More range?

[Boatguy]

My 2014 BEV went in for scheduled service last month and got the latest s/w update. Ever since then we're getting about 4-8 more miles of range. I've been through two winters so I've seen the range dip and recover and I don't think this is a spring recovery. I also don't think it's a matter of battery capacity being made available because I'm consistently seeing mi/kWh in the 4.4 - 5.0 range where it used to be more like 4.0 - 4.4. Our driving style has not changed and we never use the Eco settings.

Anyone else seen any improvement like this?

 

[epirali]

My 2014 BEV went in for scheduled service last month and got the latest s/w update. Ever since then we're getting about 4-8 more miles of range. I've been through two winters so I've seen the range dip and recover and I don't think this is a spring recovery. I also don't think it's a matter of battery capacity being made available because I'm consistently seeing mi/kWh in the 4.4 - 5.0 range where it used to be more like 4.0 - 4.4. Our driving style has not changed and we never use the Eco settings.

Anyone else seen any improvement like this?

Don't have any information but this is very interesting, please post update over time and see if it holds. Can't imagine what they can do to improve efficiency with firmware...

 

[timf]

Mine was in for service last week and I've also noticed the range calculations seem to be higher than they were before. I don't know if it really translates into increased range though. Most likely the computer just needs time to recalibrate its range calculations.

 

[thefuturenow]

So, what is the estimated total now with 4-8 extra miles of range?

 

[Boatguy]

So, what is the estimated total now with 4-8 extra miles of range?

First thing in the morning it used to be in the range of 78-82 and as low as 75 in the "winter" (Northern California means 55F) and now it's more like 84-86. This morning was 85.

It's a pleasant surprise after almost two years. It was in the shop three weeks ago. We'll see what happens, maybe it's an illusion.

 

[thefuturenow]

So, what is the estimated total now with 4-8 extra miles of range?

First thing in the morning it used to be in the range of 78-82 and as low as 75 in the "winter" (Northern California means 55F) and now it's more like 84-86. This morning was 85.

It's a pleasant surprise after almost two years. It was in the shop three weeks ago. We'll see what happens, maybe it's an illusion.

Perhaps they finally installed the update that removed the buffer when you hit 0 miles of range so it can factor it into the total. Although it'd be really great of them if they found a way to increase the range overall through better efficiency.

 

[imolazhp]

If you got an update in software it takes a few days, perhaps up to a week for the GOM to re-adjust to your driving style. Same thing happens after coding certain sections of the i3, it will sometimes give crazy high range for a few days, then settle back down into reality.

 

[Boatguy]

If you got an update in software it takes a few days, perhaps up to a week for the GOM to re-adjust to your driving style. Same thing happens after coding certain sections of the i3, it will sometimes give crazy high range for a few days, then settle back down into reality.

It's been a month now and the "more range" is holding up. Every morning I'm now in the 82-86 range, even hit 91 one morning. It showing up as a higher mi/kWh, so it's not related to battery capacity.

Our driving style has not changed and we always have Comfort selected; we never use the EcoPro modes. Some increase for warmer weather is expected, but living along the Northern California coast, summer is not much warmer than winter.

 

[barrychan]

I have seen only once at full charge 160 km about 100 miles, average is 140 km about 90 miles.

 

[Boatguy]

I have seen only once at full charge 160 km about 100 miles, average is 140 km about 90 miles.

Well then I guess it's not unusual. Maybe they just updated something so that the car is now as efficient as yours has always been!

 

[bwilson4web]

Probably unrelated but I noticed Argonne Labs measured 18.1 kWh in their BMW i3-REx testing, not the 18.7 from the BMW specs.

Bob Wilson

 

[thefuturenow]

My REX managed 5.3mi/kWh on its second longest trip of about 40 miles, and this was with some hard acceleration. In fact, I beat an obviously modded Supra and a CTS-V off the line. If the usable range is in fact 18.7kWh on the REX as well that's a 99-mile range that I'm sure I could get to over 110 with Eco Pro +. The estimates on my new i3 are still very pessimistically wrong after 200 miles, which is a pleasant surprise and better that thy underestimate than overestimate.

I was a little skeptical I'd be able to retain the range figures I did originally but the i3 keeps surprising me. With this update I'd be shocked if BEV users couldn't best my range by a few more miles.

