BMW 330e ordered...
Discussion
superbmw75 said:
Hi
I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
It's the same as with all cars ever, the estimated remaining range is based on your driving style. If all I do is commute it hovers around 18 miles, but then if I do lots of Max E-Drive short trips (inc dual carriageways and other non e-drive friendly roads) it drops to 14/15. Exactly the same as estimate petrol remaining range on a 'normal' car.I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
superbmw75 said:
Hi
I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
I have the same 330E Sport and have had exactly the same experience although my lowest full charge range hasn't gone below 17 mile yet. I find the total range I can achieve, with a light right foot on Max E is around 12 miles. I've done nearly 7K miles since June and my app is reporting a total Battery Distance Driven of 1660 Miles with a Fuel Saving of 35.3 Gallons. I'm thinking of asking my dealer if he thinks the battery range is reasonable, as it's only 50% of the claimed 25 miles.I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
Rob-kqpsf said:
superbmw75 said:
Hi
I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
I have the same 330E Sport and have had exactly the same experience although my lowest full charge range hasn't gone below 17 mile yet. I find the total range I can achieve, with a light right foot on Max E is around 12 miles. I've done nearly 7K miles since June and my app is reporting a total Battery Distance Driven of 1660 Miles with a Fuel Saving of 35.3 Gallons. I'm thinking of asking my dealer if he thinks the battery range is reasonable, as it's only 50% of the claimed 25 miles.I have owned my 330E (Sport) for a couple of months now. I ordered the car (as a company car renewal) back in February, before any test car was available, so it was a bit of a punt in terms of E-drive, however as a previous owner of a 320D and a test drive of i3 I had a good idea of what to expect. I am overall really impressed with the car, my only growing concern is around battery charge state. On delivery, at full charge the car reported range of 21 miles. It then within a couple weeks reduced to 18, then 17 and now will only report only 14 mile after a full charge. (On normal longer drives I will use AUTO, and on the more frequent short term city / school run drives I default to MAX E Drive. On MAX E drive, with light foot, I may be able to achieve 10 or 11 miles maximum). My BMW dealer has previously advised a full battery charge should be between 18-20 miles. I just wondered what other 330e drivers here can report for their full charge state, and if they have seen any reduction since initial use? I expected some battery reduction over time, but at this rate…
Response from my same query to dealer:
"Unfortunately the range can be greatly reduced by both the external temperature, now it is getting cooler & the way the car has been driven (mpg). If there was a fault with the system it would bring on a warning message. I would recommend running the EV battery flat & then carry out a slow recharge."
I will monitor over time. I am feeling a bit short changed on max-e drive though. I suppose I have to worry less about max e drive range and remind myself that I have a hybrid and not a true EV car ( I just want to drive the 330E as an i3 really!). BIK saving vs previous diesel and a current total average MPG of 79 is still a winner though.
"Unfortunately the range can be greatly reduced by both the external temperature, now it is getting cooler & the way the car has been driven (mpg). If there was a fault with the system it would bring on a warning message. I would recommend running the EV battery flat & then carry out a slow recharge."
I will monitor over time. I am feeling a bit short changed on max-e drive though. I suppose I have to worry less about max e drive range and remind myself that I have a hybrid and not a true EV car ( I just want to drive the 330E as an i3 really!). BIK saving vs previous diesel and a current total average MPG of 79 is still a winner though.
Junior Bianno said:
Maximum eDrive! Loved the 330e so decided to get the 40e as well. Bit of a change from our Discovery. It really is a very nice thing. They're fighting over the charger now 
Really smart, I'd love to swap the Disco for one but such a shame that you can't get the third row in the 40e.humpy999 said:
Really smart, I'd love to swap the Disco for one but such a shame that you can't get the third row in the 40e.
