Thinking about a BMW i3
Discussion
But that isn't how you use the REx...
If I am doing a long journey, I engage the REx early in the journey not at the end. Unless you are hoofing it like a mad thing or travelling at 70+ then the REx can easily keep up. Remember it runs all the time, so sometimes you might be slightly in deficit on the battery but as soon as you slow down the REx keeps running and tops the battery up to where it was when you activated the REx. So it is absolutely possible to keep topping up the REx and you can go as far as you like! Deactivate the REx when you have enough battery to complete your journey - job done!
If I am doing a long journey, I engage the REx early in the journey not at the end. Unless you are hoofing it like a mad thing or travelling at 70+ then the REx can easily keep up. Remember it runs all the time, so sometimes you might be slightly in deficit on the battery but as soon as you slow down the REx keeps running and tops the battery up to where it was when you activated the REx. So it is absolutely possible to keep topping up the REx and you can go as far as you like! Deactivate the REx when you have enough battery to complete your journey - job done!
RossP said:
But that isn't how you use the REx...
If I am doing a long journey, I engage the REx early in the journey not at the end. Unless you are hoofing it like a mad thing or travelling at 70+ then the REx can easily keep up. Remember it runs all the time, so sometimes you might be slightly in deficit on the battery but as soon as you slow down the REx keeps running and tops the battery up to where it was when you activated the REx. So it is absolutely possible to keep topping up the REx and you can go as far as you like! Deactivate the REx when you have enough battery to complete your journey - job done!
Surely then you are driving a petrol car that has an 80 mile tank and does 40mpg?If I am doing a long journey, I engage the REx early in the journey not at the end. Unless you are hoofing it like a mad thing or travelling at 70+ then the REx can easily keep up. Remember it runs all the time, so sometimes you might be slightly in deficit on the battery but as soon as you slow down the REx keeps running and tops the battery up to where it was when you activated the REx. So it is absolutely possible to keep topping up the REx and you can go as far as you like! Deactivate the REx when you have enough battery to complete your journey - job done!
I don't think doing over 70 on the motorway is an unreasonable ask. I would be really interested to know what a constant 70 does to the battery range in rex mode.
Clem2k3 said:
An extended test drive is part of my plan 
Is 24 hours the most I can expect?
I was offered a 48hr test drive the other day by BMW Carlise. I didn't take up the offer as the dealer is ~200miles away - but the offer was there.Is 24 hours the most I can expect?
ps. Their business lease deals are significantly better than their personal deals.
Clem2k3 said:
I would be really interested to know what a constant 70 does to the battery range in rex mode.
Driving at 70mph with the REx on does not reduce the battery range, it can happily keep up (even in the cold/wet) although you are getting close to the speed at which the SoC will start to slowly come down. I drive 190 miles regularly in mine limiting my max speed to 75mph and do it with a single top-up midway and always have over a third of a tank of petrol remaining when I arrive. Next month it will be 3 years since the first i3 REx's were being delivered. The questions being asked in this thread have been discussed to death in intricate detail all over the place. An evening of googling will get you lots of info. Check the i3 facebook groups (US & UK), speakEV, mybmwi3.com, bmwi3.blogspot.com, and even in here.
mids said:
riving at 70mph with the REx on does not reduce the battery range, it can happily keep up (even in the cold/wet) although you are getting close to the speed at which the SoC will start to slowly come down. I drive 190 miles regularly in mine limiting my max speed to 75mph and do it with a single top-up midway and always have over a third of a tank of petrol remaining when I arrive.
Next month it will be 3 years since the first i3 REx's were being delivered. The questions being asked in this thread have been discussed to death in intricate detail all over the place. An evening of googling will get you lots of info. Check the i3 facebook groups (US & UK), speakEV, mybmwi3.com, bmwi3.blogspot.com, and even in here.
