[kasaz]

I finally got my hands on a very rare AZ Hybrid HOV plate.

First order of business was determining what qualifying car would be my ride

I drive 80 miles each way every day and I have grown tired of my 13 CNG Civic...having to fuel everyday sucks to

I purchased a 2016 330e and all I can tell you is this is a fantastic commuter.

I did alot of research prior to buying it, unfortunately all anyone wants to talk about on these cars is how to drive it in all electric mode and squeeze the max MPG rating possible

PFFT, I could care less about that I just wanted a comfortable ride that had decent power that qualified for my plate.

This car will surprise you, online claims are 5.8-6.1s 0-60. I will tell you though in sport with the electric motor and engine combined the instant torque off the line makes it feel even faster than these numbers.

Passing on the highway is great to, it climbs over 100mph pretty damn quick.

I was pretty set on adding a tuner to the car when I bought it, but I'm second guessing it now...especially with having a CPO unlimited warranty for another 2.5 years.

It's a super quiet car which I like for my long commute.

You can easily drive this car as a pure hybrid and never plug it in. The save mode option lets me charge the battery on the go in minutes while driving.

Anyway my first impression review of the car is as a HOV road warrior you would be hard pressed to find a better car.

Added bonuses is blowing past all those damn Prius drivers

[IK6SPEED]

I tried one but couldn’t stand how sluggish it was compared to the ActiveHybrid 3 with a N55 compared to the N26 on the 330e.

Stayed with the ActiveHybrid 3.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

I tried one but couldn’t stand how sluggish it was compared to the ActiveHybrid 3 with a N55 compared to the N26 on the 330e.

Stayed with the ActiveHybrid 3.

I got a 330e loaner and they didn't give me a plug. This was before I got my i3 REx, so I couldn't charge it and the battery was at 0%. I didn't know and didn't know how to charge the battery while I was driving, but I'm guessing it felt really sluggish because of this.

However, I did the autoX in the 530e and it was surprisingly fast and nimble for a 5 series! Do the 330e and 530e share the same drivetrain? I'm convinced that the battery being drained really slowed the car down and that the 330e is a great choice for a commuter car if this is the case. It doesn't look eccentric like the i3, it's faster and more convenient. However there are a few caveats to the 330e:

1) The all electric range is abysmal. I went with an i3 REx simply because I wanted a fully electric commute to save on gas. My fuel expenses were $450/mo with the F80. Now, splitting my commute with the F80 and the i3 it's down to $200 a month.

2) The federal tax credit for the 330e is $4001 as opposed to the $7500 i3 REx credit because the ICE range is greater than the battery range.

3) BMW didn't certify the car completely. The 330e does not qualify for the $2500 state rebate, but the 530e does. It's "Not certified to the required tailpipe emission standard" according to the CVRP website.

#2 and #3 can be solved by addressing #1: increase the electric only range. OR just make the next i3 more in form with a 3 series sedan/hatch.

The MSRP of the i3 REx and 330e are similar, but with the reduced rebates and incentives widen the gap by $6000 favoring the i3 REx. So why don't we have a fully electric 3 series that can take full advantage of these incentives yet?

From a practical engineering standpoint it seems to make sense. The F30 wasn't developed to carry a large battery with a 200+ mile range. However, the eGolf made enough room to have a battery for a 125 mile range, more than enough for the average commute. So where is the electric BMW sedan? The i4 seems to be BMW's answer to that question, and they have recently invested $225 million to make it happen. However, like the iNext electric SAV concept, it has a polarizing forward thinking design that many feel is too radical. The iX3 is closer to what more people want: an electric car without the eccentric electric car aesthetics. With SAVs topping the sales charts overall, it's no surprise, but the 3 series deserves a proper EV too. There are still plenty of us who enjoy driving a lower, sportier sedan over a SAV. Kudos for BMW to committing $250 million to bring the i4 to market, but you don't need nearly as much to give us a 125mi range electric 3 series.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

I tried one but couldn’t stand how sluggish it was compared to the ActiveHybrid 3 with a N55 compared to the N26 on the 330e.

Stayed with the ActiveHybrid 3.

That was harsh! Fair to have your opinion and state it but lets not turn this into another N55 vs. N20/N26 debate...

To each their own and if MPG and hybrid vehicle were paramount - this would be an excellent choice compared to the rest of what that segment has to offer. As would the ActiveHybrid 3.

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by sspade

That was harsh! Fair to have your opinion and state it but lets not turn this into another N55 vs. N20/N26 debate...

