Global Crisis

With the proliferation of electric vehicles like the i3, the absence of a robust fast charge infrastructure becomes more and more difficult to ignore. There are indeed areas of California which are served very well with DC Fast Charge stations, however for many EV owners outside California, Fast charge stations are something they only dream about. Georgia however, has been making some great progress with DCFC. Georgia resident and i3 owner Chris Campbell tells us what's happening with DC Fast Charge in the Peach State.

Chris with his Volt back in 2010

You may remember Chris from a post he made here last year. Chris was the very first Chevy Volt owner in Georgia back in 2010. He authored a guest blog post here telling his story and why he had decided to get a BMW i3 when he turned in his Volt. Many i3 purchases have come from buyers which were early adopters and had leased an early Volt or LEAF. Chris has been active in the Atlanta area's EV scene for a while and maintains a website full of EV information, which can be found here: www.http://electrifyatlanta.com
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For over a decade, Georgia has offered a generous $5,000 tax credit in support of getting an electric vehicle (EV). But only in the last three to four years has the market offered affordable cars with usable range, and suddenly huge numbers of Georgians have taken advantage of that incentive. In the last session, the state legislature took notice of this growth and killed the tax credit altogether, with it officially ending this month. June 30th is the last day that Georgians can get an EV (purchased or leased) and still be able to claim the credit when filing taxes next year.

So there is now one last mad rush to take advantage of one of the best EV incentives in the country. Potential EV owners are making their final decisions and dealers are scrambling to respond to demand and maintain inventory.

BMW i3 owner "heat map" illustrates Atlanta hot spot

The Nissan Leaf, by far the highest volume EV in the Georgia market, continues to dominate sales, but the BMW i3 has also enjoyed success in the Atlanta market, as illustrated by this "heat map" showing locations where owners voluntarily listed themselves on the i3 owner map. Atlanta is a true hotspot for EV ownership, and has an active i3 owner group!

NRG EVGO station at Mall of Georgia, CHAdeMO only

Besides the state tax credit, however, there has been another factor energizing EV uptake in Georgia: a large and accelerating roll out of DC Fast Charging (DCFC) stations. The first DCFC stations (CHAdeMO for Leafs) arrived in north Georgia in July 2013 via The EV Project (aka Blink), but the CHAdeMO rollout really accelerated in November 2014 when NRG entered the Atlanta market with their EVGO CHAdeMO stations. As of this writing there are now over 30 CHAdeMO stations in the metro Atlanta region, with another dozen expected online in June.

Two competing DCFC plug standards, SAE Combo (left) and CHAdeMO (right)

Of course, as most EV owners know, there is not just one DCFC plug standard -- there are three!  In 2008, before the current wave of EVs, the automakers all (except for Tesla) agreed on a Level 2 standard, the J1772 plug that is now familiar to all EV owners. But they did not come to an agreement on DCFC (sometimes inaccurately called Level 3), and so the EV market split into three camps:

- Nissan and other East Asia automakers: CHAdeMO
- Tesla: Proprietary Supercharger
- Everyone else including BMW, VW, GM:  SAE Combined Combo System (CCS)

Since that market split, the three different camps have proceeded with their respective DCFC station rollouts, with Chademo and Tesla fighting for the lead and SAE Combo in a distant third. However, we have started to see "dual standard" DCFC stations hit the worldwide market, offering both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo. While these stations do not directly support the Tesla interface, Tesla owners can now buy a $450 adapter from Tesla Motors, that lets them charge from CHAdeMO stations. So these dual-standard stations effectively support all three standards. Of course Tesla cars have far larger batteries, offer far more range, and typically take advantage of their own network of ultra-fast DCFC stations.

BMW-branded DCFC unit, SAE Combo only, 24 kW

The SAE Combo flavor of DCFC (compatible with the BMW i3) first appeared in Atlanta in late 2014, with a single dual-standard cabinet at a Georgia Power testing facility, unfortunately accessible during weekday business hours only. In January a second SAE Combo unit appeared at BMW NA's offices, however that BMW-branded unit only offers 24 kW peak power. Obviously with just these two i3-compatible DCFC stations, one with limited access and the other offering low power, and both located in the same side of town, they were of limited utility to i3 owners.

It was not until this week that the true potential of the BMW i3 was realized in the north Georgia market, with a wave of SAE Combo DCFC sites going online.

