Today I had to go to Bonn, to Deutsche Post/DHL, and finally found a BMW i3 nearby; from Drive Now, one of my favorite car sharing companies.
I selected the appropriate hourly package, and off we went – boy, is that car fun to drive!
The i3 was set to one-pedal driving and maximum recuperation (It was the first time for me in an i3, so I have no idea whether that’s the default setting or came from the previous driver)
In one-pedal mode, the ‘gas’ pedal is no longer linked to the power you send to the engine, but to the car’s forward motion. In this mode, there is no coasting, you keep the pedal in the same position to maintain speed. And if you (abruptly) take you foot off, the car will (abruptly) brake and come to a full stop. It took me a mile, or so, to get used to it, but once I got the hang of it, it felt like the perfect way to drive smoothly.
The i3’s dashboard shows everything you need to know about power consumption and after a while if becomes really fun to drive as energy-efficient as possible. The dashboard could be a bit less stark though – why not make driving energy efficient a game and reward drivers with new cars for the navigation system?
Enough talk, here’s Madeleine:
(Drive Now name all their cars)
