New 2017 13 with Rex - Electric Range - 129 or 150 miles?

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brb

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2017
Messages
3
We just bought a new BMW i3 yesterday and totally love it! It had only 30 miles charge when we took it from the dealership. So we took it to a DC fast charger location and charged it to 99%. When the charge was done, the range display showed 147 miles for electric and 78 miles on Range extender. We drove it back home and saw 145 miles on display even after parking. So we got really exited that the new i3 gave around 150 miles on electric !

Then this morning I registered on connect drive and downloaded the app on my phone. The connected drive app and website showed 129 miles range. So I went to the car with the app and now the car also shows 129 miles on electric! What happened? Why did this connected drive reduce my miles? If I had known this connected drive app is programmed to reduce the actual miles, I would have never downloaded it or registered for it :( It is a totally useless app that did nothing other than reduce the actual mileage on my car! What a shame!

Now how do I get the old 150 miles electric range back? Can someone please let me know how to fix this problem? I don't need this connected drive thing - I need the actual miles. Please help!

Thank You!
 
It appears the indicated range is calculated by your vehicle averaged "mi/kWh" versus the battery charge and REx fuel level. Since coding my car, I noticed my "BMW Connected" app has not figured out the REx tank capacity is coded. As for the indicated battery range, I use what is in the car. If it seems too short, clear the "mi/kWh" and drive slowly.

Bob Wilson
 
bwilson4web said:
It appears the indicated range is calculated by your vehicle averaged "mi/kWh" versus the battery charge and REx fuel level. Since coding my car, I noticed my "BMW Connected" app has not figured out the REx tank capacity is coded. As for the indicated battery range, I use what is in the car. If it seems too short, clear the "mi/kWh" and drive slowly.

Bob Wilson

Sorry- I have a really stupid question... I do not know how to clear "mi/kWh"? I am not sure what this means... Can you please give me instructions on how to do this? I checked all the menu entries ... cant find this option.
Thank You so much
 
My mistake for not including the instructions. Without walking out the car, use the "Vehicle Status" menu to bring up the sub-menu. There you'll find the "Trip Meter" and above it something like "Current values"(?). This has two metrics, "mi/kWh" and "average speed". Highlight them and push the selector button to call up the 'Reset" option.

Driving around town, I don't fiddle with them unless running a benchmark or some unusual weather condition. But I do reset them when going cross-country to improve range estimates.

I'll try to take some photos later tonight.

Bob Wilson
 
bwilson4web said:
My mistake for not including the instructions. Without walking out the car, use the "Vehicle Status" menu to bring up the sub-menu. There you'll find the "Trip Meter" and above it something like "Current values"(?). This has two metrics, "mi/kWh" and "average speed". Highlight them and push the selector button to call up the 'Reset" option.

Driving around town, I don't fiddle with them unless running a benchmark or some unusual weather condition. But I do reset them when going cross-country to improve range estimates.

I'll try to take some photos later tonight.

Bob Wilson

I found Vehicle Info -> Trip Computer and Pushed Reset on it. Also went into Settings and Reset "Vehicle Status" from there was well.. But couldn't find "Trip Meter" and the metrics.. May be I am doing something wrong? I will keep exploring all the menu options.
Thanks for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it.
 
The guessometer that displays remaining range is just that, an educated guess. It is based on the last 18-miles or so of your driving, the temperature, and the computer's indication of the battery charge. So, typically, in the morning, it's colder, which can account for some range decrease. I've had mine read one value, and after driving for maybe as much as 10-miles, have it go UP, not down, because the type of driving is different than what had been done before. If you sat in the car for awhile when you got home before you shut it off...that time also adds up, and the estimated range will go down. If you change modes between comfort and either of the Eco choices, your indicated range will go up.

The app only reports what it hears from the car...it doesn't make up a value. Now, the car doesn't always keep the app up to date, but you can get an idea of the age of the data from the app's display. They can get out of sync.
 