Georgia Power's first dual-standard DCFC station

Following nearly a year of planning and construction, regional electric utility Georgia Power has now launched their network of DCFC stations, which are DUAL-STANDARD. These new stations offer both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo plugs, and thus are able to charge every DCFC-capable EV in the U.S. (even the Model S via Tesla's new adapter).  Georgia Power's DCFC sites deliver 50 kW and will offer Level 2 charging stations as well. Their network launched in May with pilot stations at 11 Georgia Power locations in 4 cities, and will expand to a total of 60 stations statewide by the end of 2016. The first wave of stations launched temporarily with only CHAdeMO capability, but on June 2nd Georgia Power finally delivered on their promise and brought their first dual-standard station online, with more expected this week.

This is just the first wave. Georgia Power plans to spend 2015 installing 25 more stations at locations around the state, and then another 25 in 2016. Some will be in metro areas, essentially serving commuters, but some will be installed along interstate corridors, serving those EV owners eager to stretch the legs of their new car. Since every one of these stations will offer dual-standard DCFC, these stations will support ALL EV owners. Atlanta-area BMW i3 owners have been straining at the leash for these stations to finally go online, and the day has now arrived.

Pictured at left: NRG's new dual-standard BTC hardware

But Georgia Power is not the only player in the market offering dual-standard charging.  NRG entered the Atlanta market in November 2014 with CHAdeMO-only stations, but recently has been expanding their presence with dual-standard DCFC stations made by BTC Power. Unfortunately, while these BTC stations have internal hardware that supports both CHAdeMO and SAE Combo charging, these new stations have been popping up with the SAE Combo side disabled. It is rumored that NRG (and partner Nissan) have asked BMW to chip in on the cost of these stations. If that is indeed the case, I believe it would be wise for BMW to step up and contribute to this much needed infrastructure.

Signet DCFC cabinet with Greenlots network

A similar situation is playing out with some state-funded stations. The Georgia Environmental Financing Authority (GEFA) is an arm of the state government that normally funds projects like water and sewer improvements, but in 2014 they announced a grant opportunity for GEFA-funded electric car charging stations at municipalities and educational institutions. Following a frenzied application window that reportedly lasted only hours before the funding was all used up, GEFA delivered on those grants in late 2014, and since then stations have been popping up in locations around the state, beyond metro Atlanta. Three of these locations are Athens, Augusta and Columbus, where GEFA-funded DCFC stations went online in April.  These stations launched with only CHAdeMO capability, despite the GEFA grants specifically requiring dual-standard DCFC. Indeed the Signet hardware that was physically installed did include SAE capability, with even the cord and plug installed and ready to go, but the SAE Combo plug was disabled in software (via the Greenlots activation network). Again it appears that Nissan maneuvered to have the stations installed with SAE Combo, but with that capability disabled until BMW chipped in. Local i3 owners raised this concern with BMW via a variety of methods, and in late May, these three locations saw their SAE Combo plugs quietly get enabled. The rumor now is that this solution will soon spread to similar stations that have appeared in the Carolinas, further enabling regional travel by i3 owners. BMW of North America has made no public statements about what is going on at any of these, frustrating local i3 owners.

Table comparing DCFC cabinets seen in Georgia market

Georgia now boasts EIGHT different makes of DCFC station hardware, operating on six different networks (click here for details on the station hardware now operating). Thus, the state now has one of the most heterogenous DCFC station populations in the world, exceeded only by California, and certainly Georgia can be seen as a great market to evaluate DCFC developments and test car compatibility.

All of this DCFC activity, especially the SAE Combo roll out, has delighted local BMW i3 owners, who have been chomping at the bit to go on road trips in their new cars!

Chris Campbell with his Volt. Chris was actually the first Volt owner in the State of Georgia. Now that his 3 year lease is coming to an end he's chosen to replace his Volt with a BMW i3.