 

[epirali]

My i3 is about to get this update because of motor mount recall, and I am wondering has anyone had any more experience with this? Any updates over longer period of time to see if this was just a "reset the GOM" phenomenon or improvements in efficiency/battery used range?

 

[jadnashuanh]

My observation, after a week or so, things returned to 'normal'...IOW, if there was any increase in range, it is slight and easily in the noise.

 

[alohart]

My i3 is about to get this update because of motor mount recall, and I am wondering has anyone had any more experience with this? Any updates over longer period of time to see if this was just a "reset the GOM" phenomenon or improvements in efficiency/battery used range?

On 1 November, our i3 BEV had its software updated from the November, 2015, version to the July, 2016, version. I must have just missed the November, 2016, version, if it exists. So this update should have included any range or efficiency increase that has been suggested by others.

Immediately after the update, the Batt. kapa. max value was a suspiciously high 20.5 kWh compared with the 18.x values just before the update. A few days after the update, Batt. kapa. max had dropped to a more believable but still on the high end of values that I have seen, 19.9 kWh. So I'm less convinced that additional battery pack capacity was "unlocked" by this software update which would have explained increased range, but I can't rule it out completely.

The efficiency reported has remained in the same 5.3-5.7 mi/kWh range that has been true since our car was new, so I see no evidence that the efficiency was increased by the software update.

A few days after the update, the GOM range estimates have returned to the ~100 miles that they were before the software update.

So I have seen no evidence in any increase in usable battery capacity or driving efficiency as a result of the software update.

 

[epirali]

A few days after the update, the GOM range estimates have returned to the ~100 miles that they were before the software update.

So I have seen no evidence in any increase in usable battery capacity or driving efficiency as a result of the software update.

Thank you!

 

[gt1]

I don't think there is a way to increase the driving efficiency with a software update. Unlike ICE, electric motor is very efficient in turning electricity into propulsion and can't be tuned "for economy" or "for performance". The only way to increase range with a software is to unlock the battery reserve.

 

[epirali]

I don't think there is a way to increase the driving efficiency with a software update. Unlike ICE, electric motor is very efficient in turning electricity into propulsion and can't be tuned "for economy" or "for performance". The only way to increase range with a software is to unlock the battery reserve.

Actually unless all the power delivery/regen behaviours were perfectly optimized on the first try that is not necessarily true. Batteries do not tend to behave exactly at the same efficiency based on draw rates, so by changing how the controller uses the available power the efficiency can be altered. In fact that is probably part of what they try to do in Eco Pro modes. So the firmware COULD have potentially improved the acceleration/deceleration curves for better efficiency, although it looks like the original firmware may have already been at the limit.

 

[epirali]

Well mine was updated today and I have one trip worth of data. I travelled the exact same route with same speeds (60-65 mph) on a 40f day, wth no preconditioning. I had three legs and two stops (usually just one leg no stop) and the GOM and measurement by battery percent/miles both show an increase in range. The trip efficiency was same as always (around 3.7 kw/mile in eco pro but with heat on a Rex) and at 50% SOC I had travelled 35 miles with GOM showing 36 miles left. Before the update at this temperature I would only get 62-63 miles with no stops. All this with no preconditioning.

So I am pretty sure there is now 10-15% more battery capacity available, because efficiency matches what I always get. Unless the bottom 50% of reported battery doesn't match the top 50%. I know others reported dropping back but this is real range not reported. I'll test more data and report.

And btw love the new acceleration curve in comfort, it finally is sensical. And although regen kicks in less gently I am not finding any regen loss and am having no issue stopping without breaks.

 

[gt1]

Actually unless all the power delivery/regen behaviours were perfectly optimized on the first try that is not necessarily true. Batteries do not tend to behave exactly at the same efficiency based on draw rates, so by changing how the controller uses the available power the efficiency can be altered. In fact that is probably part of what they try to do in Eco Pro modes. So the firmware COULD have potentially improved the acceleration/deceleration curves for better efficiency, although it looks like the original firmware may have already been at the limit.

If you want to accelerate with a certain rate, you will spend the electrons accordingly. The firmware will affect the way the pedal responds to encourage smoother driving, but it will not change the actual power consumption. The regen can be made a bit more efficient, but the gains would be so minuscule, they are not worth compromising the driving experience.