Volt is far from perfect. Very low EV miles (can't even go to Seattle downtown and come back in EV mode). Too comples. No 5th seat. Not even talking about non-drive train stuff.

I definitely prefer i3 & Tesla's approach. Best would be to combine the approaches. Let there be options in the same car for
- Multiple battery sizes
- Multiple REx generator power sizes

The reports are that BMW will have a 25kW generator.

Phil who built a range extender for the Leaf runs says the 18kW it puts out is "fine".

I think 25kW is a little underpowered for using i3 to go over passes that are close to Seattle. Normal freeway travel should be fine. On level ground we should be able to go at 75mph or so - and short bursts of acceleration should be provided by the battery.

Again, don't compare to Leaf. Compare to Infiniti EV.

Real competitor to i3 will be Infiniti LE & RAV 4 EV - rather than Leaf. Will i3 be competitive ?

Did Elon say, April 1st by any cance ?

Last month was a poor example. S is just ramping up - while Leaf is between model change, Volt production is just restarting.

Let us talk a six months from now and see where we are.

Aluminum ? That is so 20th century. We all now want carbon fiber ;-)

Seriously, only thing that can expand the market is to reduce price. Not something they can afford to do.

Real question is, can they find 20k buyers, year after year, for such an expensive car. The answer won't be known for sometime.

Actually, it is the coal that sucks. It has high ash content (IIRC).