Chris Campbell has been following my blogs for a while now, and has commented on many posts. He's an avid electric car supporter and is a member of the BMW i3 Facebook group. Chris has been following the BMW i3 for a while now and he's been really anxious to test drive one. As you'll read below, the driving experience is really important to him - as it is for me. Chris finally has his chance to test drive the i3 (twice actually) and shortly after declared on a post in the Facebook group "I did test drive #2 this morning. That's it, I'm in.". I know Chris knows a lot about EV's, and I know he had his doubts about whether the i3 would be the right EV for him, after all he really loves his Volt. So when I read his declaration, I asked him if he would like to do a guest post here, to offer his story of  how he came to the conclusion the i3 would be the EV that would replace his Volt. He accepted the invitation, and sent me the post below:

GETTING OVER IT AND CHOOSING THE BMW I3

I am an electric vehicle enthusiast.  The wave of EVs in the late 1990s piqued my interested, but it was a lucky chance at a long test drive of a Tesla Roadster in April 2009 that gave me the EV religion.  By 2010 I was ready for a new car and the market was finally ready to give me an EV.  In my case the Chevy Volt was good choice because I have a short commute, well within the electric range of the Volt, but also wanted the ability to take the car anywhere at any time and not have to worry about range.  Note that there was virtually ZERO public charging infrastructure in 2010 when I got the Volt.

Fast forward three years and I'm now at the end of my three year Volt lease, and looking for my next car. The Volt has been great, and in fact I still believe it is the BEST car on the market, especially for anyone new to EVs.  After three years of tweaks, and this year's dramatic price drop, the Volt is even more compelling than when I took my somewhat risky plunge in 2010.  But, for me personally, as my Volt lease ends I'm now looking to move on to the next thing.

I've been following BMW's EV developments closely for a few years now, and after a second test drive this past Friday, I've decided that the BMW i3 is going to be my next car.  I'll explain why, but I'm also going to take a sober look at the car, probably unlike any other i3 review you've seen.

EVs are an absolute thrill to drive, and there was no doubt that my next car would be another EV.  While the environmental and geopolitical reasons for getting an EV are important to me, what really draws me is the sheer power (well, torque) of the electric drivetrain.  Once you experience that "stealth V8" power you just can't live without it.

So, for me, the very top issue in selecting the next car was POWER. How fast was it?  The Volt (and Leaf, even) are deceptively powerful, and a blast to drive, but I consider them to have only the MINIMUM required power.  More is better!  And early reports on the BMW i3 indicated that it was going to be more powerful than anything on the market short of the (sadly unattainable) Tesla models, so I've been following it very closely for over a year now.

There are lots of features that I like about the i3.  The carbon fiber structure is certainly cool.  I'm tall, and the long coupe-style front doors place the pseudo B-pillars (and seatbelt anchors) nicely back and out of my peripheral vision.  The i3 will have an available DC fast charging option, and I decided earlier this year that my next car simply had to have DCFC capability.  The drive train is well engineered, following four years of careful testing in BMW's MINI-E and ActiveE programs.  It's a BMW, so you're going to get a driver's car.

All these things are great, but certainly the car isn't perfect.  No car is perfect.  And in fact, that's how it usually works, right?  You fall in love with a car, then you find out something about the car that you DON'T like, and then you have to decide whether you can get over it.  Do the pros outweigh the cons?

The Nissan Leaf is ugly, has a spartan interior, and has a cheaper battery technology that makes it susceptible to weather extremes.  The Chevy Volt is a bit pricey and can't seat more than two people in the back (and the EV purists turn their noses up at it).  The Ford models have that hulking battery pack messing up the trunk, signifying the worst of "conversion car" engineering.  And so forth -- you can always find something wrong with a car.  Even the vaunted Tesla Model S has problems, most prominently its stratospheric price tag, but upon closer examination there are plenty of other problems.

So, I've got problems with the BMW i3.  Can I get over it?

I'm an engineer, and I can't help but try to analyze this decision soberly and methodically.  Anticipating that I'd be back in the market for a new EV after the Volt lease, a year ago I started assembling my checklist for the perfect electric vehicle.  This long document is a collection of every feature in every EV on the market, and serves as a way to honestly evaluate the cars on the market.  No car is perfect, not even the Tesla Model S, and my list serves to remind me that there are tradeoffs in any car.

With that, I will now itemize the top things that I do NOT like about the BMW i3.  See, I told you this would be unlike any review you'd read!  Again, I've said above that I AM going to buy an i3, in fact I will be happy to be the first in my home state, as I was with the Chevy Volt three years ago, and probably will be as big a cheerleader as anyone about the car (well, except for Tom M...).  But I'm doing this with a clear-eyed view of the pros AND the cons of the car.

In essence, this is a list of the things that I had to "get over" in order to commit to the i3.

IT'S UGLY!












