Sunday, March 22, 2015

BMW i3 Owner's Map - Enhancement!

When I ordered my BMW i3 one year ago in March 2014 I and others on the BMW i3 Facebook Group were curious to connect with other owners. A simple post began by asking others where they lived. After a dozen people responded, that gave me the idea to allow the owners to list themselves on a map. So I started the BMW i3 Owner’s Map and began taking submissions in June 2014. 

I simply wanted to know where on earth were the other owners of i3s so I collected a name/ID and the address (specific or general). I also wanted to ‘evangelize’ this revolutionary EV that has captured my respect and (dare I say?) love!

Since June, the Map has grown to have over 1,000 listings and I have added a simple chart and table showing the distribution by country of owners on the Map. All of the listings are voluntary and do not represent all i3s made, but by my rough calculations the listing represent 7-8% of the total sold worldwide.

Now, 10 months later and with new 2015 BMW i3 model year beginning, I feel it is time to enhance the Map and add other data points. While there are a lot of things one could know about an owner’s car, my purpose is to get some glimpse into how the car is spreading in the world. Do people in big cities favor the BEV? Do people in colder climates favor the REX since cold shortens the effective range? How many people who do not control their parking space at home (possibly apartment or condo dwellers) own an i3 compared to those that do?

I am not sure exactly what to capture that would provide the most interest and value so I am asking YOU to help me decide. Please fill in this form with a lot of choices and I will get to work to update the map.