Zippy turns 2000!

One of our first big milestones today - 2000 miles!

We headed down the mtn mid-afternoon in order to run some errands outside the boundaries of Boulder - ooh, scary :) As we parked at the Home Depot in "outer Broomfield" we were approached by a fellow who also has an i3 - he was curious about how many miles we are getting on a charge. Our story is definitely much better than what he is experiencing, though I shared the frequently reported differences in mileage based upon city vs. highway driving and the effects of temperature.

Interestingly for us, we traveled 57 miles over the usual very hilly terrain and still had 25% charge when we got home... must be the skilled driver!

• Distance: 57 miles
• Average Speed: 27.1 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 3.9
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X

a tale of two descents

As I have noted on BMW's iForum (and I believe) in a recent post on Mountain i3 - I am eagerly awaiting the day when BMW gives us full access to i3 statistics online. Until then, I am left to take pictures of my trip computer, record them in a spreadsheet, consult the app if I remember before it resets AND only when I am not at home as my garage prevents the car from accessing the internet... ugh.

And this is too bad, because Zippy got quite the workout this past Tuesday. We drove all around Boulder, then to Denver for lunch and then back up the mtn. There were a few L1 charges in the mix and I even found an L2 charger near my downtown Denver lunch destination - but this was one of the first times that I have put 100+ miles on the car while finding effortless opportunities to charge while attending to other matters.

On Tuesday morning I noted the consumption statistics at the bottom of the descent from our home into Boulder... and was pretty darn impressed with my mi/kWh - 15.6! The drive to work is far from over at this point, but I thought I might check consumption at this same point from time-to-time to measure how I am driving and also the effects of other conditions like temp and precip.

My overall drive on Tuesday AM was as follows:

• Distance: 23 miles
• Average Speed: 33.1 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 5.9
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X

And then there was Wednesday morning. The below pic was taken at the same place as the above - 19.6 mi/kWh!

And the final tally for that drive:

• Distance: 18 miles
• Average Speed: 35.2 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 7.8
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X

Up and Down and Up (and through the snow)

What a great day of i3 mountain driving! We left the car in Boulder overnight Wednesday as it snowed a decent amount in-town during the day, we weren't sure how much snow would be up at home and, since we needed to come into town on Thursday AM at the same time, didn't see the need to both drive. It was probably a good idea that we drove our Xterra home that evening as there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground at our house and the mtn road literally hadn't been plowed all day.

Then we come to Thursday. Zippy sat in the cold all night but the charge hadn't dropped at all when I began my drive to work (rolling terrain). I fully charged it (as full as L1 can get) while at work. At the end of the day I picked Laura up from work in Boulder and we headed-up the mtn. The road was plowed by this point, but a mixture of sand and ice. The i3 tires performed admirably per the usual. When we arrived at the base of our narrow, twisting, uphill, gravel driveway I was skeptical. There was at least 6 inches of snow that had now been sitting for 24 hours along with a small bump at the entry from the snowplow. Our neighbors who also use the driveway with their two large 4x4s had cut some tracks, but they are far wider than Zippy's nimble stance. At any rate, Laura was undeterred. I hit the accelerator and we shot right through the snow, around the corner and into our garage - what a victory - I shouldn't have doubted!

My elation was partly due to the fact that we were only going to be home for 10 minutes before heading back down the mountain to have dinner with friends, and then drive back home. I knew we'd be approaching the bottom of the battery by the end of the second ascent and so I'd be shoveling a long driveway in order to get to the charger if Zippy couldn't navigate the snow. 

The night ended successfully - once again Zippy showing his mtn prowess.

• Distance: 49 miles
• Average Speed: 24.5 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 2.9
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X
• Temp: mid teens
• Ascent: just over 5k vertical feet
• All electric miles

Snowy Descent

Another great morning for Zippy. Throughout the drive there was variable snow - anywhere from a dry paved road covered in sand, to .5 inches to an inch of drifted snow... and the car performed admirably. My wife followed me in our Xterra and slid through a few corners while the i3 stuck to every corner and allowed me to maintain very consistent speeds even given the conditions. I previously described the topography of the hilly part of our commute - a quick elevation profile from Google is included in this post.

• Distance: 23 miles
• Average Speed: 29.1 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 4.5
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X
• Temp: 
• All electric miles

Zippy's new friend

Yesterday was a great morning in our EV garage! A very talented and efficient electrician from Boulder headed up the mountain and installed our BMW i Charging Station - yep, I was one of those people that went for the branded charger. There was no specific reason for going with the BMW charger, but it does look nice and Zippy appreciates the high-end treatment. If anyone in the Boulder area needs installation services - I strongly recommend the individual who assisted us. 