While the i3 has some sexy angles, it has some real stinkers too. Look at it straight on from the front, or straight at the rear.  In both of those angles the weird design is jarring, and the skinny tires jump out at you.  I know, I know, 19-20 inch tires, contact patch size blah blah blah -- it just LOOKS bad.  But it's a thrill to drive!  So I'll get over the looks, or least tolerate the snide remarks.  At least I shouldn't have to worry about those kinds of comments from Nissan Leaf owners, right?  That has got to be the ugliest car on the market, from ALL angles!  Ha!

NO CLIMATE PRESTART ON KEYFOB













You're not going to believe this, but this feature is THE most important feature to me in an EV, putting aside the headline features of the drivetrain, battery and charging technology.  The same way you get addicted to the instantaneous torque of an EV drivetrain, I have become addicted to that little button ON THE KEYFOB of my Chevy Volt that starts up the climate control.  I use it every ... single ... time ... I get into my car (so at least twice daily), from inside the house as I'm getting ready to leave in the morning, and then on the way home as I'm approaching the car at my workplace.  Yeah yeah, sure, I can use the smartphone app -- wanna race?  It takes me 3 seconds (and minimal cognitive engagement) to get the car warming up, and I can do it blind with the keyfob in my pocket.  Try THAT with your smartphone.  Scheduling the prestart doesn't solve this for me because I don't get in the car at the same time every day.

There is a "diamond" button on the i3 keyfob that acts as a panic button, but I've heard a rumor that it is actually *configurable*, and that climate prestart may be one of the configurable options.  If so, congratulations BMW on a brilliant solution, and scratch this off the cons list!  But I haven't seen confirmation, so it remains on my short list of problems with the i3.  Trust me, once you have this feature, you can't live without it.

CHARGE PORT ON WRONG SIDE OF CAR


You will plug and unplug the car EVERY DAY.  That's at least two trips to the charge port location, and therefore it should be as close as possible to the driver's door.  BMW stuck it in the right rear corner, just about the worst possible place.  I'm sure they have their reasons, but from a usability perspective it's just all wrong.  I have seen some factory photos of the CFRP passenger cell that have shown that the interior structure of the car has cutouts on BOTH sides, so it's possible that they may relocate the port to the rear left side in the future, but for now -- it's in the wrong spot and will annoy me twice a day for my entire life with the car.

NO POWER SEATS
Power seats aren't even available as an option.  It takes me forever to get the seat adjusted just right, and thus I really want the memory function of the power seats so I can put it back the way I like it after someone else has driven the car (spouse, mechanic, etc.).  A car that approaches $50,000 when loaded with options should offer power seats as one of those options.  And don't try to tell me that it's left out for energy saving reasons, that's simply nonsense.  I'll buy the weight savings argument, but still, this should be an option.
 
WHAT'S NOT ON THIS LIST

There are many things that other people have complained about that are NOT a problem for me:

- It's a four seater.  You can't put three people in the back seat, even three kids, as there's a console in the middle and no third set of seatbelts.  That's fine with me.


- There is no SOC percentage showing the exact state of the battery charge.  I know the other i3 fans are screaming about this, but I could not care less.  I'll trust the indication of mileage remaining, and will eventually learn how to correct for challenging driving ahead.

- Range: 80-100 is plenty for me.  In fact, using the VoltStats.net data from my last three years of Volt driving, I recently found that 80-100 is perfect for me.  Give me the DCFC interface and even just a hint of a future charging network and I've got all I need.

I GOT OVER IT

And here we are.  I've listed some big problems I have with the i3, and I've listed even more on the full EV checklist on www.ElectrifyAtlanta.com (now updated with i3 data).  And yet ... the drive is intoxicating.  It's got more power (more more more gimme) and can carve through turns like it's on rails.  Check out Chris Neff's recent report on his day with an i3 as a professional race car driver flung it around a racetrack for 10 hours!

It's got good range.  It has a sunroof option, and I love the doors. It offers HD Radio and RDS, which are radio tuner features that I really wish all cars had. I even love the underdog factor of having the SAE Combo DC fast charging interface that all the Nissan and Tesla partisans are howling at.  Game on, let's go.

And so I got over it.  Take my money, BMW, the sooner the better.  Can I be first in Georgia again?

Chris Campbell
www.ElectrifyAtlanta.com

The only question I now have for Chris is what color does he want. Will he choose Laurel Gray like I plan to order?