It's really fantastic to see review after review from the most respected automotive authorities in the world continue to heap praise on the Model S. Bravo Tesla!

Exciting times. Sooner or later, one of these moonshots is going to come to fruition. It can't come soon enough.

Yep, I was wondering if anyone else caught that! No wonder they cut away before the connector met the port!

The regen shutting off in the cold is interesting. It seems to work the opposite in my experience with BMW electrics. In the MINI-E and ActiveE the regen works no matter how cold it is, but if the batteries get too hot it will disengage. The reason being the charging process makes the cells even hotter so if they are getting too hot you don't want to make them even hotter.
The MINI-E had a primitive passage thermal management system so when it was over 95 degrees out and I would have the A/C on and be driving aggressively, I could get the batteries up to 115 degrees and thats about when the regen would disengage. The ActiveE has a proper TMS so it's much harder to push it to where the regen diminishes.

Exactly Paul. It doesn't have to be a do-all car to be a perfect fit for many people that want an plug in car. If you frequently need to drive 150+ miles than it's probably not the right fit, a Volt would suit your needs better. However if you are looking for a plug in car with about 100 mile range & great performance than the i3 is a good choice. If you want the added security of never running out of charge, and being able to run the battery flat without being stranded, then the range extender option might be a good choice. Yes, more choices are a good thing, there is nothing really like this out there yet and I'm guessing it will do very well.

Nothing's changed Adam. BMW has stated the i3 will go 80 -100 miles(conditions permitting) on electric and the REx option would add about another 90 miles. The electric range and the range extender range is just about identical at 90 miles each. That's how you get 180 miles total.

We'll really have to wait for the official specifications to come out and see just how capable the car is in charge sustaining mode. However if what has been said is true and it will have a 2.3 gallon tank will add about 90 miles of range, then I can't imagine we're talking about some kind of low speed limp mode because nobody would limp for 90 miles. I suspect it will be highway capable, perhaps fine to cruise along at 70-75 mph on relatively flat terrain. I don't expect it to be able to drive 70mph up steep mountains for a prolonged time though, but again, we'll see.

How many Volt owners speak about driving 80-90% on electric, and that's with a 35-40 mile AER. The i3 will more than double that so how much will it really even be used?

Yes, the Infinity LE is kind of a dark horse. Nissan has been very tight lipped on it. I REALLY hope it delivers a range like the i3 (90-95EPA) or even a little better.

1) the REx fits under/behind the rear seats next to the e-motor. Both the e-motor and REx are housed over the rear axle. There should be no intrusion into the passenger or cargo compartment at all and will have the same space as the BEV i3. I can provide pictures of it(sans the REx) if you would like

2)Yes, the battery is thermally managed with a liquid based system and the cabin is heated & cooled electrically as it is on the ActiveE.

Neil, you can certainly assign any value you feel appropriate but there is no such thing as a $50K Tesla, the base price for the 40kW car is now $61,070 including the mandatory prep & personal delivery. Secondly, it has virtually the same interior room as a LEAF(99 cu-ft) It does have less cargo space though. Also the range isn't basically the same as a LEAF. It scored and official 140 miles on the European test cycle and the LEAF was certified at 107 miles, so that's 30% more. There is no EPA range rating yet but look for it to be between 92 & 96 MPC compared to the LEAF's 75. Those extra 20 miles make a big difference!