What jadnashuanh said. Plus the app has no influence on the actual range. The actual range is determined by the energy content of your battery pack in kWh and under what conditions you drive. Everything else is an estimate that you can influence by the way you drive which can be displayed as miles/kWh. If your battery pack is full, BMW states that the normal energy content is 27.2 kWh. If your driving conditions result in your driving 4.5 miles/kWh, your total actual electric range would be 27.2 x 4.5 = 122 miles if the REx engine did not start. But the REx engine would start at a charge level of 6.5%, so your actual electric range would be 122 x 0.935 = 114 miles before the REx engine started. The displayed range estimate is just a guide. With experience, you'll learn how accurate the estimate is in your driving situation.

This is no different from driving an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle: the fuel tank contains a certain amount of energy and how far that energy will propel the car depends on the driving conditions. Some ICE vehicles can display an estimated range, but this estimation is no better than that of your i3.
 
jadnashuanh said:
The guessometer that displays remaining range is just that, an educated guess. It is based on the last 18-miles or so of your driving, the temperature, and the computer's indication of the battery charge.
Well said, Jim.

Brb, congratulations on your new i3. As you read through the forums, you'll see the acronym GOM, meaning guess-o-meter. For what it's worth, I get around 110-111 miles on a full charge (2107 REx). This is during the summer here in South Carolina and will change as the weather changes and is influenced by driving style.
 
Congratulations on a great car/choice.

Gas prices might spike for a while, because of Houston.

I also have a 2017 i3 REX.

This is my second BEV car.

I have yet to have range anxiety with the BMW.
I am easily getting at least 120 range on the batteries alone.
This will change a bit this Winter.
Prrobably lose 15%.

That would still leve you with 100 plus miles.
By the way.
The REX unit works great,
 
When you guys mention range figures, are those based on running in Comfort mode?

I always have my A/C on and set to 20C/68F and keep the i3 in Comfort mode. I tried EcoPro/EcoPro+ a couple of times. But between remembering to set it every time I start up the car and giving up on A/C and responsive acceleration, Comfort mode it is for me. Also, I always leave A/C on when I park.

I got my i3 last November so right off the bat, I experienced the worst range numbers. 150km/93mi at -5C weather was my worst GOM number. I didn't get to actually take up the GOM on it.

My best was last month when I drove up to Whistler, BC from my place - a 298km/185mi trip. When I left, and after setting the nav, the GOM gave me 207km/128mi. Outside temp was around 30C/86F. I didn't bother charging when I got to Whistler Village. I spent 2 hours there. i3 was parked in the sun. I left A/C on when I parked. And about 15 minutes before got to the car, I turned on A/C using the app.

The REX came on at around 215km/133mi. I figured it could have come on earlier had I been driving on flat terrain since I'm going downhill. But then, I probably used up more power going up the mountain. So I guess it averages out. REX GOM gave me 110km/68mi range. More than enough to get me home.

The rest of the trip was on REX. At 4km from my place, I filled up on gas. It took 2li/0.5Gal(US) to top it up.

After that trip, the GOM figures I'm getting improved. Just yesterday, GOM's giving me a range of 220km/136mi. Before Whistler, GOM was giving me between 190-200km estimates. But I've learned to take GOM figures with a grain of salt. For example, because I always leave the A/C on when I park, I always lose 10km on the GOM number when I get back to the i3. But most of that lost 10km is almost always made up a few minutes into driving. I guess between the regen and getting realtime data again, the GOM gives a better estimate.

Even with my previous cars, I've made it a habit to enter my destination into the nav. Just so I can easily re-route on detours. On the i3 though, I think that gives GOM another data source for its calculations. I just keep the voice prompts off unless I'm travelling on unfamiliar routes.

This upcoming winter, I'll go out for a long drive to see how close those GOM estimates are.
 
When I got home yesterday after about a 50-mile trip, the statistics indicated 5.8m/Kw, and once recharged over 100-miles, and that was running entirely in comfort mode on a 2014 BEV. It was mild, but I left the a/c on. A more typical indication is 75-85 miles, but in the middle of winter, I've seen the GOM show about 50-miles. Where and how you drive, along with the weather have much more effect on the range available than say on an ICE. But, on my ICE, it is not unusual to see miles to empty indicate anywhere between 300-500 miles, again, depending on how and where I drive. So, given that, the variation in the i3's estimated range came as no surprise...it is what it is, and it can only estimate based on history...it can't reliably predict how you WILL drive later.
 
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