Richard grants his BMW i3 (2014) a second round

With an electric car with many kilometers of experience, a lot of attention is paid to the condition of the battery. How good is that battery? Because replacing a battery pack costs tons of money. Things are different with Richard Guldenaar. For nine years he enjoys his newly purchased BMW i3. But after more than 311,000 trouble-free miles, the car comes to a somewhat surprising stop, creaking loudly and bucking. End of story. But also the beginning of a new chapter.

This BMW i3 60 Ah was ordered in 2013 and delivered in 2014, says Richard. “It was the beginning of the EV boom. I drove a diesel Opel Astra and it was coming to an end. So I started looking for a successor. I wanted an electric car. Sustainable driving, and you still feel a bit like a pioneer. I did a test drive with the Nissan Leaf, but it wasn’t for me. But then BMW announced the i3. We noticed that, so we signed up for the festive presentation of this new model. That was a grand spectacle.” The Guldenaar family is immediately charmed by the mischievous, daring design.

Richard thinks range early BMW i3 is enough

As mentioned, in 2013 we are experiencing the very beginning of the EV era. Richard and his wife Elsbeth purchase a groundbreaking and eye-catching new BMW EV with a range of … 190 kilometers. “Yes, not much by today’s standards, but people are a bit spoiled and always want more. It was just enough for my commute and I wanted it for that.”

That commute consists of a daily return Wezep (near Zwolle) – De Bilt. Richard works as a gardener at the municipality of De Bilt. “So my office is always outside,” he jokes. The distance is 80 kilometers and he easily achieves that in his i3, even in cold weather. “If it is extremely cold, I put it on the charging station for the return journey at the end of the day.” This is how Richard gets through all seasons fairly smoothly and has done so for nine years, with more than 3 tons on the clock as a result.

Maintenance costs are usually kept to a minimum. “The last turn was a tough one. It cost €2,000 and was the most expensive so far, with four new tires and new brake discs with pads. But otherwise there were no crazy things. Although, I once got a tip from the mechanic on duty to brake more and harder, because the discs started to rust. And once a red light came on on the way, so I immediately stopped the car.” After a few minutes, Richard starts again and the fault has disappeared like snow in the sun.

Unfortunately, a different scenario unfolds during the Saturday before Pentecost. While driving, Richard hears a screeching sound in the back of the car, where the engine and automatic transmission are placed. He then drives on the A28 motorway, continues his journey on the A27 and takes the Veemarkt exit near Utrecht. “At the end of the exit a red ‘stop light’ flashed. And after some creaking and screeching, our BMW jerked to a halt.” After interventions by BMW Roadside Assistance and the ANWB, the stranded BMW i3 ends up in the workshop of BMW dealer Dusseldorp in Zwolle. Service technician Frans Strous van Dusseldorp: “We are still investigating what exactly is broken. We really very rarely see a broken electric motor in an i3. It is clear that there is something wrong with the mechanical drive, because in P you can still move the car and that is normally not possible at all. But it is also not OK in the machine, because we found grit there.”

For €11,000 a new engine, battery still has a lot of capacity

Elsbeth and Richard then make a bold decision. They want their BMW i3 to have a second life. Dusseldorp’s aftersales manager Dennie van Dijk is the first to hear it. “They wanted to continue with the car and ordered a new engine and a new box. Then they can continue carefree. We don’t come across that every day.” Richard can rationally substantiate his remarkable choice. “It is an investment of almost €11,000, but then we have a car that we would like to have, with a new engine, new gearbox and very familiar. A beautiful, special second-hand EV.” But isn’t there a great chance that the battery will soon also show signs of cure? Richard: “The battery still supplies almost full capacity. I’m still getting the distance I need to cover. When it gets less, I make a pit stop at one of the many new charging stations that have been added in recent years.

But what about the range of a used BMW i3. To be able to say something meaningful about this, AutoWeek has created the Battery Degradation Check. A BMW i3 driver has already shown up twice for that section. One time it was an early model with the same battery as the i3 in this article, one time a 94 Ah with range extender (REX).