And stay tuned for the next evolution in how we charge the i3 - it's gonna be great!

Back up the mtn

Pretty straight-forward drive home tonight with one stop in-town for an after work run up one of the Boulder peaks. Unfortunately I cannot get the recuperation stats for the drive as, once I park the car in my garage, no more app connectivity (which I ask about in this post on BMW's new forum).

• Distance: 22 miles
• Average Speed: 29.4 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 3.1
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): X
• Temp: 58 to 45 degrees
• All electric miles

BMW=awesome! BMW Financial Services - reputation risk :(

While my intent for Mountain i3 is to be focused on performance (and misadventures) of daily EV driving in a mountain environment, I can't help but share just a bit about the phone call that I just had with BMW Financial Services - it was both frustrating and comedic.. when viewed through the right glasses.

As a disclaimer - I know that there is a disposition fee ($350) at the end of a BMW lease... I'm not claiming that I was ignorant and should therefore be forgiven. I always remember learning the Latin phrase "ignorantia legis non excusat" as a young child helping his Mom to study for her degree as a legal secretary. 

At any rate - I called BMW FS because I received the lease disposition bill which also included a number of excessive wear charges for the BMW 335xi that I returned immediately prior to our recent i3 purchase. This took me particularly off-guard as the representatives at my local BMW dealer remarked about what a well appointed car our particular i3 was and also noted the great condition even after three years of extensive driving (on many mtn roads, no less). Without prompting they told me there would be no issues. Though the BMW FS representative was very hard to understand, he basically chastised me for thinking that the car was in good condition and, when I inquired about the role of the excessive wear coverage that I purchased at the beginning of the lease, told me a in a very rapid and condescending tone that I'd need to take that up with the 3rd party insurance company and I ought to know that. This, of course, leaves me very dissatisfied. Besides thoroughly enjoying the performance and comfort of BMW automobiles, a primary reason for my continued business is the excellent service and support that I have literally experienced at every turn over the last seven years... until now.

Of note - my local BMW dealer - Gebhardt BMW - is a pillar of service, support and positive experiences. Both the sales (Kory, Brandon) and service (Bill - you rock) are both professional and a pleasure.

Since I was on the phone with captain rudeness, I decided to ask him about the disposition fee. I noted that I just purchased a <$ exact amount omitted - expensive) experimental vehicle from BMW that, though great so far, is still a risk - and that I showed my confidence in BMW by fully purchasing the vehicle. He said that he could only do me the courtesy of waiving the fee if I continued to "do business with BMW." Of course, this was the wrong thing to say - I quickly pointed-out that I'm not only still doing business but I have invested and see myself as partnering with BMW given the unique nature of the i3. He quickly corrected himself and said that he could only "do me the courtesy if I continued to do business with BMW Financial Services." I asked for an escalation path and he told me that he was a senior manager - I respectfully expressed my concern for the customer service habits he was then modeling for others in his organization. I once again calmly expressed that I was disappointed that my recent investment was of no interest to BMW FS and he basically told me that the loans are all that matter to him.

I'm obviously paraphrasing and, again, I'm not debating whether I am obligated to pay for at least part of the bill I received... I just expected a higher quality experience. I'm still proud to be part of the revolution.

First post - down the mtn

I always start endeavors like this with the best intentions to keep consistent records... let's just home that Mountain i3 gets more attention that my trail running blog! 

At any rate, my wife and I live at about 7200 feet in the foothills above Boulder, CO and we purchased a 2014 i3 REX GigaWorld in December 2014. The first 1.5 miles from our home are on a gravel road with 207 vertical feet of descending and then 291 feet of climbing until we reach the paved road which then climbs another 600 vertical feet before a 5 mile winding descent of around 2400 vertical feet. I then drive an additional 12 miles over hilly highway terrain to my office - reversing this route on the way home. We try to carpool most weekdays - driving the i3 about 50 miles on a typical weekday through a combination of mtn roads (gravel and paved), city streets and highway.

The roads were clear today and the temp when leaving our house was in the mid-40s. Key stats:

• Distance: 21.7 miles
• Average Speed: 28.1 mph
• Consumption (mi/kWh): 6.8
• Recuperation (mi/kWh): 8.9
• All electric miles