I've been a BMW fan since the mid-2000s, and while I've put up with a lot of drift over the years, I simply cannot understand the brand's EV strategy. Plus: new cli-fi, hooray!
To be really blunt, the problem with BMW EVs is that they're German. Which means Lucas-refrigerator-grade electronics. With ICEs, they were always able to kinda skate by with crap electronics, but without an ICE, there's no excusing them. Everybody I know who's tried the BMW EVs has sworn off BMW permanently. Generally in favor of Tesla or Ford. I've been stranded in one, with a dead charger. Wound up spending a day and a half of a two-day vacation dealing with debugging it, getting it towed from EVSE to EVSE, then eventually to a BMW dealer who looked at it askance and implied that dead BMW EVs weren't worth trying to repair.
Thanks for the book recommendation. And the car recco too. I've been thinking about a Polestar, mostly because Mazda is so far behind. (I love my Mazdas.)
Once again the Bits and bobs... Love Daniel Suarez's books. So much so I even have the Critical Mass release date 1/24/2023 noted on my "to read" list 🙂
It's refreshing to hear your distaste for T*sla and T***er, considering your collaboration with Jason, a diehard fan of M**k. Or was? Thank you for the tip regarding Polestar. I've been driving T*sla S for the past four years. It isn't as junky as Model Y but has its minuses too. With the initial warranty out, it's time to look for something new. (Jews of my generation don't drive German cars, the trauma of WWII still lingers.)
I am the perfect use case for an EV. 15 mile commute to work, 10 to 15 mile commutes to AA meetings, occasional trips to the grocery store. Maybe twice a year I go far enough for “range anxiety “ to kick in, and I could rent a car for the weekend. But. I live in a 50 year old townhouse with no power to the carport so there’s no where to install a charger. Ugh.
Right now my “dream car” would be a convertible hybrid with AWD.
There seem to be two separate but convening forces at play within the auto industry: the desire to create recurring revenue through subscriptions/bundles/downloadable upgrades, and the perceived need of automakers to differentiate their EV offerings from their ICM offerings (either to avoid brand confusion, or just to take an opportunity to rethink vehicles). Of all the big automakers, BMW seems to be pushing hardest on both fronts with mixed results brand and revenue-wise.
BMW is getting a real-time lesson in the things consumers do and don't consider essential in the purchase of an automobile. Heated seats? If you're plunking down $70-$100k, you damn well assume you're getting those without being nickel and dimed. Even if it were to pencil out that it's cheaper over a 10 year period to "rent" the feature in winter months than have it bundled into the vehicle cost as a one time charge, that doesn't change the psychology the consumer feels.
In pursuing totally new vehicle form factors for their EVs, they also have to go and educate consumers anew about these new models, rather than riding off the goodwill their existing models carry. Do I want to buy an iX? Or would I prefer to buy an electric drivetrain X5, a vehicle with a long performance history and whose brand carries with it high performance standards? It's not clear to me the value of completely abandoning the legacy badges in favor of totally new ones.
Complicating all this is the severe shortage of chips and other constraints on global supply chains. the iX has been nigh impossible to get from a dealer without either waiting months or paying a heavy "market pricing" markup.
Ultimately, it's too many MBAs at work, not enough engineers.
To be really blunt, the problem with BMW EVs is that they're German. Which means Lucas-refrigerator-grade electronics. With ICEs, they were always able to kinda skate by with crap electronics, but without an ICE, there's no excusing them. Everybody I know who's tried the BMW EVs has sworn off BMW permanently. Generally in favor of Tesla or Ford. I've been stranded in one, with a dead charger. Wound up spending a day and a half of a two-day vacation dealing with debugging it, getting it towed from EVSE to EVSE, then eventually to a BMW dealer who looked at it askance and implied that dead BMW EVs weren't worth trying to repair.
But seriously, WHY is the iX M60 SO ugly??? I heard from a friend that even internally the BMW USA folks call it "The Beaver"
Thanks for the book recommendation. And the car recco too. I've been thinking about a Polestar, mostly because Mazda is so far behind. (I love my Mazdas.)
Once again the Bits and bobs... Love Daniel Suarez's books. So much so I even have the Critical Mass release date 1/24/2023 noted on my "to read" list 🙂
Whoa. Ok, now THAT is good context. Polestar it is!
It's refreshing to hear your distaste for T*sla and T***er, considering your collaboration with Jason, a diehard fan of M**k. Or was? Thank you for the tip regarding Polestar. I've been driving T*sla S for the past four years. It isn't as junky as Model Y but has its minuses too. With the initial warranty out, it's time to look for something new. (Jews of my generation don't drive German cars, the trauma of WWII still lingers.)
I saw a BMW EV ad during the World Cup final, so they clearly read this newsletter.
Just saw a BMW EV commercial yesterday. Maybe they are starting to get.
Molly, whats your thought on the Fisker Ocean? I am waitlisted for one and am bot sure if it’s a pipe dream or a great idea.
I am the perfect use case for an EV. 15 mile commute to work, 10 to 15 mile commutes to AA meetings, occasional trips to the grocery store. Maybe twice a year I go far enough for “range anxiety “ to kick in, and I could rent a car for the weekend. But. I live in a 50 year old townhouse with no power to the carport so there’s no where to install a charger. Ugh.
Right now my “dream car” would be a convertible hybrid with AWD.
There seem to be two separate but convening forces at play within the auto industry: the desire to create recurring revenue through subscriptions/bundles/downloadable upgrades, and the perceived need of automakers to differentiate their EV offerings from their ICM offerings (either to avoid brand confusion, or just to take an opportunity to rethink vehicles). Of all the big automakers, BMW seems to be pushing hardest on both fronts with mixed results brand and revenue-wise.
BMW is getting a real-time lesson in the things consumers do and don't consider essential in the purchase of an automobile. Heated seats? If you're plunking down $70-$100k, you damn well assume you're getting those without being nickel and dimed. Even if it were to pencil out that it's cheaper over a 10 year period to "rent" the feature in winter months than have it bundled into the vehicle cost as a one time charge, that doesn't change the psychology the consumer feels.
In pursuing totally new vehicle form factors for their EVs, they also have to go and educate consumers anew about these new models, rather than riding off the goodwill their existing models carry. Do I want to buy an iX? Or would I prefer to buy an electric drivetrain X5, a vehicle with a long performance history and whose brand carries with it high performance standards? It's not clear to me the value of completely abandoning the legacy badges in favor of totally new ones.
Complicating all this is the severe shortage of chips and other constraints on global supply chains. the iX has been nigh impossible to get from a dealer without either waiting months or paying a heavy "market pricing" markup.
Ultimately, it's too many MBAs at work, not enough engineers.