It isn't even close to a Disco in terms of space. The raised floor for the battery pack in the X5 really reduces the boot space - feels like it impacts it way more than the 330. Probably won't affect us too much as we didn't really use the 3rd row much. It's unbelievably smooth to drive for a big SUV though - makes the Disco feel a bit agricultural, and I always thought it was pretty refined for what it was.There's always going to be a spread of results on the subject of "electric-only" range. From personal experience I can achieve 19-21 miles in the summer months without an issue, although my range is reducing with each passing month as ambient temperatures reduce. My morning commute of 19.5 miles now requires a short burst of petrol power on uphill stretches of the motorway section of my route, although my return journey (a different, shorter route) is still currently achieved on MAX-E alone, 16.5 miles in total.
Biggest factors, aside from the weight of your right foot:
1) Poor weather kills your range: increased drag (in rain), higher "e" demand (wipers/demist/lights etc) and drivers who can't work out that water/ice on the roads necessitate a modified driving behaviour, i.e. progress becomes more stop/start than normal.
2) Traffic route: Lots of traffic lights mean lots of accelerating from a standing start. Getting back up to cruising speed eats charge heavily, maintaining it doesn't.
3) Regenerative braking: In the north we have these natural speed bumps called "hills". The 330e doesn't like going up them, as it makes your charge display look like the clock on Countdown. However, it practically farts rose petals going down the other side....if you brake in a controlled manner that is. Brake too soft and you'll be slamming on the anchors at the bottom, while braking too hard will result in all that nice energy being dissipated as heat from your brake pads and discs. Likewise when you're in normal traffic, only the effect is less dramatic. Moderate braking engages the use of the generator rather than the brake pads, which turns all that kinetic energy into nice polar bear-hugging electricity, and you therefore arrive at the base of Mount Eee-by-gum with more range than you had at the snow-capped summit.
4) Driving style: I'm sure I've mentioned it in a post some time ago already but I'll say it again anyway: to maximise the range of an electric vehicle (if you're @rsed about such a thing) then some small tweaks to your driving style are necessary. It's not really about the speed you drive at, it's more about how long it takes you to get there and how long it takes you to get back down to zero. If you were to plot a graph - speed vs time - then the graph that looks like this: ~~~~~~~ would be driving further than the owner of this one: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\ . Now I know this all sounds terribly basic, but once you've stopped dead you have a great big lump of metal to move, whereas if you're coasting at even 15mph the energy required to get back up to 30 is tiny by comparison. Again, if you're bothered by van drivers questioning your parentage or teenage drivers shouting at you (because they have less time at the lights to update their facebook status) then this style of driving isn't for you. I'm not saying I follow this religiously myself, far from it sometimes although having had the car for almost 7 months now I have a reasonable feel for what boosts range and what eats away at it. One other thing: ECO PRO mode - when selected - tends to reduce that "jerk" from the line when driving away in Max-e Drive mode. It softens the throttle response and probably saves a bit of wasted energy, especially in nose-to-nose traffic. Must admit, I hate that ECO-PRO when I'm in petrol mode though!
Most importantly however (because the above sounds like a lecture!) there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to drive this car as it's bl00dy brilliant anyway. So whatever you do, just enjoy it...and if you want to maximise every last drop of "e" energy then maybe the above reinforces how you go about doing it. I've done 11,500 miles in 7 months or so, and according to the computery thing I've averaged 77.5mpg...
One thing though...if you're getting 10-12 miles before the battery is exhausted then either you've left the lid up on your roof box or your pet elephant is hiding under your tartan picnic blanket.
Biggest factors, aside from the weight of your right foot:
1) Poor weather kills your range: increased drag (in rain), higher "e" demand (wipers/demist/lights etc) and drivers who can't work out that water/ice on the roads necessitate a modified driving behaviour, i.e. progress becomes more stop/start than normal.
2) Traffic route: Lots of traffic lights mean lots of accelerating from a standing start. Getting back up to cruising speed eats charge heavily, maintaining it doesn't.
