REX software and Video in Motion

Very cool.

I just updated my 2017 i3 with software from http://www.dvdinmotion.com
Found the link on this site. Love it.

This allowed me to do two things.

1. I can select the REX unit to Hold State of Charge, starting at 75% ot less battery capacity.
2. Full screen movies for my wife. On the front screen
Of course, the driver should never watch a movie in motion.

First movie to watch: Airplane

Sorry about posting the incorrect web address:

www.dvdinmotion.com
They call themselves Video in Motion

Every day, I like the i3 more and more.

I had a Ford Focus Electric. That was also a great car, but not enough range.
Now, I have a 2017 i3 with REX and the 35 kW batteries.
Plenty of range.

Yes, I have a Model 3 on order.
Yes, I will drive an iE3 Sport for a test.

Too many good options
I was neurotic before this,

Is this spam?

amcdonal86 said:

Is this spam?

Click to expand...

From a supporting member ? I doubt it

I figured because the posts are completely incoherent and features a broken link.

All the links work for me

Really? I tried the first link on multiple devices and it shows up as a domain name for sale.

Sorry, my bad.
Apparently the OP typed in the wrong URL
Should be dvdinmotion.com. They do use the term "video in motion" in their ad, so maybe that's where the confusion came from.
http://dvdinmotion.com/bmw-i3-special

Thanks for clarifying.

After looking at the 75% to activate the REX unit, I guess I don't understand what the purpose of that is. Does it increase your electric range? Whether you are burning gas now (75%) or later (5%), you're still burning gas which defeats the purpose of having an electric car.

I suppose I could see using it if I had to drive 240 miles, and the first 80 I wanted to use gas, then gas up, then use a combination of gas and electric to go the remaining 160, but I still don't think it does much for range anxiety.

Someone smarter than me (pretty sure there are lots! ) can explain this much better but let me tell you why I'm considering on having my i3 coded for the REx to Hold SOC at a certain %.

Stock, I believe REx engages around 5-6% SOC. Well that would work perfectly well for me if I'm close to home or next charging station.
If my understanding is correct, the 5-6% SOC will be maintained by REx until the battery is recharged. But one can keep refueling and keep running REx until the destination is reached, which is what you stated.

What I understand as being the problem is, at 5-6% SOC, there's an inherent assumption that the REx can keep up with the load. But what if the route has mountain passes, sustained climbs, strong headwinds, heavy foot, etc, anything that can put extra load on the battery, the REx won't be able to keep up and the SOC % will start dropping. This is where I think the Hold SOC coding will help. If I peg SOC at 50%, knowing the load on the battery will be higher, I can keep the battery SOC at high enough level to not force the i3 to go into limp mode if SOC drops close to empty.

The Hold SOC coding is basically allowing us to increase the buffer before battery drops to 0% SOC.

*** After typing all that, I think this thread explains it well -> http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4167

I have a 2017 i3 with REX.

Love the car, second BEV.

I coded it, to make sure that I would have enough power for ?

i used www.dvdinmotion.com software.

I have never had a range issue with the i3. I usally get back with 50 plus miles of range left.

But I got bored and wanted to do it.
It will pretty much hold the charge.
Will only work when the battery is less than 75%.
I also coded the Video System too.
Now my wife can watch Game of Thrones.

FWIW, in some places, running video on the front screen is an immediate moving violation, and that is the reason why BMW inhibits it unless in park. I think you'll find it's illegal in every state. Now, will you ever get caught? That's very hard to say. If you do, it can get expensive. MB had an option for their front screen that used a special screen that showed two different things, depending on the angle (the video can't be seen from the driver's seat, but can be from the passenger's, while showing the driver his 'normal' display - kind of neat, and legal).

amcdonal86 said:

Thanks for clarifying.

After looking at the 75% to activate the REX unit, I guess I don't understand what the purpose of that is. Does it increase your electric range? Whether you are burning gas now (75%) or later (5%), you're still burning gas which defeats the purpose of having an electric car.

I suppose I could see using it if I had to drive 240 miles, and the first 80 I wanted to use gas, then gas up, then use a combination of gas and electric to go the remaining 160, but I still don't think it does much for range anxiety.

Click to expand...

I assume you understand that the REx doesn't power the vehicle...it powers a generator that charges the battery which powers the vehicle. So you're always running on battery power.
Here's my story about not coding...
I had my doubts (fears ?) if the REx would actually come on when I first got the car so I tested it near my house, "just in case". I ran the battery down and at about 6% the REx came on. Great, no worries, right ? I drove the short distance home and parked the car but didn't hook up to the charger. The next morning I got in the car and the battery had dropped to 5.5%. Ok, I can still drive with the REx, right ? Yep, I started off but the battery quickly dropped to 5%. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the car goes into limp mode at 5%, meaning speed is limited to around 30mph and A/C or heat is limited. If the battery drops to ~4%, the car will stop and cannot be restarted until it's recharged. I continued to limp along until the battery reached 7%, so if you go slowly enough, the REx will charge up the battery.
The thing is, unless you drive very slowly, the REx won't keep up with battery drain. The margin between when the REx comes on and the car goes into limp mode is razor thin. That's why people want to code their car, to increase that margin. The REx still won't keep up with battery drain but if you start at 75% you have a much larger safety margin.

. . . The REx still won't keep up with battery drain but if you start at 75% you have a much larger safety margin.

Click to expand...

After the 2% drop during warm-up, the car will recover. It can then sustain the charge at speeds under 70 mph. At 70 mph, it depends on condition: (1) grade, (2) winds, and (3) accessories. Over 70 mph, the battery will gradually discharge while the REx works hard.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Thanks for the clarification