4 days with an i3 - first impressions

[liner33]

Z3MCJez said:

Dumb question, but does the REx generate enough charge to drive at constant 70 (or more) mph if you have run the battery to zero first? I.e. can you drive for an hour at a time at 70mph and do a splash and dash at the Shell to make an emergency run?

Jez

As I understand it no , you are limited to about 56mph

[Z3MCJez]

Thanks both.

Jez

[modeller]

liner33 said:

As I understand it no , you are limited to about 56mph

Nah. Easily do 70. If you climb a mountain on 6% it will struggle however - uses the battery as an elastic buffer.

[covmutley]

I assume you are aware you can turn rex on manually?

You don't have to wait for it to get to 6%

[oop north]

covmutley said:

I assume you are aware you can turn rex on manually?

You don't have to wait for it to get to 6%

Yup - as long as no more than 75% charge you can turn on anytime

[Z3MCJez]

I was more considering the unlikely emergency. My folks live about 280 miles away. If I had to get there with the i3 in a hurry, I was interested in how it might play out if I was starting with next to nothing.

My first issue is that I have a "10 mile hill"* to get over to get to the M25.

Jez

• Meaning that the range drops by 10 miles as you drive up it before you get most of that range back on the other side.

[CooperS]

liner33 said:

Z3MCJez said:

Dumb question, but does the REx generate enough charge to drive at constant 70 (or more) mph if you have run the battery to zero first? I.e. can you drive for an hour at a time at 70mph and do a splash and dash at the Shell to make an emergency run?

Jez

As I understand it no , you are limited to about 56mph

Why post if your not aware?

I can turn the Rex on at 75% of battery and depending on geography (i.e. how hilly it is) and what climate control you've got turned on (i.e.heater not on full blast) you can broadly maintain the battery at 65mph in my experience. It'll only add to the battery if your tootling around at 30 and even then you need to be fairly soft and awareness of your inputs (no hooning)...

[modeller]

CooperS said:

Why post if your not aware?

I can turn the Rex on at 75% of battery and depending on geography (i.e. how hilly it is) and what climate control you've got turned on (i.e.heater not on full blast) you can broadly maintain the battery at 65mph in my experience. It'll only add to the battery if your tootling around at 30 and even then you need to be fairly soft and awareness of your inputs (no hooning)...

The REX will only hold the state of charge, not add to it. It does take a few miles to warm up, so you'll see the % drop and then increase to the hold level. Hooning (traffic light GP) is certainly possible .. but maybe not sustained 80+!

[CooperS]

modeller said:

CooperS said:

Why post if your not aware?

I can turn the Rex on at 75% of battery and depending on geography (i.e. how hilly it is) and what climate control you've got turned on (i.e.heater not on full blast) you can broadly maintain the battery at 65mph in my experience. It'll only add to the battery if your tootling around at 30 and even then you need to be fairly soft and awareness of your inputs (no hooning)...

The REX will only hold the state of charge, not add to it. It does take a few miles to warm up, so you'll see the % drop and then increase to the hold level. Hooning (traffic light GP) is certainly possible .. but maybe not sustained 80+!

I've had seen a small incremental increases tootling around on Eco pro + but that could be the energy recover doing its thing.

[liner33]

CooperS said:

liner33 said:

Z3MCJez said:

Dumb question, but does the REx generate enough charge to drive at constant 70 (or more) mph if you have run the battery to zero first? I.e. can you drive for an hour at a time at 70mph and do a splash and dash at the Shell to make an emergency run?

Jez

As I understand it no , you are limited to about 56mph

Why post if your not aware?

I can turn the Rex on at 75% of battery and depending on geography (i.e. how hilly it is) and what climate control you've got turned on (i.e.heater not on full blast) you can broadly maintain the battery at 65mph in my experience. It'll only add to the battery if your tootling around at 30 and even then you need to be fairly soft and awareness of your inputs (no hooning)...

Why post if you arent going to answer the question? . I dont own a i3 but I have watched many youtube videos to research them and those stated that you can only do a steady 56mph or so just on the rex with no battery support but I cannot confirm personally

[anonymous-user]

liner33 said:

CooperS said:

liner33 said:

Z3MCJez said:

Dumb question, but does the REx generate enough charge to drive at constant 70 (or more) mph if you have run the battery to zero first? I.e. can you drive for an hour at a time at 70mph and do a splash and dash at the Shell to make an emergency run?

Jez

As I understand it no , you are limited to about 56mph

Why post if your not aware?

I can turn the Rex on at 75% of battery and depending on geography (i.e. how hilly it is) and what climate control you've got turned on (i.e.heater not on full blast) you can broadly maintain the battery at 65mph in my experience. It'll only add to the battery if your tootling around at 30 and even then you need to be fairly soft and awareness of your inputs (no hooning)...

Why post if you arent going to answer the question? . I dont own a i3 but I have watched many youtube videos to research them and those stated that you can only do a steady 56mph or so just on the rex with no battery support but I cannot confirm personally

The range extender produces a maximum output of 25kW, so once you've included conversion losses, that probably around 21 to 22kW at the wheels. So how fast can an i3 go on 21kW? No idea, but i expect about 50 to 60 odd mph sounds about right to me in terms of a typical passenger car drag curves

[...]

OP can I ask if you managed to haggle a discount on your i3? Carwow have given me some quote and BMW Arden Maistone are offering a 17.4% (£28,970) discount on a standard one in white with suite interior world.
Was just wondering if this is a good price or not?

[CrgT16]

I test drove one in March and I thought it was great, really comfortable and quiet. It was for my wife... she wanted a bigger car in the end. Although her commute is 44 miles total into SW London and she needs to drive. I thought i3 to be a perfect fit. Cheap to run, comfortable and easy to park. But no... she "needed" a 5 series estate instead. I said "good luck"!!

[CooperS]

... said:

OP can I ask if you managed to haggle a discount on your i3? Carwow have given me some quote and BMW Arden Maistone are offering a 17.4% (£28,970) discount on a standard one in white with suite interior world.
Was just wondering if this is a good price or not?

Considering very few buyers report any significant discount (over and above the usual government funding and the well published central BMW discount) I'd say that was a good price.

[Truffles]

The facelift i3 is sue out shortly - getting rid of old stock?

[Pica-Pica]

AnotherClarkey said:

I had one on a 24 test drive and agree that there is something off/unsettled with the handling. There seems to be odd steering response just off straight ahead which results in a lot of 'head toss'.

The REX generator is 4 stroke rather than 2 stroke no?

Kind of negates all the comments if OP can't tell a two stroke from a four-stroke.

[Pica-Pica]

"I had my i3 step out quite considerably when entering a motorway. When it goes it's pretty nasty - much harder to control than something like an Elise. It was damp and I guess there was likely to be diesel or oil on the bend"

Of course there was diesel on the bend, of course there was (keep saying it).

[PixelpeepS3]

Pica-Pica said:

AnotherClarkey said:

I had one on a 24 test drive and agree that there is something off/unsettled with the handling. There seems to be odd steering response just off straight ahead which results in a lot of 'head toss'.

The REX generator is 4 stroke rather than 2 stroke no?

Kind of negates all the comments if OP can't tell a two stroke from a four-stroke.

its a 4 stroke 2 cylinder jobbie and it has 3 'settings' depending on what is required.

on it's highest output it is very noisy - so i programmed one of the short cut keys (8 of them like radio presets) to the REX override setting so if the battery was below 75% i could start it manually - i used the REX on the motorway (where the road noise drowns it out) to maintain charge if the journey would be more than the pure EV range.

Seriously, you do not want to be pulling up anywhere residential while that 2cy lawnmower is on full chat.. especially if your 'friends' are already looking for reasons to take the piss lol.

[r1chardh]

Truffles said:

The facelift i3 is sue out shortly - getting rid of old stock?

Have any details come out about this? I haven't spotted any.

[EricE]

the spy photos show a fairly minor facelift including front/rear bumper and lights. I'm certain the facelift will get a new satnav and other much needed tech updates, like the terrible camera based active cruise control in my current i3.

http://www.bmwblog.com/2017/07/24/2018-bmw-i3-s-ri...

there will also be a "sportier" i3s with a bit more power, wider tyres, wider front trock, lower ride height and perhaps an option to turn DSC off. could be quite fun:

https://youtu.be/O9pQuu4JuCk?t=28