BMW 330e ordered...

[Orion917]

MaxOverdrive said:

Orion917 said:

You must have the record for the person waiting the longest for their 330e while being on the forum Max Nearly there though, it's worth the wait!

The grant is linked to a vehicle at a registered address. You can't claim twice for the same vehicle at a different address it seems, but you can take the chargepoint with you (at your own cost) as long as you inform OLEV. Details here:-

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/electri...

I use the Android "Blue" connected App and it definitely has a timer function used to allow you to charge "off peak" if your tariff allows

I only use the brick charger that came with the car. ChargedEV messed me about so I gave up. It's mostly about convenience, because I doubt I would have recouped the £175 install charge over three years! So I ran my own cable and outside socket, loosely screwed the brick charger to the wall and put a saddle lock across the cable between the plug for the car and the brick. So it's easily removed if I need to take it with me. Which is rare since I can't charge at work ATM. My charger is under cover and not visible to the road, otherwise I would have fitted a weatherproof lockable box around the brick.

Pro's
Saved myself £175 minus the cost of a cable, socket and MCB (£40).
Effectively a tethered charger (most convenient).

Con's
Charges slower, 4 hours from empty.
Pre-conditioning uses up charge, you have to anticipate your leaving time to recoup the energy loss. Not a big issue.
Might not have it with me on the off chance I could use it (not happened so far!)

I might be extending my own record here as I spoke too soon ...yet another delay. ETA is now 2nd week of July. Looks like BMW need to go and beg Tesla for some spare EV batteries as Samsung certainly aren't up to the job

Thanks for the info!. Can I confirm that you meant the BMW Connected App that has a blue logo? If so you're saying you can assign a charging schedule from within the app? This would be extremely useful if that's the case. I can't check the app as I dont have a VIN yet - even though it's already on my mobile and I've already registered...it's been sat on there for months actually

I am tempted to do something similar to you on the charging front. I just need to suss out where I could place a weatherproof box. The location of the garage and my driveway don't ideally lend themselves to having a simple socket on the front of the garage unfortunately - garage is set back to the rear of the house and the drive starts level with the front. No way to walk past the other half's car without scratching it each time...and I like to keep my testicles intact

So I'll likely face the same preconditioning dilemma as you also. Out of interest how long after the preconditioning has been set to come up do you allow the car to continue charging for to recoup the lost energy?

Yes the BMW Connected APP with the blue Logo, there is a brown one too, never really figured out why! In the Remote section you can edit the charging timer. There are two Departure Times you can set, I only use the morning slot. There is a switch to toggle Preconditioning, that only mentions cabin temperature actually, it doesn't mention anything about the battery. Then at the bottom is the bit where it says "Charging Mode". There are two choices, Charge immediately is one and Tariff Time Slot is the other. If you select the latter it allows you to set a single time window in which charging should take place instead of as soon as you connect and lock the car.

[chris56]

Yes the latest BMW Connected App - the one with the Blue logo allows you to set a charging schedule plus scheduled pre-conditioning. (or it did prior to the update earlier this week - now I seem unable to do much with it)

[Coyote86]

I cannot say I have ever seen the app showing charging schedule. It does show when the car will be charged from when you have plugged it in.
If you plug it in, it will start to charge. No way to stop it charging and then tell it to charge later on.

I do question why you need this as a feature? If you plug it in, why would you want it to start charging later on or just before you depart the next day?
If you charge it at night, then precondition kicks in in the morning, 2 scenarios, you either still have it plugged in, which would then top the 5% or so the precondition may take. Or the 2nd scenario is that you lose 5% from precondition.

I personally plug it in when I get home, check the time it's due to be charged then double check at that time and if it says its 100% I go unplug it (get home around 6.30, usually done around 8.30 depending on how much charge was left (8.30 - 2 hours from empty).

Also, I don't care about mpg lol I just stick it in sport or sport+ and that's me for the day
I guess I'm in the minority in the group who don't wan't to see how far I can push the EV side, getting as many miles as possible.

[Kendo2748]

Can anyone confirm that the rear split folding seats is a zero priced option, but needs selecting on order and is not added automatically

[Soov330e]

Kendo2748 said:

Can anyone confirm that the rear split folding seats is a zero priced option, but needs selecting on order and is not added automatically

IN the UK they are a cost option.