To each their own and if MPG and hybrid vehicle were paramount - this would be an excellent choice compared to the rest of what that segment has to offer. As would the ActiveHybrid 3.

OP was one making claims how "fast" and spirited the 330e was. Also spoke that he wanted a hybrid that moved.

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

I tried one but couldn’t stand how sluggish it was compared to the ActiveHybrid 3 with a N55 compared to the N26 on the 330e.

Stayed with the ActiveHybrid 3.

Was gonna say something about the ActiveHybrid 3 but decided to wait on that and come back to this thread but you beat me to it.

[kasaz]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

OP was one making claims how "fast" and spirited the 330e was. Also spoke that he wanted a hybrid that moved.

Active 3 doesn’t qualify for the plate

[kasaz]

Originally Posted by jmg

I got a 330e loaner and they didn't give me a plug. This was before I got my i3 REx, so I couldn't charge it and the battery was at 0%. I didn't know and didn't know how to charge the battery while I was driving, but I'm guessing it felt really sluggish because of this.

However, I did the autoX in the 530e and it was surprisingly fast and nimble for a 5 series! Do the 330e and 530e share the same drivetrain? I'm convinced that the battery being drained really slowed the car down and that the 330e is a great choice for a commuter car if this is the case. It doesn't look eccentric like the i3, it's faster and more convenient. However there are a few caveats to the 330e:

1) The all electric range is abysmal. I went with an i3 REx simply because I wanted a fully electric commute to save on gas. My fuel expenses were $450/mo with the F80. Now, splitting my commute with the F80 and the i3 it's down to $200 a month.

2) The federal tax credit for the 330e is $4001 as opposed to the $7500 i3 REx credit because the ICE range is greater than the battery range.

3) BMW didn't certify the car completely. The 330e does not qualify for the $2500 state rebate, but the 530e does. It's "Not certified to the required tailpipe emission standard" according to the CVRP website.

#2 and #3 can be solved by addressing #1: increase the electric only range. OR just make the next i3 more in form with a 3 series sedan/hatch.

The MSRP of the i3 REx and 330e are similar, but with the reduced rebates and incentives widen the gap by $6000 favoring the i3 REx. So why don't we have a fully electric 3 series that can take full advantage of these incentives yet?

From a practical engineering standpoint it seems to make sense. The F30 wasn't developed to carry a large battery with a 200+ mile range. However, the eGolf made enough room to have a battery for a 125 mile range, more than enough for the average commute. So where is the electric BMW sedan? The i4 seems to be BMW's answer to that question, and they have recently invested $225 million to make it happen. However, like the iNext electric SAV concept, it has a polarizing forward thinking design that many feel is too radical. The iX3 is closer to what more people want: an electric car without the eccentric electric car aesthetics. With SAVs topping the sales charts overall, it's no surprise, but the 3 series deserves a proper EV too. There are still plenty of us who enjoy driving a lower, sportier sedan over a SAV. Kudos for BMW to committing $250 million to bring the i4 to market, but you don't need nearly as much to give us a 125mi range electric 3 series.

Buying new the 530e makes more sense dollars wise

I bought used and couldn’t justify another $10k for the 530e.... same drive I believe so it’s a little slower

Yeah if you ran without electric you were basically driving a 320...

[IK6SPEED]

Originally Posted by kasaz

Active 3 doesn't qualify for the plate

?

[kasaz]

Originally Posted by IK6SPEED

?

Yeah that's why it's like winning the lottery to get one of these plates. Have to find someone selling their car with one and they must be willing to give up the plate and do a title transfer with you.

Then you can plate swap onto a qualifying car....

Been waiting years for this....I was driving a CNG civic which automatically qualifies for a alternative fuel plate (different than the energy efficient plate) but it's a dog for power and I had to stop every day out of my way for fuel

[bimmer456]

Originally Posted by kasaz

Yeah that's why it's like winning the lottery to get one of these plates. Have to find someone selling their car with one and they must be willing to give up the plate and do a title transfer with you.

Then you can plate swap onto a qualifying car....

Been waiting years for this....I was driving a CNG civic which automatically qualifies for a alternative fuel plate (different than the energy efficient plate) but it's a dog for power and I had to stop every day out of my way for fuel

Do you have cng hookup at home?

[kasaz]

Originally Posted by bimmer456

Do you have cng hookup at home?

No my previous house didn't have natural gas. I bought a new home that does however I just didn't want to spend the $10-$12K to put one in hoping I'd get lucky and find a hybrid plate....which I did!