Tesla easily swallows long distances, but not BMW i3, Leaf and other small EVs

Tesla Motors Superchargers at a showroom and service center on Route 17 north in Paramus, N.J. Going north, the next Superchargers are in a shopping center outside Albany, N.Y., about 135 miles away, well within the range of a Model S, below.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

3.5 hours.

That's how long it takes to achieve a full charge on the all-electric version of the BMW i3.

Then, 81 miles later, you'd have to spend another 3.5 hours recharging the German car.

The i3 is best suited for urban and suburban driving.

On a long trip, its limited range is crippling.

The same goes for the Nissan Leaf, Mercedes-Benz B Class and every other EV except the Tesla Model S.

The Model S -- the only electric with a range of more than 200 miles -- also benefits from a network of exclusive Tesla Superchargers that already allows you to drive across the country and from New York to Miami.

And recharging is free and fast -- about 30 minutes for a range of 170 miles or enough to reach the next Supercharger, and take coffee and bathroom breaks.

Montreal or bust

Later this month, I will be driving my Model S about 350 miles to the International Jazz Festival in Montreal, Canada.

Leaving my home in Hackensack, N.J., my first stop is Colonie, N.Y., an Albany suburb, where 30 minutes hooked up to one of six Tesla Superchargers will give me enough range to reach my second stop.

Tesla doesn't yet have a Supercharger between Colonie and Montreal.

I could go out of my way to use Superchargers in Utica, N.Y., and Ontario, Canada.

Instead, I'll head for standard electric car chargers at the Basin Harbor Club, a resort on Lake Champlain in Vermont.

We'll stop for lunch and a boat ride on the lake, because I'll need two to three hours to recharge the Model S for the final leg of the trip.

Montreal has a Tesla dealer with two Superchargers available 24/7.

Everyone now: What would an 'affordable' all-electric car look like and cost?

Despite the strides made by hybrids and all-electric cars or EVs in the past 14 years, the American road is still dominated by SUVs, which waste gasoline and pollute the air. How many times have you seen only a driver in one of these monstrosities?

By VICTOR E. SASSON

EDITOR

Call it the "game changer" or the "sweet spot."

An affordable all-electric car could finally pose a challenge to the dominance of the infernal combustion engine, one of the chief causes of climate change.

But two things would have to happen:

The car would have to start at $40,000 and offer a minimum range of 200 miles.

I'm flexible, though, after looking at the BMW i3, which the German automaker says has a real-world range of 80-100 miles or 160-180 miles with a "Range Extender," a 2-cylinder gasoline engine that recharges the battery.

The base model of the BMW i3, called Mega World, has an MSRP of $42,500.

Even without the Range Extender, the BMWi3 equals or exceeds the range of two cheaper all-electric cars, the Nissan Leaf (84 miles) and Ford Focus Electric (76 miles).

The B Class Electric Drive from Mercedes-Benz has a range of up to 85 miles and an MSRP of $33,950, according to the company's Web site.

The B Class was developed in partnership with California-based Tesla Motors, which makes the car's electric drive system.

Tesla also helped develop Toyota's RAV4 EV, which has a range of 100 miles, but that vehicle is available only in California.

Park Avenue BMW in Maywood has offered me an extended test drive of the i3.

A smaller Tesla

A friend who visited the Tesla showroom in Paramus says she was told a smaller model of the revolutionary all-electric car will be coming out in a year or two.

Would a smaller car have a smaller battery and less range than the Model S with a 60 kWh battery, an advertised range of 208 miles and an MSRP of $69,900?

Tesla is building its own battery factory in Nevada, and that is expected to lower retail costs.

Could Tesla actually produce a smaller all-electric vehicle starting at $40,000?

The Tesla badge on a Model S.