[Somebody]

Kendo2748 said:

Can anyone confirm that the rear split folding seats is a zero priced option, but needs selecting on order and is not added automatically

It's an option at a cost of £255. You can have the Interior Comfort Pack for £630 which includes

Steering wheel heating
Split-folding rear seats
Extended Storage
Seat heating front
Armrest front sliding

[MaxOverdrive]

Orion917 said:

Yes the BMW Connected APP with the blue Logo, there is a brown one too, never really figured out why! In the Remote section you can edit the charging timer. There are two Departure Times you can set, I only use the morning slot. There is a switch to toggle Preconditioning, that only mentions cabin temperature actually, it doesn't mention anything about the battery. Then at the bottom is the bit where it says "Charging Mode". There are two choices, Charge immediately is one and Tariff Time Slot is the other. If you select the latter it allows you to set a single time window in which charging should take place instead of as soon as you connect and lock the car.

Cheers for that; I'll look forward to checking that feature out then when I get the car

[MaxOverdrive]

Coyote86 said:

I cannot say I have ever seen the app showing charging schedule. It does show when the car will be charged from when you have plugged it in.
If you plug it in, it will start to charge. No way to stop it charging and then tell it to charge later on.

I do question why you need this as a feature? If you plug it in, why would you want it to start charging later on or just before you depart the next day?
If you charge it at night, then precondition kicks in in the morning, 2 scenarios, you either still have it plugged in, which would then top the 5% or so the precondition may take. Or the 2nd scenario is that you lose 5% from precondition.

I personally plug it in when I get home, check the time it's due to be charged then double check at that time and if it says its 100% I go unplug it (get home around 6.30, usually done around 8.30 depending on how much charge was left (8.30 - 2 hours from empty).

Also, I don't care about mpg lol I just stick it in sport or sport+ and that's me for the day
I guess I'm in the minority in the group who don't wan't to see how far I can push the EV side, getting as many miles as possible.

I would need the feature simply because it could take until 11pm or so before the car is fully charged in an evening (don't get home until 7pm most nights) so I'd prefer it to not be continually fed power all the way through the evening. Plus if I get it set to charge early morning I can then account for potential battery drain due to preconditioning

I hope this car improves my driving habits so I can keep the ole license clean I guess time will tell though as having all that power will no doubt tempt me to the dark side like you were

[Robv1]

wobert said:

As I went through 600 miles on the way home I decided to use sport mode for both the transmission and throttle.

Feck me, this thing shifts.....

I take it you're done breaking in the car then...

[wobert]

Robv1 said:

wobert said:

As I went through 600 miles on the way home I decided to use sport mode for both the transmission and throttle.

Feck me, this thing shifts.....

I take it you're done breaking in the car then...

No, just varying the engine speed and load... :-)

[boogybaz]

wobert said:

A week and 650 miles in....

Have to say I'm impressed!

Long distances are run in "save mode" to recharge the batteries, full "e-drive" is used in traffic or for local journies.

But in Save Mode, with Cruise control on a flat motorway, it is around 20-25mpg and without Save around 35-45mpg! In Auto drive, it will charge the batteries when below 15% regardless, it really doesn't like them being below that. Unless you boot it, it stays in electric mode when in town.

But yes, I agree, it shifts! for a car that weighs 2,200kg dry, so likely 2,500 with fuel and a couple of passengers, it gets off the line rather quickly!

I can recall on one hand the times the throttle has hit the floor!

[Coyote86]

MaxOverdrive said:

I would need the feature simply because it could take until 11pm or so before the car is fully charged in an evening (don't get home until 7pm most nights) so I'd prefer it to not be continually fed power all the way through the evening. Plus if I get it set to charge early morning I can then account for potential battery drain due to preconditioning

I hope this car improves my driving habits so I can keep the ole license clean I guess time will tell though as having all that power will no doubt tempt me to the dark side like you were

Once it's charged it stops feeding power (well not entirely but you're talking very very minimal amounts). This is unless you go for your IP66 Outdoor standard plug, which will continue to feed power.
The wall boxes for charging lock the cables in and will cease to feed power once charged.

Still you cannot control the charging times from the app sadly. Consider this with the fact you will need to pay again for your box (you could in theory get the wall box now then take it with you and refit it at the new house).

[DragonflyTrumpeter]

boogybaz said:

But in Save Mode, with Cruise control on a flat motorway, it is around 20-25mpg and without Save around 35-45mpg! In Auto drive, it will charge the batteries when below 15% regardless, it really doesn't like them being below that. Unless you boot it, it stays in electric mode when in town.

But yes, I agree, it shifts! for a car that weighs 2,200kg dry, so likely 2,500 with fuel and a couple of passengers, it gets off the line rather quickly!

I can recall on one hand the times the throttle has hit the floor!

