2017 BMW i3 REx: drive review of range-extended electric car

2017 BMW i3 REx range-extended electric car     [photo: Chris Neff]When the history of modern electric cars is written, the BMW i3 will likely go down as something of an anomaly. Its carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic body shell, aluminum underpinnings, and battery-electric powertrain with an optional range extender are a combination not offered by any other maker, now or perhaps ever. We spent four days and 316...

Mazda all but confirms rotary range extender engine for electric car

Rotary engineHow Mazda plans to integrate plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles into its range of increasingly efficient gasoline and diesel models is a topic that interests parts of the global auto industry. In 2019, the small Japanese maker will offer a combustion-engine technology never before achieved in production: a gasoline engine that can work...

BMW i3 electric car quirk: no AM radio offered, but why? (update)

2015 BMW i3 REx  -  Driven, Portland OR, April 2015The BMW i3 electric car is a tour de force of advanced engineering--and it was the most energy-efficient car sold in the U.S. in 2014 and 2015. Its body shell is made of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic, riding on an aluminum platform containing the lithium-ion battery, the electric motor, and the crash structures. But you can't get AM radio in the...

2018 BMW i3 electric car range adds sportier i3s version

2018 BMW i3 and i3sWhile the 2018 BMW i3 will formally debut next week at the Frankfurt auto show, the company has released details ahead of time on the updates to the lineup of its compact electric car. While battery range stays the same as last year, a new i3s model (for Sport) has been added, with revised suspension and a Sport mode added to its drive-mode...

Chevy Bolt EV reviewed by BMW i3 driver: electric cars compared

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV Premier and 2017 BMW i3 electric car, Aug 2017        [photo: Tom Moloughney]Owners of specific electric cars sometimes tend to become boosters and fans for their particular EV as well as plugging in to drive in general. So it was with Tom Moloughney, whose purchase of the very first 2014 BMW i3 REx range-extended electric car in the U.S. he wrote about for us three years ago. That car was regrettably totaled in an...

BMW i3 REx: owner’s 3 years with range-extended electric car

2014 BMW i3 REx range-extended electric car at 3 years   [photo: owner Tom Moloughney]This week, my 2014 i3 REx turned three years old; I picked it up on May 21, 2014. For the most part I’ve been very pleased with the car. It’s definitely not perfect, but then again no car is. It has fit my needs and driving demands perfectly and I only needed to drive on the range extender for about 2,700 of the 71,000 miles that I've...

Mazda’s electric car gets patents for rotary range-extender engine

Mazda Demio EV test-fleet electric car in Japan (aka Mazda2)Recent patent filings suggest Mazda’s next Wankel engine will equip a battery-powered car, not a rear-wheel drive heir to emblematic sports coupes like its RX-7 and RX-8. Mazda has invested more time and money into the rotary engine than any other automaker, so executives are reluctant to let it fade away into history. While the RX-8 has...

2018 BMW i3 preview (including battery rumors)

Section of 2018 BMW i3 spy shot  [image via S. Baldauf/SB-Medien, as used on Motor Authority]This year's updated BMW i3 electric car is only just arriving at U.S. dealerships after a battery-capacity boost that gives it longer range. But already some details of the 2018 BMW i3 have leaked out, in the form of spy photos and further rumors about more battery capacity yet. Unlike our usual previews based on manufacturer releases, then...

BMW i3 plug-in hybrid recall to fix fuel-vapor problem, fire concerns

2017 BMW i3BMW is recalling more than 19,000 i3 REx extended-range electric cars due to concerns over the potential for fires to be started by fuel vapors. The REx uses a small gasoline engine to charge its battery pack, offering a longer range than the all-electric i3 when both gasoline and electric power are used. According to the National Highway Traffic...

2017 BMW i3 preview

2017 BMW i3The 2017 BMW i3 represents the first significant update of BMW's electric car since it went on sale in the U.S. back in May 2014. This mid-cycle refresh includes several updates, most notably a much larger battery pack and a corresponding increase in its EPA-rated range. Battery capacity rises 50 percent, from 22 to 33 kilowatt hours, and BMW says...