BMW I3 looks like a VERY important milestone

[BlueStreak]

8. Exactly. If a person needs a pick-up truck to pull a horse trailer 400 miles a day

then this is not viable. But these numbers get into the sweet spot for probably 85% of families around the country. And other than the Volt, all the other EVs so far have been viable for at most 2% of the public.

Let's put it another way. Ignoring the comfort factor, and just focusing on getting from Point A to Point B, let's say you live in the suburbs of Philadelphia, and work in the city 4 days a week at a round trip of 50 miles. But one day a week, you have to go to Boston, DC, or Norfolk, and that may be a round trip of 600-700. Which cars are going to be best for you?

Leaf and Tesla are simply not viable. Who is going to want to stop halfway through that trip and search for a plug-in, then wait an hour to get juiced, and also have to do the same at the destination? It is theoretically possible to make that trip, but only 1% of the public would put up with that.

This BMW and the Volt will handle that no problem. The BMW has a shorter gas range. I'm guessing it has a ~2 gallon gas tank, so you would have to stop a few times to gas up, but that is a 3 minute stop.

I'd have to compare the Volt and BMW closely to see which would be preferable. The battery range is much higher on the BMW, so if it has enough room, that would be my choice. In my personal case, there are many days when I do 50-60 mile round trips. I don't know how the prices compare when you have the 650cc gas option on the BMW. Actually, the vehicle I will want is the next size up from this I3. I bet we'll see that in another 18 months.