiasm. Looking at what is coming to the market of new EV´s and Hybrids I think knowing a little bit more about driving, handling etc. would be a great addition to review the cars. As an example this i3 show was unfortunately not one of the best Fully Charged episodes I have seen. Too little car shown and too much face being slightly scared of going to the BMW test. Compare this FC i3 vid to the one made by XCAR and there is such a huge difference in the attitude, the information delivered and the questions being raised and answered - And XCAR is after all a fairly traditional "Petrol Heads" car channel - But their presentation made a much better promotion for the i3 and clarifying why one would opt for an i3 or not - all leading to promote an EV. And honestly the i3 is not just any new EV, it is by far the most sustainable production car in the world right now, so it deserves some serious reviewing. Not knowing what an M3 is simply making any car enthusiast run away pulling their hairs out and shaking their heads of such an automotive incompetence and lack of knowledge in automotive history. Please fully charged you need to get the show to go one notch up to reach a bigger audience and to promote green driving. I wish you good wind in 2014 and I hope the shows will become better and contain more depth to the issues portrayed.

[@HesteBremse]

***** I´m a liberal hipster too and i´d still expect more, which he by the way actually managed to deliver this year

[@ekhaat]

Awesome - any price compared to say the Leaf?

[@luckym0nk3y]

this is a super show and Robert is doing a great job at it. know him from the scrapheap challenge and saw this one day pass by on KZbin. there is only one thing, I do not know how to pronounce his last name! (ilwin) ?

[@MrDannyk123]

+luckym0nk3y Llewellyn=le-well-in. It's Welsh.

[@johnbenton4488]

The BMW badge invariably comes at a cost. No doubt the I3 will find customers, but I will not be among them.

[@FoxFox-zi8pg]

Hi I'm in the market to buy my second ev I've owned a gen 2 leaf very happy with that I'm just wondering I've got a budget of around £40.000 I do love the look of the I 3 and now they have new battery pack longer range seems even better any ideas and models too go for thank you

[@msyin9]

What is the charging station availability like in London? Are more and more places putting up EV charging points? Are EV's exempt from congestion charging? Glad to see you back on YT looking forward to more videos!

[@fullychargedshow]

There are now 10's of thousands of charge points around the UK, many 100's in London. The UK motorway network will have rapid chargers at every services by end of this year, 90% of EV owners charge their cars 90% of the time at home, it's an emerging technology and things are evolving in ways no one could plan for. Yes, EV's are exempt from congestion charge and currently exempt from road tax. Yes, zero road tax for EV's.

[@fullychargedshow]

I meant to put this link in my reply. Zap Map of electric charge points in UK www.zap-map.com/#x=51.5/y=-0.13/z=9

[@whelkschance]

fullychargedshow Is the charge time "linear"? For example, is it the same time required to charge the last 10% of capacity as the first 10%? I ask as I expect for short commutes or trips to the shops, people are very rarely going to drain the charge right down. Similar to how we mostly keep laptops plugged in 90% of the time - and they "trickle charge" the last few percent. Shame about the 100 mile range. I still can't visit my parents in one of these: Cardiff Portsmouth (~150 miles). Loving the show, thanks for doing this.

[@msyin9]

Fantastic news! The EVoultion of transport is becoming more and more mainstream every day.

[@msyin9]

When you go to recharge the amount of "juice" you get is initially the same upon starting the process regardless of your battery level but goes down as you near full, from what I understand. With increased access to charging stations in town and on motor ways you will still be able to visit your mum as the network area increases. Best to keep an eye on the roll out so you can plan your trip.

[@saajidazhar1543]

What’s the name of the king at the beginning?

[@0tispunkm3y3r]

Aluminium passenger compartment? I thought the passenger cell was CRP. This was what all the fuss was about with this car, productionised carbon fibre based passenger cell! Aluminium one has been done already i think in the way ahead of its time Audi A2.

[@TVFILMBUFF]

The advert was odd to say the least... but the thing that striked me the most was that after all the doom and gloom they show the 2 electric cars *completely alone* on the streets of the megacity. Wait, what? You just said that there will be an over population of cars on the roads in the future. At least show the electric cars sitting in grid lock lol

[@fullychargedshow]

Good point. Car company PR departments love empty city roads, I drive around for hours looking for them.

[@TVFILMBUFF]

fullychargedshow Have you ever been specifically asked to shoot footage of cars you've been given to road test in clear traffic conditions only? Or has it been more of a design choice on your part? Dont get me wrong, I completely understand why a normal advert (and even your car reviews) prefer clean product placements. But for the message that this ad was trying to convey, it was a bit strange. Well... as strange as the advert's message was in the first place I guess.

[@CarsMutley1995]

Its not a looker though, is it?

[@HesteBremse]

Not at first glance and it is different and especially being a BMW. But take a look at this i3 when it gets a little styling applied: www.worldcarfans.com/114013069526/lumma-design-shows-off-the-clr-i3--clr-i8-concepts/lowphotos#1

[@Esl1999]

I do believe those 2 BMWs drove by a Soylent Green dispenser. Mr. Robert Fully Charged Llewellyn, I just looked up the prices for the base i3 and base 60kw Model S before tax incentives. In the US its $49,000 for the BMW and $71,000 for the Tesla. I think Elon and his team put together the best overall package for the price. Remember, there was a 40kw version at one time that retailed for $59,000. For 10 grand more you would've had greater range, far more luggage space, faster acceleration, greater collision protection and dare I say a more attractive car. The i3 is a better choice if you want to look funky while parking in a small garage.

