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Comment by caycep | Hacker News Reader

that being said, I'm wondering why companies don't double down on the BMW i3 model vs. the tesla X/Y/big SUV model? The i3 is 3000 lbs or less, and when it was discontinued, it had a bigger battery pack, and plenty of range and room for a family. In my mind, it's ideal...and it wasn't like there wasn't a market for it, as demand apparently was growing right up until end of production

I otherwise agree that American cities and suburbs need a healthy injection of bicycling adoption, infrastructure and design.

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i3 is one of the vehicles that designers thought end user is a "eco freak" vs "normal person". It's pleasant to drive, but extremely ugly.

I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. The i3 styling was clearly distinguished from other BMWs and not in a good way.

I was actually talking to a Volvo designer at a talk here - I am a huge Polestar One/Volvo Concept Coupe/P1800 design fan and wanted to ask him about continuing that line of design. his point was, that body shape, the classical "beautiful" profile - long hood, cabin all the way back, was really that way in order to accommodate large V8/V10 racing engines, large transmissions, etc. With EV's, no need to accommodate such things, and they could better economize the use of space.

When the i3 first came out, I would be inclined to agree with you - it's the opposite of the E9 or the E46. But the late-generation models have been growing on me, once the context for which they were designed became more clear.

The i3 interior is fantastic, though

>The i3 is 3000 lbs or less, and when it was discontinued, it had a bigger battery pack

Wikipedia says that the i3 had at best a 42 kWh battery pack. The smallest battery that Tesla will ship you inside a car these days is 60 kWh (Model 3 Standard Range).

I think that was the point of a recent article - Niedermayer, I think - most of the driving I do is commuting, and I don't really need more than the 150 mile range that 42 kWh pack gives you...

The flip side is the smallest Tesla is 3700 lbs or so, vs i3 is a hair under 3000

Technologies evolve, though, so I feel like the next (potential) revolution is to use a light CFRP chassis like the i3 w/ next gen batteries.

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