Is the BMW i3 EV better than the Tesla Model S?
Tesla has a nice relationship with German carmaker Mercedes-Benz, one which is directed towards broadening their cooperation and giving the Americans indicator stalks and buttons, but that can’t really be said about the electric vehicle manufacturer’s relationships with other players in the industry.
In case of another German carmaker, BMW, Tesla CEO and co-founder, Elon Musk, has recently made some comments related to the mertis of the i3 EV, saying that it could have been improved in several ways, namely that it is not on par with the larger Tesla offering.
It appears that now the Bavarians have struck back via the president of their North American branch, Ludwig Willisch, saying that the i3 is actually better than the models and explaining why in an interview with a well known business magazine.
His arguments amount to the fact that the BMW’s offering is built from higher-tech materials that are light, strong and partly recycled and recyclable – which results in a lower overall carbon footprint – while at the same time still offering the trademark BMW rear-drive experience. He also added that the price should be a factor in this comparison with the i3 starting at just over $35,000 with the $7,500 federal tax deducted.
But seriously now, one cannot really compare two vehicles that differ in a plethora of key areas, you can’t really say which one is better because, aside from the fact that they both run on electricity, there’s nothing else to compare them on. It’s like you’d be comparing two conventioanl cars from incredibly different size classes and then saying that the less luxurious, less expensive and cheaper car is better because it’s cheaper.
In case you’re making a comparison based solely on price then the i3 definitely comes ahead of the Tesla but only a person who doesn’t know what they’re doing would compare the two solely on that ground.