To be fair the REx conversation is a bit of a sideline ... an interesting one though. I found it very hard to find any real answers to the question of what performance is left when the battery runs out, partly it seems because you can keep topping them up and partly because the running out issue is more common in America and Highway speeds are not Motorway speeds.Next month it will be 3 years since the first i3 REx's were being delivered. The questions being asked in this thread have been discussed to death in intricate detail all over the place. An evening of googling will get you lots of info. Check the i3 facebook groups (US & UK), speakEV, mybmwi3.com, bmwi3.blogspot.com, and even in here.
I came here to ask whether my planned trips were reasonable with a battery only i3. The answers were "probably a bit dodgy to rely on any single charger being available" and "there are more chargers on the M4 than I thought".
It’s a bit tricky to answer your specific questions as range does depend on so many factors – driving style, driving speed, outside temperature and so on. Ask on the BMW i3 UK facebook page, you will get exact answers on there.
Obviously you will be fine if you are able to use the motorway chargers, but in my experience you cannot rely on them. I have a REx so luckily I have rarely had to bother with them which is good. Of the 5 times in the last 22 months I have tried to use them only twice have I been successful. Either they were broken, already being used or being blocked by some inconsiderate tw@t in a normal car.
Yesterday morning I ticked over 25k miles, overall I love the car. I initially liked the idea of going pure electric as it actually felt ‘wrong’ to not fully embrace the principle, plus I knew the weight does slightly affect the performance. However for me it was definitely the best decision. I have had no concern about range anxiety, no planning to see if I could squeeze in a trip to a friend’s house etc, or wondering if the weather will be cold (as that does affect the range significantly).
I would guess that 98% of my mileage is electric, just the occasional very cold day when I am a few miles short of getting home plus the occasional long trip. I have done 250 miles in a day on several occasions, I have a similar approach to RossP except I usually drive on electricity until I have around 15 miles left for emergencies and then top up the petrol every 50-60 miles.
To answer one of your questions - if the REx car has zero electricity then it does actually work fine just a little slower and the acceleration is terrible. However I just build up to 60/70mph and then slow down to a stop on regenerative braking, that normally generates enough to sort the problem.
However if I was to look to replace it right now then I probably wouldn’t get another. The BMW 330e is much more appealing to me, the business lease costs are comparative or at least used to be.
Obviously you will be fine if you are able to use the motorway chargers, but in my experience you cannot rely on them. I have a REx so luckily I have rarely had to bother with them which is good. Of the 5 times in the last 22 months I have tried to use them only twice have I been successful. Either they were broken, already being used or being blocked by some inconsiderate tw@t in a normal car.
Yesterday morning I ticked over 25k miles, overall I love the car. I initially liked the idea of going pure electric as it actually felt ‘wrong’ to not fully embrace the principle, plus I knew the weight does slightly affect the performance. However for me it was definitely the best decision. I have had no concern about range anxiety, no planning to see if I could squeeze in a trip to a friend’s house etc, or wondering if the weather will be cold (as that does affect the range significantly).
I would guess that 98% of my mileage is electric, just the occasional very cold day when I am a few miles short of getting home plus the occasional long trip. I have done 250 miles in a day on several occasions, I have a similar approach to RossP except I usually drive on electricity until I have around 15 miles left for emergencies and then top up the petrol every 50-60 miles.
To answer one of your questions - if the REx car has zero electricity then it does actually work fine just a little slower and the acceleration is terrible. However I just build up to 60/70mph and then slow down to a stop on regenerative braking, that normally generates enough to sort the problem.
However if I was to look to replace it right now then I probably wouldn’t get another. The BMW 330e is much more appealing to me, the business lease costs are comparative or at least used to be.
TallTony said:
It’s a bit tricky to answer your specific questions as range does depend on so many factors – driving style, driving speed, outside temperature and so on. Ask on the BMW i3 UK facebook page, you will get exact answers on there.
Obviously you will be fine if you are able to use the motorway chargers, but in my experience you cannot rely on them. I have a REx so luckily I have rarely had to bother with them which is good. Of the 5 times in the last 22 months I have tried to use them only twice have I been successful. Either they were broken, already being used or being blocked by some inconsiderate tw@t in a normal car.
