Chevy Bolt EV Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

My Response to Bolt EV vs i3 vs LEAF

Jump to Latest
  • Hey Guest, welcome to ChevyBolt.org. We encourage you to register to engage in conversations about your Bolt.
  • Battery replacement master thread - please do not create a new thread.
21 - 40 of 95 Posts
#22 ·
#24 ·
Both of those cars--Leaf and I3 suck in range performance and mx costs. We needed a new commuter car. Bolt EV won the competition. Bolt EV performance has way surpassed our bench marks and expectations.
I thumb my nose at the leaf and I3 suckers. They been had! Sucks to be them.
 
#25 ·
I had a chance to take a look at i3 at a recent trade show. It was by all means a nice car, especially from a driver's standpoint. Front row was comfortable and roomy even though the car itself looked small. I didn't have a chance to test drive it, but I suspect it'd drive nicely, too, given the brand.

That being said, the rear side was another matter entirely. The back row was okay, but the way door opens was strange and the space was just passable for a small car. Then I looked at the trunk. Why was the battery pack sticking out of the floor and eating up the space on the bottom? I heard a lot of bad rap from Kona drivers that Bolt's trunk was small, but that's nothing compared to i3. I've been driving my Bolt EV around the country quite comfortably with my 4-member family full of stuff and it was clear that i3 wasn't going to cut it.

All this for less range and higher price tag. The final impression I was left with was that I made the right choice with Bolt EV, by far. I'd say that i3 would've been an interesting choice in a world where Leaf was the car to compare to. But That is not the world we live in anymore.
 
#26 ·
The I3 is available for less than half of sticker used with few miles, while many Bolts I see used are still around 90 percent of sticker. I always believe the market will dictate true value. The I3 in my mind is a true compliance car, no more, no less.
 
#27 ·
wesley said:
Why was the battery pack sticking out of the floor and eating up the space on the bottom? I heard a lot of bad rap from Kona drivers that Bolt's trunk was small, but that's nothing compared to i3.
Click to expand...
All the images I see show the floor flat with the hatch opening. I'm wondering if interior space is the same regardless of REX (genset) or pure BEV?



Image


Image
 
#28 · (Edited)
redpoint5 said:
All the images I see show the floor flat with the hatch opening. I'm wondering if interior space is the same regardless of REX (genset) or pure BEV?



Image


Image
Click to expand...
Sorry, Bolt EV mindset was speaking here. You know that you can remove the floor pad on the Bolt's trunk space to reveal more space in the lower area? If you do that with i3 the battery will already be taking up that space. Hence, "sticking out". Not that it's higher than the nominal floor level.

EDIT: Or, that was what I was told of the metal housing that was taking up the space by the person explaining the car. Apparently it's the motor assembly, not the battery. That the space is taken unlike Bolt is still valid.
 
#29 ·
theeulogy said:
The I3 is available for less than half of sticker used with few miles, while many Bolts I see used are still around 90 percent of sticker. I always believe the market will dictate true value. The I3 in my mind is a true compliance car, no more, no less.
Click to expand...
I think it's basically been established for a while now it's a compliance car. I mean BMW even lobbied CARB to allow the REx i3's to qualify for credits as a BEV instead of a PHEV. That's why they artificially limited the i3 gas tank's capacity 3/4th of a gallon or so and eliminated hold mode in the US. But CARB said no.
 
#30 ·
NewsCoulomb said:
I decided to respond to an article by Zachary Shahan that I felt misrepresented the Bolt EV. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I am getting tired of EV "advocates" and "authorities" misrepresenting the Bolt EV on a regular basis.

https://youtu.be/1mFgx6U67d8

Original article I am responding to (judge for yourselves): https://cleantechnica.com/2018/07/14/bmw-i3-vs-chevy-bolt-vs-nissan-leaf-comparison-review/
Click to expand...
NewsCoulomb, I think your criticism is well placed, and after reading the original article from Shahan, I can't help but wonder if he didn't test drive the Bolt from something he read? Pretty low quality review from someone who touts himself as "in the know" on EV's. He's not sure how he missed noticing that the Bolt comes to a complete stop? Clearly the article he made his test drive from didn't go into very much detail regarding regenerative braking and one-pedal driving. Like you, I get how some will be taken by the i3's style, after all, it is a BMW. I could probably even learn to like the teensy-weensy thing myself, complete with bicycle tires, but the expectations BMW has ingrained in me make it difficult to look at something with pushcart performance in the same way. I can't get my head around the fact that it is actually a BMW! There is just something wrong in my view about dropping 65K on a car that resembles, in both style and performance, the thing my wife uses to pickup groceries. I mean, spot-weld a handle on the back roof line and mount a carrying rack under the front nose and you hardly have a reason to leave it in the parking lot. Just push it through the front doors and start shopping. But thats just me, and it doesn't mean that there isn't lots to take note of with the i3, namely for me, exterior parts, frame and cockpit. If BMW would lose the REX and give it a 200+ all electric mile range, I would have bought one yesterday. The 2017 i3 might make a good comparison with the first Gen Leaf, but compared to the Bolt, the i3 is out of its league here.
 