[@Jag-Soft]

trouble is with these electric cars they make them look really weird and most of them aren't that nice to look at (not saying all) so it puts people off driving them. they are really good ideas though and with in time they are getting so much better :)

[@Nichen]

if you don't like the looks...take an existing petrol car and convert it to electric!

[@Jag-Soft]

True but it's Usualy shit lol

[@VideoreviewInfo]

The e-Golf looks like the petrol Golf .... but i like the i3 more in Design :p

[@Dave23547]

A agree with Sale-Shark. Do another review; this one was overly contained by BMW.

[@gene978]

I was s happy for you to bad it was pouring out. I know you had a lot of fun just the same but it would of been a little more enlightening to be more sure footed.

[@swanvictor887]

25/9/2022 - aww video won't play, guess my laptop can't play old black & white movies lol.....

[@derekchapman1328]

No sign of Sabina Schmitz then?

[@manoman0]

When will you test the i8?

[@Ritcheyyy]

No need, too expensive

[@SlowCarToChina]

Noisy windscreen wipers?? That would drive me crazy. :'(

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

It looks like a SUV that got shrunk.

[@lucasskywalker]

Great video, and cool car. Still, as for population control, one could remove all Americans and British citizens and not make a dent in the problem. Someone needs to call China and India to get the ball rolling. Most modern families are already having less than one child on average.

[@fullychargedshow]

I understand what you are saying although the comment about families in developed nations having 'less than one child' left me confused. I suppose that means they don't have children at all, which statistically is not the case. There are however many myths about population and birth rates. They have fallen very dramatically globally in every country except Afghanistan and certain Saharan African states. In India, when women are allowed an education and any access to birth control, birth rates drop dramatically, in China where the 1 child per couple law has been in place for many years, population growth has levelled off. In Japan and Russia in particular, population numbers are dropping very dramatically with enormous complications and challenges. Europe's population is dropping, only kept level by immigration and I believe the USA is in a similar position. Essentially the human race is starting to have fewer babies.

[@lucasskywalker]

This was great information all around. My concern has been that smaller nations that are seemingly taking responsibility for birth rates are heavily guilted by countries that have massive population problems. Geographically, it would "seem" that China and India need to reduce by 3/4s to be in line with the rest of the population. Tough subject I know. At a minimum, a two child per couple rule would at least halt growth. The USA is already averaging 1.5 and trending to 1 to .5 meaning many aren't having any kids at all or waiting so long that they can't.

[@sarfaraz.hosseini]

+Hammond Organ China's population is declining rapidly. They had to slow the decline by ending the one-child policy, but it is still in freefall.

[@nitramluap]

It's all about what each human consumes, how likely your child is to survive to adulthood, and what you need children for. A subsaharan African would have to have more than 50 children to have a greater impact on the planet than a single US child so it's terribly arrogant to be telling developing countries to limit their birth rate. The way to reduce their populations is to increase access to healthcare, vaccinations, etc. and *educate women*. The reality? We're going to overshoot as a species, no matter what and the consequences will be dire. I suspect the worst will occur long after I'm gone so I feel sorry for future generations, but I'm trying to do my part for them. As for the planet? It will be fine, but humans will take many species with them as they self-destruct.

[@manoman0]

GM was first. lol

[@AlanFrance21]

The range is hopeless, even with the lawnmower engine in the boot.

[@ShaunDobbie]

belson alan Yes, unfortunately not good enough for your 200 mile daily commute, is it?

[@MRcookyies]

FIRST!!

[@DanFrederiksen]

Except the i8 is a dumb combustion engine car. Not the right drivetrain type like i3 has. Which I think was a big mistake. It's interesting they are willing to humiliate their M3 a little bit. I wonder if HQ approved that. As for the advert, stupid kneejerk interpretations of what an electric car is are very common, certainly among the old garde of automakers. Some obtuse people just see the electric car as a reminder of problems and they want to be mean to it whereas better minds see it as a lovely solution to problems. Envisioning the i3 as a city car is a classic stupidity. And imbuing it with dystopian city growth is completely organic to that stupidity. Death and destruction should be themes in their ICE car ads where they belong. That's the difficulty the old garde has. To tell the truth about how great electric cars are you have to tell the truth about how terrible most of their own products are. And evil man has a hard time with that :) So he makes up defensive illusions in his mind like 'city car'. BMW doesn't quite understand what their i-line means for their old cars.

[@z00h]

3:48 hang on a minute, so how does the shell find its way into Leipzig? Through a 100% ecomentalistfriendly means of teleportation? No? I thought so. Stop spitting rubbish please. And to think that I have to contribute to this nonsense through government contributions.

[@mattetjus]

actually, tankers and freighters/cargo ships have very low emissions per mass carried. if there is land transport aswell and it's done on rails, i'd guess its relatively 'green' despite shipping.

[@msyin9]

By the way, the commercial you showed us was the most depressing, off putting, negativity based ad I have ever seen for a product. Anyone would think it was an ad for not buying a car, having a baby or living for the next 37 years because it is too much on the planet. Who came up with such a rubbish ad?