BMW i3 Owners Map - New Features!

Just short of a year ago in July of 2014, I created the BMW i3 Owners Map. This is a little project to help BMW i3 electric car owners see where other i3 owners are in the world. It has been exciting to see the community build to 1,300 listings in 38 countries on all continents except for Antarctica.

The BMW i3 Owners Map is 100% opt-in and does not track the cars actual location (like the VoltStats owner map which uses OnStar), but rather shows where in the world the owner resides. The accuracy is up to the person submitting their listing but I also show the model year of the car, if it is a BEV (only electric) or a REX (has a gasoline range extender), and if the owner has owned a plug-in EV prior to getting the BMW i3. I calculate that the Map is a representative sample of around 7-8 percent of global sales.

You can view the Map on my website along with the form to add a new listing or update / delete an existing one.  I also have a few charts and a link to open the actual data file in case you want to make a heatmap or filter for specific data.

Today I added a script that posts submissions in real time, so you do not have to wait to see your listing represented on the map. This also makes the process simpler for me as I no longer need to do a weekly batch update. Yay!

If you have an i3, list your location today to show the i3 global impact!

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.

BMW i3 Mapping

I have not posted here in a while because I have been busy buying an i3! We ordered this one which is currently sitting on a dock in Germany waiting to board a ship to the West Coast!

Yep, its true, adopting new technology at the $50k scale is almost a full-time job. That's because serious research is involved and getting to know a whole new community of people online who are in the same cult. After absorbing all kinds of pros and cons and experiences of the very early adopters, I thought I'd give back to the growing community by making a map of BMW i3 owners and owners to be.

These are folks I have "met" and interacted with on the BMW i3 Facebook group and the My BMW i3 Forum. I have mapped about 120 people to date! Click around and explore. In big cities, where there are more the one owner, clicking on the dot will only show the first one. If you are an i3 owner, let me know your name, city, & state and I'd be happy to add you! Check it out with a direct link or embedded below.