#32 ·
Fivedoor said:
The thing I noticed the most about the guy is that he emphasized several times that you could get a used BMW i3 for the same price as a brand new Bolt EV Premier.... like that was a good thing!

Keith
Click to expand...
Even if it's the same price, I'm not sure why you would buy the i3 unless you really want a BMW EV.
 
#33 ·
I am simply not a fan of the i3 - there are better cars for the money - the Bolt clearly being one of them - no matter how much of an advocate I am for EV's - if someone has their heart set on an i3 I give them my honest opinion that it's not a car I would recommend - for what ever that's worth!! LOL
 
#34 ·
I seriously want Tesla to come out with a true $35k Model 3. I would actually consider replacing my 2012 Volt with a SR Model 3 (assuming the Volt was on its last legs...still going strong though) if Tesla actually produced the $35k Model 3. While I can't stand most of Tesla's fans and its CEO, the products themselves are mostly fine (along with all the overworked employees).
 
#35 ·
Dimitrij said:
I have now read some excerpts from Shahan's article … here is what I am seeing: The dude likes his i3, so he made up a whole lot of "facts" to justify his preference. Very human and/but not very professional.
Click to expand...
Confirmation bias, especially around the purchase decisions we have made and "need" to be sure of/proud of, is insanely hard to avoid. Especially when it comes to car ownership.
 
#36 ·
readysetawesome said:
Confirmation bias, especially around the purchase decisions we have made and "need" to be sure of/proud of, is insanely hard to avoid. Especially when it comes to car ownership.
Click to expand...
Agreed, but good "journalists" who could possibly influence the decisions of many others have a responsibility to be as objective as possible.

Unfortunately, that type of journalist is rare on the internet, and I am afraid a dying breed in mainstream media though I suspect in that case it is more through corporate-mandated rules and stories rather than the lack of journalists wanting to operate that way.
 
#37 ·
He did that as well when he was "into" the Leaf a few years ago. The Leaf could do no wrong. So now it's the i3? Tastes improve over time, I guess. i3 is an amazing piece of technology way ahead of the any Leaf new or old. But it's still somewhat of a niche vehicle. All in all concerning Shahan's "journalism" I got tired of his website / blog; he was barely holding it together a year or so ago and hired his sister to do a bunch of soft news articles on the Leaf. That got pretty old. EV Obsession / Cleantechnica just seemed a bit over the top after a while. Just too much cross pollination going on there for my taste. EVO didn't have enough fresh journalism at that time but I just went back there and it seems they have so new writers but they're focusing more on the Euro / China markets.
 
#38 ·
neutrondrip said:
Agreed, but good "journalists" who could possibly influence the decisions of many others have a responsibility to be as objective as possible.

Unfortunately, that type of journalist is rare on the internet, and I am afraid a dying breed in mainstream media though I suspect in that case it is more through corporate-mandated rules and stories rather than the lack of journalists wanting to operate that way.
Click to expand...

"Journalists" typically work for reputable news sources, and are held to high standards of integrity.

"Bloggers" write whatever the heck they want, with few consequences for disseminating incorrect information.

I'd rate Shahan as a hack blogger.
 
#40 ·
bro1999 said:
I seriously want Tesla to come out with a true $35k Model 3. I would actually consider replacing my 2012 Volt with a SR Model 3 (assuming the Volt was on its last legs...still going strong though) if Tesla actually produced the $35k Model 3. While I can't stand most of Tesla's fans and its CEO, the products themselves are mostly fine (along with all the overworked employees).
Click to expand...
I'm going to start my wait for the $35,000 Model Y now, that way I'll be sick of waiting just as the next GM model actually comes out! Heck, Lada might have something quicker to market by then! :laugh:
 
21 - 40 of 95 Posts
About this Discussion
94 Replies
34 Participants
Last post:
Sean Nelson
Chevy Bolt EV Forum
posts
641K
members
32K
Since
2015
We’re the Largest Chevy Bolt EV Online Community and Owner's Club. Join to discuss sport mode, reviews, battery range and charging!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
🎙️ 2017+ Chevy Bolt EV General Discussion Forum 🚙 2022-2023 Chevy Bolt EV/EUV General Discussion 🔋 Charging and Batteries 2017+ Chevy Bolt EV Issues And Problems 🔥 2017 - 2022 Bolt EV Battery Fire Recall