Quote:
On May 17, MLG Automotive Law filed a national class action lawsuit against BMW North America, LLC alleging that the i3’s “Range Extender” feature is defective.
“These cars are flat out dangerous,” said Jonathan Michaels, founding member of MLG Automotive Law. “It is only a matter of time before someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed because of this.
“We need to do all we can to prevent that from happening,” he said. “Class actions are not quick, but we intend to vigorously litigate this for the quickest resolution possible.”
Quote:
The case, “Edo Tsoar v. BMW North America, LLC” takes issue with the performance of the BMW i3’s Range Extender, or “REx,” feature. REx outfits the i3 with a two-cylinder gasoline engine capable of producing 34 horsepower, which turns on when the battery charge is down to its final 5 percent.
However, according to the lawsuit, a drastic decrease in the vehicle’s performance accompanies the gasoline engine. It alleges that a car full with passengers or moving up a hill experiences difficulties with the low charge in REx mode, even dropping speeds down to 45 mph on the freeway without warning.
Quote:
“The BMW i3 Range Extender feature is a dangerous instrumentality to the owners of the vehicles and to other motorists on the road,” Mr. Michael said. “Having a sudden and unexpected loss of power in a motor vehicle can result in a catastrophic situation for all those on the road. These cars are dangerous and should not be driven.”
In addition to compensating the owners, who were allegedly misled and endangered, the lawsuit aims to have i3 vehicles redesigned and repaired at BMWs expense and to halt i3 sales until the matter is resolved.
https://www.luxurydaily.com/lawsuit-alleges-safety-and-performance-issues-in-bmw-i3-models/
The gasoline engine is making only 34 HP, it may not be able to charge the battery if the car is moving at speed of 70-80 MPH.
With electric motor at 170 HP, it needs a lot more juice than the 34 HP gasoline engine can provide(via battery).
It is possible that when battery is emptied the 34 HP gasoline can only provide so much power to the battery, therefore the speed is reduced to much slower than the flow of traffic on most Interstate Highways.
Did any one test how much power an EV uses at different speeds on highway ? something like 50 MPH, 60 MPH, 70 MPH and 80 MPH ? I bet that an EV consumes much more power at 80 MPH than 40-50 MPH, just like ICE vehicle (may be more).
On May 17, MLG Automotive Law filed a national class action lawsuit against BMW North America, LLC alleging that the i3’s “Range Extender” feature is defective.
“These cars are flat out dangerous,” said Jonathan Michaels, founding member of MLG Automotive Law. “It is only a matter of time before someone is going to get seriously hurt or killed because of this.
“We need to do all we can to prevent that from happening,” he said. “Class actions are not quick, but we intend to vigorously litigate this for the quickest resolution possible.”
Quote:
The case, “Edo Tsoar v. BMW North America, LLC” takes issue with the performance of the BMW i3’s Range Extender, or “REx,” feature. REx outfits the i3 with a two-cylinder gasoline engine capable of producing 34 horsepower, which turns on when the battery charge is down to its final 5 percent.
However, according to the lawsuit, a drastic decrease in the vehicle’s performance accompanies the gasoline engine. It alleges that a car full with passengers or moving up a hill experiences difficulties with the low charge in REx mode, even dropping speeds down to 45 mph on the freeway without warning.
Quote:
“The BMW i3 Range Extender feature is a dangerous instrumentality to the owners of the vehicles and to other motorists on the road,” Mr. Michael said. “Having a sudden and unexpected loss of power in a motor vehicle can result in a catastrophic situation for all those on the road. These cars are dangerous and should not be driven.”
In addition to compensating the owners, who were allegedly misled and endangered, the lawsuit aims to have i3 vehicles redesigned and repaired at BMWs expense and to halt i3 sales until the matter is resolved.
https://www.luxurydaily.com/lawsuit-alleges-safety-and-performance-issues-in-bmw-i3-models/
The gasoline engine is making only 34 HP, it may not be able to charge the battery if the car is moving at speed of 70-80 MPH.
With electric motor at 170 HP, it needs a lot more juice than the 34 HP gasoline engine can provide(via battery).
It is possible that when battery is emptied the 34 HP gasoline can only provide so much power to the battery, therefore the speed is reduced to much slower than the flow of traffic on most Interstate Highways.
Did any one test how much power an EV uses at different speeds on highway ? something like 50 MPH, 60 MPH, 70 MPH and 80 MPH ? I bet that an EV consumes much more power at 80 MPH than 40-50 MPH, just like ICE vehicle (may be more).