Yesterday morning I ticked over 25k miles, overall I love the car. I initially liked the idea of going pure electric as it actually felt ‘wrong’ to not fully embrace the principle, plus I knew the weight does slightly affect the performance. However for me it was definitely the best decision. I have had no concern about range anxiety, no planning to see if I could squeeze in a trip to a friend’s house etc, or wondering if the weather will be cold (as that does affect the range significantly).
I would guess that 98% of my mileage is electric, just the occasional very cold day when I am a few miles short of getting home plus the occasional long trip. I have done 250 miles in a day on several occasions, I have a similar approach to RossP except I usually drive on electricity until I have around 15 miles left for emergencies and then top up the petrol every 50-60 miles.
To answer one of your questions - if the REx car has zero electricity then it does actually work fine just a little slower and the acceleration is terrible. However I just build up to 60/70mph and then slow down to a stop on regenerative braking, that normally generates enough to sort the problem.
However if I was to look to replace it right now then I probably wouldn’t get another. The BMW 330e is much more appealing to me, the business lease costs are comparative or at least used to be.
Thats interesting (and a bit worrying) that you are not doing well at getting access to chargers. Also the info on a dead battery REx.Obviously you will be fine if you are able to use the motorway chargers, but in my experience you cannot rely on them. I have a REx so luckily I have rarely had to bother with them which is good. Of the 5 times in the last 22 months I have tried to use them only twice have I been successful. Either they were broken, already being used or being blocked by some inconsiderate tw@t in a normal car.
Yesterday morning I ticked over 25k miles, overall I love the car. I initially liked the idea of going pure electric as it actually felt ‘wrong’ to not fully embrace the principle, plus I knew the weight does slightly affect the performance. However for me it was definitely the best decision. I have had no concern about range anxiety, no planning to see if I could squeeze in a trip to a friend’s house etc, or wondering if the weather will be cold (as that does affect the range significantly).
I would guess that 98% of my mileage is electric, just the occasional very cold day when I am a few miles short of getting home plus the occasional long trip. I have done 250 miles in a day on several occasions, I have a similar approach to RossP except I usually drive on electricity until I have around 15 miles left for emergencies and then top up the petrol every 50-60 miles.
To answer one of your questions - if the REx car has zero electricity then it does actually work fine just a little slower and the acceleration is terrible. However I just build up to 60/70mph and then slow down to a stop on regenerative braking, that normally generates enough to sort the problem.
However if I was to look to replace it right now then I probably wouldn’t get another. The BMW 330e is much more appealing to me, the business lease costs are comparative or at least used to be.
What sort of cold weather drop in range are you seeing? And how much do you suspect is down to the added heating requirement and how much due to less efficient battery/drive?
With a full charge I will expect to get 75miles in warm weather and sometimes down to around 55 miles in the depths of winter. Today was 8 degrees in the morning and 3.5 degrees in the evening, and I got 62 miles. I could probably have added an extra 5/6 miles by switching off the climate and stereo plus driving in Eco.
This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
TallTony said:
With a full charge I will expect to get 75miles in warm weather and sometimes down to around 55 miles in the depths of winter. Today was 8 degrees in the morning and 3.5 degrees in the evening, and I got 62 miles. I could probably have added an extra 5/6 miles by switching off the climate and stereo plus driving in Eco.
This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
Forgot to mention – this is a 2014 car with the smaller battery. This morning whilst in traffic I changed from Comfort to Eco Pro mode and the expected range at that point went from 65 miles to 83 miles but switched off the climate (set at 27 degrees), the heated seats and killed the acceleration. I switched it back to Comfort, as indeed that is what it is.This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
TallTony said:
With a full charge I will expect to get 75miles in warm weather and sometimes down to around 55 miles in the depths of winter. Today was 8 degrees in the morning and 3.5 degrees in the evening, and I got 62 miles. I could probably have added an extra 5/6 miles by switching off the climate and stereo plus driving in Eco.
