I3 for outdoors guy

Hi forum,

new 2017 i3 REX owner here. I am really happy with my i3 which definitively meets my expectations as a great city car.
I am also an avid outdoors person and head to the mountains several times a year and I had planned to continue to use my ‘old’ car for that, but I am now wondering if I could take my i3 instead...here is the challenge: The places I usually like to get to are about 80 to 100 Miley’s away from the last charger in civilization and at about 8-9k ft elevation, I then keep my car parked for 2 to 7 nights parked and temperatures are usually dropping below the freezing point.
So I expect to have close to zero battery power left once I reach my destination and then a few nights of sub freezing point temperatures. I hope the i3 would start right up and i’ll be able to make my way back down the mountain? Anything else I’d need to bring besides a 2 gallon gas can and to keep my fingers crossed that I don’t pick up a flat?

Thanks!

Most people in your situation would code their car to enable the REx to come on around 75% or so. That way you'll be able to maintain a decent charge on your battery. There are lots of threads on coding but a popular method seems to be bimmerap where you can use your smart phone and a cable to code your car.
Edit: I assume you live in the US. If you're in Europe then it's already coded

I actually just got the Odb dongle and already have the bimmercode app, so coding is a must. I still wonder how much battery level I can maintain after the elevation gain up the mountains. Lots of windy mountain roads with steep uphill sections. I guess I’ll give It a shot!

Robot24 said:

I still wonder how much battery level I can maintain after the elevation gain up the mountains. Lots of windy mountain roads with steep uphill sections. I guess I’ll give It a shot!

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The good thing about testing uphill range is that if your battery pack's charge level looks like it will be insufficient to reach your destination, you can just turn around and recharge while descending. So you aren't likely to become stranded.

Good luck!

Storing a nearly depleted i3 in freezing conditions can damage the battery. There is a short discussion of that in the operator's manual.

Depending on the grade, its length, and your speed, the REx may not be able to hold the charge. While the battery doesn't technically lose its available charge much over time, the act of discharging it during driving does warm it, but the range you see when you finally stop will likely be far greater than that shown when you come back after it cold soaking for days. If you run in one of the Eco modes, it would help. The BEV has a heat pump that is up to about 4x more efficient at heating the cabin than the REx, which only has resistance heaters. If you're planning outdoor activities, you might just put on a bunch of heavy clothes, and keep the cabin temp down. The seat heater is about 1/4 of the load the cabin heater is, but obviously doesn't do much for the cabin temp or help people in the rear! Each time you stop (shutdown), the current SOC becomes the max you can try to hold, so stopping may be an issue. If you can find a 120vac receptacle, it should work out. It could be close, especially if you have a lead foot, otherwise.

To give you an idea of what deep cold does to an i3...mine had been in my semi-warm garage while I was on a trip. When I came home, I swapped positions and put the i3 outside. The next morning, the range had decreased almost 20-miles, I presume, strictly from the cold since the car had not bee driven in the meantime. Now, it has been REALLY cold here, and the actual temp does make a difference.

jadnashuanh said:

Depending on the grade, its length, and your speed, the REx may not be able to hold the charge.

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I suspect the REx won't hold the charge. That's why the OP needs to turn it on at around 75% (or as soon as possible). That way hopefully he'll have enough left when he reaches the top. And like Art said, if it looks dicey, turn around and regen on the way down

Follow RVs or towed campers and you'll have no problem.

Bob Wilson

bwilson4web said:

Follow RVs or towed campers and you'll have no problem.

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… except possibly not seeing potholes early enough to avoid them (flat tire, damaged wheel) or suffering a broken windshield from stones, road debris, etc., that such vehicles can launch.

alohart said:

bwilson4web said:

Follow RVs or towed campers and you'll have no problem.

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… except possibly not seeing potholes early enough to avoid them (flat tire, damaged wheel) or suffering a broken windshield from stones, road debris, etc., that such vehicles can launch.

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I probably need to get more coffee so I can follow, but how exactly is this supposed to help?

If you can find a 120vac receptacle, it should work out. It could be close, especially if you have a lead foot, otherwise.

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I am talking wilderness, best chance I get is a place running a generator a few hours a day, no outlet whatsoever. There might be a ski resort half way up the mountain, but charging at 110 for an hour or so isn’t helping much here.

Storing a nearly depleted i3 in freezing conditions can damage the battery. There is a short discussion of that in the operator's manual.

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That is exactly my concern, but I don’t expect the temp to drop much below the freezing point at night, probably 70s during the day.

you can just turn around and recharge while descending. So you aren't likely to become stranded.

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There are plenty of intermediate up and downs, so no easy charging here ;-)

Either way, to conclude, if I manage to get up the mountain with, say 25% battery left, I should be fine.. I am a few month away from these kind of trips, lots to think about ;-)

alohart said:

bwilson4web said:

Follow RVs or towed campers and you'll have no problem.

Click to expand...

… except possibly not seeing potholes early enough to avoid them (flat tire, damaged wheel) or suffering a broken windshield from stones, road debris, etc., that such vehicles can launch.

Click to expand...

I should have added using dynamic cruise control. There are four distance settings so based on your preference, plenty of time to steer around road debris and hazards. Best of all, it is less fatiguing so the driver is more alert for dealing with hazards.

The advantage is also smoother speed control than what we can do manually. This avoids micro accelerations and decelerations which reduces inertial and electrical losses. Depending on the size of the lead vehicle, there is a usable reduction in aerodynamic drag. This is NOT drafting but enough to gain an extra 2-3 mph without more power being needed.

Sorry, I should have mentioned using dynamic cruise control which makes following other vehicles much easier.

Bob Wilson