REx vs mountain - learning experience

[larrykalenda]

This week I went on a 400 mile (each way) trip to see family which included going over a 4100 ft mountain. I had charging stations planned (2 stops) and everything went well on the trip there - I charged and gassed up before going over the mountain. On the way back, I was going to charge in the same locations, which meant going over the mountain using the REx. Bad choice. I ended up going 36 mph in the slow lane with hazard lights flashing. Tractor trailers passing me. I did get over the mountain with fuel to spare and my nerves a little frazzled.

 

[Azure Blue]

Hi. Which REx do you have?

 

[alohart]

On the way back, I was going to charge in the same locations, which meant going over the mountain using the REx. Bad choice. I ended up going 36 mph in the slow lane with hazard lights flashing. Tractor trailers passing me. I did get over the mountain with fuel to spare and my nerves a little frazzled.

Did you start the REx while the charge level was still fairly high or did the REx start at the default 6.5% charge level?

 

[larrykalenda]

Default start

 

[larrykalenda]

I have a 2020 and would love to be able to turn the REx on before the default

 

[alohart]

I have a 2020 and would love to be able to turn the REx on before the default

You could enable hold state of charge using the BimmerCode smartphone app. You could then manually start the REx engine when the charge level is 75% or lower which would almost certainly eliminate the problem that you experienced.

 

[BL5]

First thing I did was code my 2015 Panda REx as a trip from AR to WA was going to require lots of planning. If we couldn’t activate HSOC, I wouldn’t be buying an i3.

With that said I wanted to see what worse case scenario was like over Snoqualmie Pass at 6.5% SOC. It wasn’t pretty, going up incline at 40MPH. Didn’t take long to hit 1% and limited options.

For longer i3 trips in over mountain passes I make sure to kick in HSOC at 25% to have no issues.

 

[larrykalenda]

I have already downloaded BimmerCode on laptop and will download the app also.

Taking the car into the shop tomorrow to get a new nose, decided to bite the bullet and go with insurance repair.

 

[alohart]

I have already downloaded BimmerCode on laptop and will download the app also.

You'll need to license the BimmerCode smartphone app to be able to save changes. You'll also need an OBD to WiFi or Bluetooth adapter (Amazon) so the app can communicate with the OBD port.

 

[larrykalenda]

I bought this today. I will play with it when I get the car back. Downloaded the smartphone app but did not look at it yet.

OBDLink CX Bimmercode Bluetooth 5.1 BLE OBD2 Adapter for BMW/Mini, Works with iPhone/iOS & Android, Car Coding, OBD II Diagnostic Scanner​

 

[larrykalenda]

I got my REx back finally (a story for another post). Opened the app, paid the $49.99 for the full version, pugged in the OBDLink and got the app talking to the car. What is next? How do I start HSOC?

 

[larrykalenda]

I figured it out. Tomorrow I drive it and will use it.

 

[louisgrenier]

I figured it out. Tomorrow I drive it and will use it.

Need to be below 75% to be able to start the generator

You will see the small white arrow to go to the present level, and the generator will try to keep that level

 

[808Pants]

I bought a VeePeak bluetooth OBD and got only far enough with it to discover two things: (1) no pay, no changes possible, and (2) it's annoyingly slow. I later read that the cable-connected type is faster, so I plan to swap it for a cable type (about half the price, too.) There's also the joys of fumbling through a Bluetooth connection - something I wouldn't miss.
Especially since the mfr doesn't recommend leaving these in the socket anyway, the bluetooth type doesn't make sense to me. Anyone come to the opposite conclusion?

 

[JohnnyCakes]

I got my REx back finally (a story for another post). Opened the app, paid the $49.99 for the full version, pugged in the OBDLink and got the app talking to the car. What is next? How do I start HSOC?

It was my understanding that no coding is necessary with 2017+ and HSOC is always available at 75% or below.
Anyone confirm/deny?

 

[alohart]

I bought a VeePeak bluetooth OBD and got only far enough with it to discover two things: (1) no pay, no changes possible, and (2) it's annoyingly slow. I later read that the cable-connected type is faster, so I plan to swap it for a cable type (about half the price, too.) There's also the joys of fumbling through a Bluetooth connection - something I wouldn't miss.
Especially since the mfr doesn't recommend leaving these in the socket anyway, the bluetooth type doesn't make sense to me. Anyone come to the opposite conclusion?

For over 6 years, I've used a Vgate iCar 2 OBD to WiFi adapter with BimmerCode with no problems. Scanning for the available modules and then for the available parameters after a module has been selected isn't fast, but that could be a limitation of how fast data can be transferred from an i3 rather than a WiFi, Bluetooth, or BimmerCode limitation. I believe that WiFi can be faster than Bluetooth, especially if the supported WiFi speed is high. A wired connection is usually faster than WiFi assuming that connection speed is the limiting factor.

Which wired connector are you considering?

 

[alohart]

It was my understanding that no coding is necessary with 2017+ and HSOC is always available at 75% or below.
Anyone confirm/deny?

If yours is a North American i3, HSOC isn't available unless it's enabled via coding, regardless of the model year.

It's not necessary to increase the fuel tank capacity for 2017+ North American i3's because the full fuel tank capacity is available from the factory due to the increased battery pack capacity and thus electric range.