It was always part of the plan, but I still regret it coming to pass. I hate unfinished business and in hindsight perhaps I should have done six months in the BMW i5 M60 Touring alone, rather than split the time with the 530e that has now replaced it. But the story of comparing and contrasting fortunes with two different approaches to the same car – one a full EV, the other a plug-in with decent electric-only range – was just too good to pass by.
So the i5 has gone, leaving me with a sense of frustration I do not recall from the departure of any previous long-termer. Relative to expectations I have been both more pleased and infuriated by the highs and lows of living with it than I could possibly have imagined.
There is this world in which EV prospects are told they can live. A world where a car like this will do 310 miles between charges and then replenish that charge at 205kW, so fast you’ll barely have time to dry your hands before it’s ready to roll again. The only problem is that it is as imaginary as the Land of Oz. A fantasy. The reality is that in winter the range is 235 miles at best but you’ll never let it run completely dry so you’ll be looking to recharge having covered fewer than 200 miles. And when you get to the charging station it will be a complete lottery. You know that, at the very best, the car will never charge at anything like the advertised rate and, at worst, the station may be full or that the only available charger is available because it doesn’t work. This means every long journey has to be planned on a worst case scenario unless you’re one of those dreadful people who are happy to turn up late and make everyone wait for you to make your grand entrance.