3) Regenerative braking: In the north we have these natural speed bumps called "hills". The 330e doesn't like going up them, as it makes your charge display look like the clock on Countdown. However, it practically farts rose petals going down the other side....if you brake in a controlled manner that is. Brake too soft and you'll be slamming on the anchors at the bottom, while braking too hard will result in all that nice energy being dissipated as heat from your brake pads and discs. Likewise when you're in normal traffic, only the effect is less dramatic. Moderate braking engages the use of the generator rather than the brake pads, which turns all that kinetic energy into nice polar bear-hugging electricity, and you therefore arrive at the base of Mount Eee-by-gum with more range than you had at the snow-capped summit.
4) Driving style: I'm sure I've mentioned it in a post some time ago already but I'll say it again anyway: to maximise the range of an electric vehicle (if you're @rsed about such a thing) then some small tweaks to your driving style are necessary. It's not really about the speed you drive at, it's more about how long it takes you to get there and how long it takes you to get back down to zero. If you were to plot a graph - speed vs time - then the graph that looks like this: ~~~~~~~ would be driving further than the owner of this one: /\/\/\/\/\/\/\ . Now I know this all sounds terribly basic, but once you've stopped dead you have a great big lump of metal to move, whereas if you're coasting at even 15mph the energy required to get back up to 30 is tiny by comparison. Again, if you're bothered by van drivers questioning your parentage or teenage drivers shouting at you (because they have less time at the lights to update their facebook status) then this style of driving isn't for you. I'm not saying I follow this religiously myself, far from it sometimes although having had the car for almost 7 months now I have a reasonable feel for what boosts range and what eats away at it. One other thing: ECO PRO mode - when selected - tends to reduce that "jerk" from the line when driving away in Max-e Drive mode. It softens the throttle response and probably saves a bit of wasted energy, especially in nose-to-nose traffic. Must admit, I hate that ECO-PRO when I'm in petrol mode though!
Most importantly however (because the above sounds like a lecture!) there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way to drive this car as it's bl00dy brilliant anyway. So whatever you do, just enjoy it...and if you want to maximise every last drop of "e" energy then maybe the above reinforces how you go about doing it. I've done 11,500 miles in 7 months or so, and according to the computery thing I've averaged 77.5mpg...
One thing though...if you're getting 10-12 miles before the battery is exhausted then either you've left the lid up on your roof box or your pet elephant is hiding under your tartan picnic blanket.
Edited by Ray Fon on Tuesday 11th October 15:01
tter, here's tonight's journey home...11 deg C, dusky and drizzly. "Mildly moist" I think is how Clarkson would describe it:
paul.flannagan said:
Apologies if this question has already been answered but can't find a clear answer online...
Recently took a test drive in a 330e which had professional media.
The one I've ordered has the standard business media.
What does the professional have that mine won't?
Thanks
Different size screens for a start. The BMW configurator will give you the up-to-date technical differencesRecently took a test drive in a 330e which had professional media.
The one I've ordered has the standard business media.
What does the professional have that mine won't?
Thanks
Business
Professional
paul.flannagan said:
Apologies if this question has already been answered but can't find a clear answer online...
Recently took a test drive in a 330e which had professional media.
The one I've ordered has the standard business media.
What does the professional have that mine won't?
Thanks
It'll give you as standard things like realtime traffic information.Recently took a test drive in a 330e which had professional media.
The one I've ordered has the standard business media.
What does the professional have that mine won't?
Thanks
Also (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it'll also work a lot more with the eco-pro/e-drive function, in that if you set a route the car will be aware of what the optimal motor is to use at what point within the route, e.g. it knows when it's going to be NSL, 30mph, hills etc and so potentially save energy for the points where it's most worthwhile.
I think the MB C350e does this too, not sure if as standard. I'm sure I read somewhere though that the 330e only does this with the pro-nav.
Pro-Nav also has 20Gb of storage space for media but doubt anyone uses that now if they're pairing their phones to it. Also it has split-screen functionality which the standard doesn't.
Both should be the latest iDrive 5 though.
Not sure if Apple CarPlay is Pro-Nav or both.
Funkydunc said:
HookyBeerMan said:
I've had to scrape the windscreen a couple of mornings this week so winter is on its way.
You shouldn't need to, you should be pre conditioning the car so that it's warm when you get in. Also batteries hate cold weather and loose charge without even being used
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