[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Market specific application of drive mode in an EV would be very cool. Can you retrofit the dual motor setup to a Tesla? Being able to have rwd down here in Texas, but if we moved to Chicago, it would be great to keep the same car but either add awd or convert it to fwd.

I'm sure you could convert it from RWD to AWD since everything is modular and they all use the same rear motors, but probably not FWD since they are not designed to operate optimally that way (although they can, as advertised, do so if the rear motor fails), and plus the front motor is a lot less powerful than the rear. Of course it would surely void the warranty, so probably not worth it in the end unless you had acquired an older used one on the cheap.

But as for the general possibility of offering different models of the same or similar vehicles with FWD or RWD or AWD due to the versatility of dedicated electric vehicle platforms - yes, that could be done. I'm not sure it will be common because I think that soon enough AWD will be the dominant EV configuration anyway, but the ability to switch from a front to a rear bias purely using software could come into play at some point.

Originally Posted by jmg

I was excited until I heard this. I use an i3 as a commuter and it really does it's job well, even with an M3 CS in the garage, I look forward to my commute in a RWD torquey electric car that saves me a lot of gas and gets me in the carpool lane. A RWD EV just makes more sense given the instant torque, I shudder to think what a FWD i3 would drive like–certainly it will leech away the last drops of what makes the car more fun to drive than an average FWD econobox.

Technically, it is still theoretically possible that some future FAAR-based BMW EVs could be RWD or rear-biased AWD even though it's a FWD platform whose ICE-powered products will always be FWD or front-biased AWD. However, we cannot necessarily count on this. For example, the first FAAR EV, the new MINI Cooper SE arriving later this year, will be FWD. And while that choice is likely due in no small part to the fact that MINI vehicles have always been FWD, it is likely BMW would reuse as much of that setup as possible. That still doesn't rule out them adding a rear motor and programming it to be rear-biased, but it remains to be seen if they choose to go that route.

Originally Posted by jmg

Yup, the i3 was ahead of it's time as a platform, but the battery is only now barely catching up, and is still behind. Unfortunately, it's polarizing styling is getting long in the tooth, had they released this car today with a 200 mile range and a more traditional, but still distinctive styling, even at $55k, I think it would do very well simply because of the badge. The CFRP architecture didn't just make the i3 too expensive, however, I think a lot was gained in developing it. I wouldn't be surprised if the next gen i8, if there is one, will truely be a supercar with this lightweight architecture. Who knows?

They no doubt learned a lot, but it is unfortunate they now have this platform that, because of the plunging cost of EVs, probably will not live to see more widespread use. The i8 on the other hand, I agree could get a second act. But, that does little for the hope of small, affordable RWD BMW EVs any time soon.

Originally Posted by Emilime75

Add to that FWD was also deemed and advertised as "safer" for the masses. Driver's abilities to safely handle a car haven't improved over the years.

True, but that was by and large a marketing effort used to sell the shift to FWD, which was primarily precipitated by the need for more efficient vehicles (more interior space in a smaller vehicle) due to the energy crisis in the 70s.

If not for regulatory forces, it is probable that automakers would have been happy to keep building cars the way they had (well, most of them had) up to that point.