Sim card?

I'm assuming the i3 has a 3g simcard? Anyone know where it's located? What carrier? Can it be upgraded to 4g?

I don't think that it's a dedicated SIM card...I think it's embedded, so getting a new one might require a new box, and then, not sure if it would then require coding, so you probably couldn't do it yourself. Don't' know for sure.

It might be an eSIM card, which would be very hard to change, but the head unit/telecommunications piece is underneath the rear seat.

Take a look at this video for more info:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8OHW4QijUY


If you decide to take a look under the rear seat cushion, please report back. I'm interested in seeing what you find out!

It is almost certainly not able to be upgraded to LTE, unless it's already really LTE, and BMW just isn't telling us.

Seasidenj said:

What carrier?

Click to expand...

It's been reported to be AT&T in the U.S.

4g alone would make the BMW connected app so much better!

This is an amateur question, please don't laugh...
I bought my i3 a month ago in Germany (where it had the full package of connectivity, concierge etc), and exported it out of the EU.
To my total surprise, the car is connected to the internet, suggesting that there is a SIM card, maybe e-Sim, somewhere (under the back seat?).
Now I am very used to pay for service that doesn't work, but it never happened before that I get something real without paying :roll:
What's the trick? Where the data is coming from and how come it is still working in a different continent? Will it keep working for years to come or at some point BMW will ask for a periodical pay (my car will turn 1 year old on Friday)?

Thanks!
Ron

Depending on the model year and the country, the connectivity is 'free' for some number of years. If you've moved away from the original marketing area, eventually, they may want to move the account to a local provider, otherwise, they'd be paying for roaming forever. Some of the functionality available is by subscription, so, when that account expires, to retain it, you'd have to start to pay. In my case, the basic functions are 'free' and I did not opt to pay for the optional extra functionality once it expired.

So, yes, the car does have an embedded SIM (not an actual card). Not sure if it's equivalent to an E-SIM, as it may not be reprogrammed, but the whole module would need to be replaced.