Plug it in, charge the wee battery to 90% then drive in save mode. Excellent mpg, none of this 20-25 malarky. Brilliant for distance driving.

Does not even complain when the situation requires you ping the stick to the left

[MaxOverdrive]

Coyote86 said:

Once it's charged it stops feeding power (well not entirely but you're talking very very minimal amounts). This is unless you go for your IP66 Outdoor standard plug, which will continue to feed power.
The wall boxes for charging lock the cables in and will cease to feed power once charged.

Still you cannot control the charging times from the app sadly. Consider this with the fact you will need to pay again for your box (you could in theory get the wall box now then take it with you and refit it at the new house).

Yeah i might have to look at that then. Only swine there is the cost of the cable on top of the charging point cost.

So how come some folks have the option to schedule within the app? from a different country?

[Coyote86]

I'd ask for pics of the charging timer as I do not think that is on the 330e.
I know the 530e' can have a wireless charger so maybe they have other options in the app.

[bmwphever]

MaxOverdrive said:

Yeah i might have to look at that then. Only swine there is the cost of the cable on top of the charging point cost.

So how come some folks have the option to schedule within the app? from a different country?

There's no direct 'start charging at X time' option, but you could use the 'off peak' time setting to choose when to charge. I think the off peak time setting is only available in the app but I could be wrong. The use of the off peak setting is available in iDrive as well, it's just the time setting I think that's app only.

If you have departure times set and enabled (upto 2) then it will charge:
- immediately if the next departure time is before the off peak time
- from the start of the off peak time if the next departure time is after the off peak time setting

Charging will start immediately regardless of departure times if you ask it to (by turning off the 'use off peak' setting), or if no departure times are enabled.

It would also start to charge before the off peak time setting if it needs to to satisfy a departure time.

So you could set the off peak times to anything that would satisfy your timing requirements, but you'd have to keep changing it if you want to do that more than once a day, or at different times each day.

EDIT: Should have said this is UK. I attach a picture of the departure time setting page of the app.

Edited by bmwphever on Friday 16th June 15:36

[wobert]

boogybaz said:

wobert said:

A week and 650 miles in....

Have to say I'm impressed!

Long distances are run in "save mode" to recharge the batteries, full "e-drive" is used in traffic or for local journies.

But in Save Mode, with Cruise control on a flat motorway, it is around 20-25mpg and without Save around 35-45mpg! In Auto drive, it will charge the batteries when below 15% regardless, it really doesn't like them being below that. Unless you boot it, it stays in electric mode when in town.

But yes, I agree, it shifts! for a car that weighs 2,200kg dry, so likely 2,500 with fuel and a couple of passengers, it gets off the line rather quickly!

I can recall on one hand the times the throttle has hit the floor!

I thought quoted weight was c1700 kgs

[raspy]

wobert said:

I thought quoted weight was c1700 kgs

Yup. Sport version has a kerb weight of 1660kg according to this https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/330e-s...

[MaxOverdrive]

bmwphever said:

There's no direct 'start charging at X time' option, but you could use the 'off peak' time setting to choose when to charge. I think the off peak time setting is only available in the app but I could be wrong. The use of the off peak setting is available in iDrive as well, it's just the time setting I think that's app only.

If you have departure times set and enabled (upto 2) then it will charge:
- immediately if the next departure time is before the off peak time
- from the start of the off peak time if the next departure time is after the off peak time setting

Charging will start immediately regardless of departure times if you ask it to (by turning off the 'use off peak' setting), or if no departure times are enabled.

It would also start to charge before the off peak time setting if it needs to to satisfy a departure time.

So you could set the off peak times to anything that would satisfy your timing requirements, but you'd have to keep changing it if you want to do that more than once a day, or at different times each day.

EDIT: Should have said this is UK. I attach a picture of the departure time setting page of the app.

Edited by bmwphever on Friday 16th June 15:36

Thanks a lot for this; it sounds like a winner then

If you've got that feature here in the UK and on the 330e with the blue coloured BMW Connected Drive app I should be laughing

[bmwphever]

MaxOverdrive said:

Thanks a lot for this; it sounds like a winner then

If you've got that feature here in the UK and on the 330e with the blue coloured BMW Connected Drive app I should be laughing

Indeed. Exactly that. It works pretty well I think, and has recently been more stable - I haven't often had the app fail to connect or change a setting. Although at the moment it seems to struggle to update the current charge state.

EDIT: Although closing and reopening the app sometimes fixes that (on iOS).

Edited by bmwphever on Saturday 17th June 08:25