This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
The stereo will have absolutely no effect whatsoever on your range! HTH!This is my daily commute of 58 miles which I'd guess consists of 10% city roads, 80% at consistent 50mph on A roads and 10% on open B roads going as fast as possible. I don't drive slowly and I give zero consideration to range-saving aids, but I have a REx so what's the point.
I am thinking about an I3 too and have a good offer for business contract hire on a top spec new REX.(I am VAT registered).
But, please help me out with a real life example, one that will be queried by my wife.
We visit friends who have a house in Normandy. The Chunnel is 50 miles from our house and then its 325 miles the other side, most of it on motorways. Getting petrol is obviously no problem but we would not want to stop and charge the battery (even if we could) so how would you actual I3 owners envisage this trip going? - or is it a non starter?
Serious question, and opinions required please.
But, please help me out with a real life example, one that will be queried by my wife.
We visit friends who have a house in Normandy. The Chunnel is 50 miles from our house and then its 325 miles the other side, most of it on motorways. Getting petrol is obviously no problem but we would not want to stop and charge the battery (even if we could) so how would you actual I3 owners envisage this trip going? - or is it a non starter?
Serious question, and opinions required please.
As per my post, you use "hold state of charge" and use the engine while slowly depleting the battery. If you get stuck in slow traffic, you'd probably switch back to electric.
Then you just stop for petrol every 80-90 miles, maybe extending that further by spending some time on electric as well. When you get close enough to the destination (assuming you can charge there) you can finish up on electric to save on petrol.
Then you just stop for petrol every 80-90 miles, maybe extending that further by spending some time on electric as well. When you get close enough to the destination (assuming you can charge there) you can finish up on electric to save on petrol.
Hi, I have my eve on a 2015 BEV that has covered 20,000 miles. I'm buying from a car supermarket but I'm confused about servicing.
I'm hearing the following contradictory messages about servicing:
1. the car will tell you when it needs a service and log the service history
2. Servicing is every 12,000 miles or annual.
The car supermarket are not providing any sort of service history so the worst case scenario is it has missed a service and will soon be due another. Best case scenario is it has not yet needed a service.
I'm having problem getting this information from BMW but the wise minds on PH should be able to clear this up fairly quickly I think.
Many thanks,
Stu
I'm hearing the following contradictory messages about servicing:
1. the car will tell you when it needs a service and log the service history
2. Servicing is every 12,000 miles or annual.
The car supermarket are not providing any sort of service history so the worst case scenario is it has missed a service and will soon be due another. Best case scenario is it has not yet needed a service.
I'm having problem getting this information from BMW but the wise minds on PH should be able to clear this up fairly quickly I think.
Many thanks,
Stu
ohidunno said:
Hi, I have my eve on a 2015 BEV that has covered 20,000 miles. I'm buying from a car supermarket but I'm confused about servicing.
I'm hearing the following contradictory messages about servicing:
1. the car will tell you when it needs a service and log the service history
2. Servicing is every 12,000 miles or annual.
The car supermarket are not providing any sort of service history so the worst case scenario is it has missed a service and will soon be due another. Best case scenario is it has not yet needed a service.
I'm having problem getting this information from BMW but the wise minds on PH should be able to clear this up fairly quickly I think.
Many thanks,
Stu
The only servicing on a BEV is a 'vehicle check' and a brake fluid change so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Both are time based and every 2 years. I'm hearing the following contradictory messages about servicing:
1. the car will tell you when it needs a service and log the service history
2. Servicing is every 12,000 miles or annual.
The car supermarket are not providing any sort of service history so the worst case scenario is it has missed a service and will soon be due another. Best case scenario is it has not yet needed a service.
I'm having problem getting this information from BMW but the wise minds on PH should be able to clear this up fairly quickly I think.
Many thanks,
Stu
Service history should be accessible via the idrive in the car so easy to check (there is no physical service book)
Good luck!
Edited by RossP on Monday 20th February 13:45
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff