Official BMW i3 thread

[TomMoloughney]

Here's a pretty fair i3 review from a current LEAF owner. He took BMW up on the extended test drive and had an i3 for a couple days:

http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2014/10/nissan-leaf-owner-reviews-i3-after-3.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[shikataganai]

I test drove an i3 today. From the perspective of a parent with a 20 month old daughter and another on the way, it's too small, even as a second car that will only see occasional kid duty. The cargo area is really disappointing as well.

Although I was duly impressed by the great forward view and tiny turning circle offered by not having any mechanical bits up front, the size plus the premium over the more-practical LEAF kills it for me.

I was also somewhat surprised at how cheap the screen on the steering column looked. Center navi screen looked fine, just not the one in front of me.

 

[cwerdna]

I test drove an i3 today. From the perspective of a parent with a 20 month old daughter and another on the way, it's too small, even as a second car that will only see occasional kid duty. The cargo area is really disappointing as well.
...
the size plus the premium over the more-practical LEAF kills it for me.

I'm not surprised given that the i3 has an EPA size classification of sub-compact vs. the midsize car Leaf.

 

[GRA]

Via ABG:

BMW looking to fix i3 acceleration problem uncovered by Consumer Reports

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/10/bmw-i3-acceleration-problem-consumer-reports/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yet more proof of the inadequate safety of the current crippled REx implementation.

 

[evnow]

Via ABG:

BMW looking to fix i3 acceleration problem uncovered by Consumer Reports

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/10/10/bmw-i3-acceleration-problem-consumer-reports/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yet more proof of the inadequate safety of the current crippled REx implementation.

Inevitable.

CARB rules for BEVx and BMW's willingness to stick to them is a direct challenge to "common sense". I hope they make the fix before someone actually gets injured - and we get a headline "Slow moving EV causes injury".

 

[TomT]

I experienced exactly the same thing on my extended test drive when I climbed a long hill and very quickly depleted the battery. A SOC meter is not going to fix the problem! It is the fact that, in the USA, BMW allows the battery to nearly completely deplete before the very weak Rex kicks in

Yet more proof of the inadequate safety of the current crippled REx implementation.

 

[Boomer23]

I experienced exactly the same thing on my extended test drive when I climbed a long hill and very quickly depleted the battery. A SOC meter is not going to fix the problem! It is the fact that, in the USA, BMW allows the battery to nearly completely deplete before the very weak Rex kicks in

Yet more proof of the inadequate safety of the current crippled REx implementation.

From what I've read, BMW's plan to solve this is to allow a "mountain mode" implementation tied to the NAV which would allow the REx to kick on at a higher SOC and conserve battery power to improve performance if the computer calculates that this will be needed based on the degree to which the drivetrain will be challenged by a hill climb on the programmed route.

 

[GRA]

I experienced exactly the same thing on my extended test drive when I climbed a long hill and very quickly depleted the battery. A SOC meter is not going to fix the problem! It is the fact that, in the USA, BMW allows the battery to nearly completely deplete before the very weak Rex kicks in

Yet more proof of the inadequate safety of the current crippled REx implementation.

From what I've read, BMW's plan to solve this is to allow a "mountain mode" implementation tied to the NAV which would allow the REx to kick on at a higher SOC and conserve battery power to improve performance if the computer calculates that this will be needed based on the degree to which the drivetrain will be challenged by a hill climb on the programmed route.

Or they could, you know, give the control of that mode back to the driver, just like it is in Europe. In fact, instead of allowing just a 'mountain mode', which IIRR ups the cut-in for the REx from ~6% to ~22%?, they could give the car a full 'hold mode'.

While they're at it, since the car's range on gas is greater than it's AER (78 vs. 72 miles EPA), which means it fails to comply with the requirement for BEVx (which they didn't get, only TZEV), the whole practical justification for crippling the REx and shrinking the gas tank has disappeared, leaving only the extra $1k in CA. rebates and maybe some extra CARB credit, a sorry justification for putting people's lives at risk and seriously limiting the car's utility.

 

[TomT]

Apparently they assume that everyone will always put the route they intent to take in to the Nav and then follow that route... What a pathetic and meaningless solution to a significant design defect issue... This has to be a "solution" driven by marketing and not by engineering...

From what I've read, BMW's plan to solve this is to allow a "mountain mode" implementation tied to the NAV which would allow the REx to kick on at a higher SOC and conserve battery power to improve performance if the computer calculates that this will be needed based on the degree to which the drivetrain will be challenged by a hill climb on the programmed route.

 

[lorenfb]

Apparently they assume that everyone will always put the route they intent to take in to the Nav and then follow that route... What a pathetic and meaningless solution to a significant design defect issue... This has to be a "solution" driven by marketing and not by engineering...

From what I've read, BMW's plan to solve this is to allow a "mountain mode" implementation tied to the NAV which would allow the REx to kick on at a higher SOC and conserve battery power to improve performance if the computer calculates that this will be needed based on the degree to which the drivetrain will be challenged by a hill climb on the programmed route.

Yes, the bottom line is that the i3 Rex ICE has inadequate power to power a vehicle at a safe speed under
all terrain conditions and also charge the battery. A BEV Rex vehicle needs to be basically a hybrid, e.g. Volt.
To rely on Rex as implemented by BMW results in a seriously compromised vehicle!

 

[JeremyW]

I went to an event today where a whole bunch of i3 owners got their cars "fixed" via special software. It adds back a hold option for the rex, AM radio, and changes a lot of other things like the seatbelt gong, number of blinker flashes after tapping the turn signal, etc. Apparently the i3 is very similar to other BMW cars in that they all run the same core software. Changes are uploaded via ethernet. Some modules are locked about 3 hours after installation at the factory and can't be changed, but they're ones like ABS/Traction Control which you shouldn't be messing with anyway.

It's a whole other world compared to the Leaf.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
Yeah, I've been seeing posts on the i3 Facebook group about "coding", using some pretty whacky looking software, from the instructions I've skimmed.

One of the documents equates it to being similar to editing the registry in Windows. I concur. Gotta love how well documented registry entries and locations are... :lol:

 

[TomT]

I almost never agree with or comment on anything that Loren writes but I agree completely with this!

Yes, the bottom line is that the i3 Rex ICE has inadequate power to power a vehicle at a safe speed under
all terrain conditions and also charge the battery. To rely on Rex as implemented by BMW results in a seriously compromised vehicle!

 

[lorenfb]

I went to an event today where a whole bunch of i3 owners got their cars "fixed" via special software. It adds back a hold option for the rex, AM radio, and changes a lot of other things like the seatbelt gong, number of blinker flashes after tapping the turn signal, etc. Apparently the i3 is very similar to other BMW cars in that they all run the same core software. Changes are uploaded via ethernet. Some modules are locked about 3 hours after installation at the factory and can't be changed, but they're ones like ABS/Traction Control which you shouldn't be messing with anyway.

It's a whole other world compared to the Leaf.

There's no "core software" that 'runs' in other BMWs similar to an operating system found in a PC or cell
phone like Windows or iOS. Most all the distributed processing in the various vehicle controllers operate
independent of an overall control software based on their own firmware in each controller. Some utilize
inputs from the driver but control their output functions based on their firmware in their microcontroller's
flash memory and in many cases in their mask ROMs. Examples of that are the ABS/DSC, the transmission
controller and the engine controller. Some of the modules can be re-flashed via factory diagnostic tools,
e.g. the Nissan Consult, but in many cases to a very limited amount.

The BMW i3 most likely has a user interface, i.e. given the unique design of their EV, which has minor
control over driver inputs, e.g. the amount of motor power based on SOC, when the Rex operates,
and what accessories operate based on SOC. The BMW i3 user interface is very limited in its functionality
based on the overall operations of the vehicle and how each controller module functions and interacts
with other modules via the various bus networks found on all late model vehicles. Simple coding changes
such as whether the doors auto-lock at a certain speed can be made via diagnostic tools but these
are not considered as major firmware mods. Many controllers have volatile/non-volatile memory
locations for such simple re-coding of minor functional changes.

 

[adric22]

We brought home an i3 Rex yesterday for the 3-day test-drive. I won't bother to go into all of the details already discussed here. But I'll say my biggest gripe is the placement of the charge door on the back of the car. We have a 240V EVSE mounted on the front center wall of our garage so that it can service either of our cars, Volt or Leaf. However, it will not reach the i3 no matter which side of the garage it is parked on. We had to back the car into the garage to get it plugged in. If we decide to buy an I3, we'll HAVE to mount a second 240V EVSE on the side of the garage. And the sad part about that is, when mounted on the side it will only be able to reach one car. Having a center-mounted EVSE is much more logical for a 2-car garage.

 

[mkjayakumar]

Tesla did the same stupid thing - the rationale being, that mimicking ICE cars will make folks more comfortable. What nonsense ? The whole Tesla concept has been built on shaking up the way we do things today, including the spartan interior and a huge screen replacing all physical controls. Then why go with this just because other ICE cars do it.

Nissan did the right thing. It is a breeze to plug it in at home or at public spots even if you are two parking slots away. Here at my office we have one plug in the middle of two parking slots, and both slots are marked for EVs. Guess what, a Ford Energii guy had to park on the left side parking slot and so was struggling the other day because his charge port is on the other side.

 

[pkulak]

We brought home an i3 Rex yesterday for the 3-day test-drive. I won't bother to go into all of the details already discussed here. But I'll say my biggest gripe is the placement of the charge door on the back of the car. We have a 240V EVSE mounted on the front center wall of our garage so that it can service either of our cars, Volt or Leaf. However, it will not reach the i3 no matter which side of the garage it is parked on. We had to back the car into the garage to get it plugged in. If we decide to buy an I3, we'll HAVE to mount a second 240V EVSE on the side of the garage. And the sad part about that is, when mounted on the side it will only be able to reach one car. Having a center-mounted EVSE is much more logical for a 2-car garage.

You could just buy one of those J1772 extensions instead:

http://www.tucsonev.com/J1772Extension.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You probably wouldn't need much length.

 

[lorenfb]

"We brought home an i3Visit the i3 Forum Rex yesterday for the 3-day test-drive."

The location of the charging port on the i3 will probably be somewhat minor compared to other
issues you become aware of during your three day period.

 

[adric22]

"We brought home an i3Visit the i3 Forum Rex yesterday for the 3-day test-drive."

The location of the charging port on the i3 will probably be somewhat minor compared to other
issues you become aware of during your three day period.

We're on day 2 so far.. and mighty pleased with the car, other than the location of the charging port. I'll also admit I'm not a huge fan of the location of the drive selector. And the speedometer and entire information cluster is kind of small compared to the Leaf or Volt. But otherwise.. It appears to be a great car.

 

[TomT]

My biggest disappointment was the miserable EV range and the performance of the Rex. Neither were acceptably in a $51K car... My wife also despised the Giga trim (which would have been a deal breaker regardless)...

We're on day 2 so far.. and mighty pleased with the car, other than the location of the charging port. I'll also admit I'm not a huge fan of the location of the drive selector. And the speedometer and entire information cluster is kind of small compared to the Leaf or Volt. But otherwise.. It appears to be a great car.