Hi my name’s Katie and I work for EVision Electric Vehicles as a Marketing Assistant. Despite working here for a couple of months, I took my first proper drive in an electric vehicle this week! I chose to drive the iconic BMW i3 as I felt it would be the perfect car to start off with – boy was I right!
Range anxiety?
Let’s start with the topic that’s always at the forefront of people’s minds! Range anxiety is always spoken about when discussing electric vehicles. I know lots of people fear running out of miles when driving any electric vehicle so I was keen to see how I would feel.
The BMW i3 has a range of 190 miles and the trip I made was 150 miles in total. This left me with plenty of miles spare. That being said, I did feel myself checking how many miles I had left on my journey home. (That could just be because it’s shown on the dashboard right in front of you!)
Of course, an electric vehicle’s range does depend on a number of different factors. These include the heating and air con settings and traffic conditions.
I wouldn’t say I was overly anxious that I would run out of miles before getting home, but the rush hour traffic did spark a few worries. However, I knew there were a few public charging points on my route home so I had planned to stop if necessary.
Regenerative braking
One thing I loved while driving the i3 was the regenerative braking system that’s fitted. I’m sure anyone who has a BMW i3, or any EV, also loves this feature. It really does create a new way to drive.
When taking your foot off the accelerator pedal, the regenerative system kicks in. This means you don’t have to use the brake pedal an awful lot! The system works to transform the vehicle’s kinetic energy into electricity.
This means that while you’re using electricity driving the vehicle, some miles are stored for later. While driving I noticed that the range would increase by a couple of miles every now and then where these have been transferred back to the battery.
Tech!
This is the part I was most excited for. Electric vehicles are known for their first-class technology. I was really impressed with how much comes in an i3 for a relatively small electric vehicle (I can only imagine how blown away I’ll be when faced with Tesla tech!).
The i3 is jam-packed with modern technology and most importantly it’s super easy to use! I was able to connect my mobile phone to the vehicle’s iDrive within minutes.
About half way through my journey home, my phone battery died which left me without my GPS route. Luckily, the BMW i3 is fitted with voice control tech which meant I could tell the car my destination and set a new route using the integrated navigation system.
The range of technology continues, offering drivers a range of parking and collision avoidance systems. There are so many available parking aids on the i3, including a rear-view camera and proximity sensors.
Comfort and driving experience
BMW has designed the i3 with brilliant, high-quality materials. The i3 is the first car to be constructed using carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. This is an extremely strong material, but very lightweight. It looks super smart and professional.
Individual carbon fibers are seamlessly integrated with polymer to construct the passenger frame. This creates an exceptionally rigid and lightweight structure that enhances the performance and safety of the vehicle.
Hire an i3 today!
I would thoroughly recommend the i3 to anyone who is new to electric cars or looking to start their EV journey. Here at EVision, you can choose to hire the BMW i3 94AH, 120AH or the i3 Black from only £13.81 per day!
Feel free to contact our team of friendly EV experts if you need any further information, advice or support. You can give them a call on 01634 914 063, drop them an email at mail@evisionevs.co.uk or take a look at all of our available electric vehicles here.
* All prices based on a 3 year rental. All information correct as of 20/09/2021.
