Would you go Rex or regular i3? My wife's commute is 66 miles round trip, no charging station at her work. Other trips are mostly around town (Santa Monica) so no stretch there. Seems like running in eco mode the commute should be no problem on the i3 and enable a few errands along the way. Right now prefer the simplicity and lower price but the whole peace of mind thing is a powerful attractant.
with a 66 mile work commute...
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Zzzoom3
Well-known member
You'll be fine with BEV as long as you have an L2 charger at home to "fill-up" overnight. Ultimately, you have to go with what you are going to be comfortable with.nostatic said:
nostatic said:
My commute is 62-64 miles round trip with 1500 ft elevation and nowhere to charge at work. Half on highway and rest on secondary roads. Drove a Rex model on that trip and got 82 miles with 8 miles remaining. Used AC the whole time, did 70-72 mph on highway and 60-62 mph on secondary roads. So, the BEV which is 350 lbs lighter and has the more efficient heat pump should easily make that distance. I hope so as I picked up my BEV yesterday! Will report back at the end of the week after doing the commute a couple times.
BMW4Me
Well-known member
I own a BEV and have a short city commute. Last week I had to visit a customer who was about 30 miles away, so approximately 60 miles round trip and mostly highway. I made it a point to have the car fully charged the night before. I drove very conservatively, keeping speed at about 65 and used EcoPro. With all of these precautions I still did have a worry about how much power I'd have by the end of the trip. In the end I did have about 10 miles of range left, though not enough to do much more than get somewhere and recharge.
To Zzzoom3's point, you should have an L2 charger at home as the regular wall socket can take 20 hours to charge your car.
However, after 3 months of driving mostly in EcoPro, I'm back to driving in comfort mode. What a difference! I no longer feel that sense of being restrained that EcoPro imposes on you, especially in the resistance you feel from the accelerator. Now I feel free and unencumbered, the cost being reduced range.
I personally live in a condo without the ability to have L2 installed, so I need to plan ahead more than I would like. However, the silent, smooth, and fast acceleration of the i3 is intoxicating and the car continues to amaze me in its thoughtful design elements.
To summarize, don't assume you'll always want to drive in EcoPro mode, especially on the highway, and have accessible L2 charging for daily top offs. Think of the car as your smartphone and charge it every night if you have that ability.
To Zzzoom3's point, you should have an L2 charger at home as the regular wall socket can take 20 hours to charge your car.
However, after 3 months of driving mostly in EcoPro, I'm back to driving in comfort mode. What a difference! I no longer feel that sense of being restrained that EcoPro imposes on you, especially in the resistance you feel from the accelerator. Now I feel free and unencumbered, the cost being reduced range.
I personally live in a condo without the ability to have L2 installed, so I need to plan ahead more than I would like. However, the silent, smooth, and fast acceleration of the i3 is intoxicating and the car continues to amaze me in its thoughtful design elements.
To summarize, don't assume you'll always want to drive in EcoPro mode, especially on the highway, and have accessible L2 charging for daily top offs. Think of the car as your smartphone and charge it every night if you have that ability.
Dee123
Well-known member
I have a 60 mile round trip commute then a an extra 5 miles to go swimming at a nearby club at lunchtime. The BMW salesperson said I could easily do all this in a BEV as long as I charged fully at home. However, winter brings poorer range here in Scotland hence my choice of a ReX. No harsh winters in California so you should be OK if you charge at home. Lucky you! Wish I could go with a BEV :ugeek:
I you never take side trips from your route and you never have a day (rare in SoCal, I realize) where you need to use the heater AND get to drive at 70MPH, then you'll be fine. REX will give you safety blanket, but you'll rarely use it.
I think you could go either way, especially if you have other cars for longer trips when needed.
I would get the REX because I know that with my driving style (fast lane/comfort mode/AC or heat keeping me comfortable) I suspect I could experience EV range less than 60 miles on a winter day (and I am in Northern CA). If you lived in a cold climate, I would think REX would be mandatory for anxiety-free 60 mile commute.
I think you could go either way, especially if you have other cars for longer trips when needed.
I would get the REX because I know that with my driving style (fast lane/comfort mode/AC or heat keeping me comfortable) I suspect I could experience EV range less than 60 miles on a winter day (and I am in Northern CA). If you lived in a cold climate, I would think REX would be mandatory for anxiety-free 60 mile commute.
We have another car for long trips so that isn't a concern. Cold weather isn't either, though it does sometimes get down into the frigid 50s here 
. That said, Valencia (destination) gets hot (100+) and cold (30s). I get the feeling that the rex is the "safety blanket" - have to figure out the psychological necessity. We don't have a charger at home but will get one installed. Are most using the Bosch going through the dealer or have other solutions? I saw the thread on the Bosch and it was mixed - like most of life.
. That said, Valencia (destination) gets hot (100+) and cold (30s). I get the feeling that the rex is the "safety blanket" - have to figure out the psychological necessity. We don't have a charger at home but will get one installed. Are most using the Bosch going through the dealer or have other solutions? I saw the thread on the Bosch and it was mixed - like most of life.noakey
Well-known member
Zzzoom3 said:
Yep a BEV would be great. I have a bev and a 60 mile round trip commute and always finish the day with around 30 miles left in the 'tank'.. and charge overnight.
RJBarry
Active member
Valencia huh? Given what I know of the area, your enemies: going fast, and long uphill grades. If you can avoid these things you should have no problems. For me, having the Rex means I can take the unexpected side trip and have 66 miles turns into 88 miles.
My commute is 78 miles round trip from Conejo valley to Studio City. I live on a mountain so I have 3 downhill runs and 3 uphill grades. 2/3 of my commute is fast and the rest is start-stop traffic. I drive in Eco mode with AC on, and not too fast (well, let's say I drive slower than I used to :twisted: ) I focus on driving slower when going uphill.
I can usually make it to the last mile of the last grade before the Rex kicks in.
TL;DR -> you should be fine.
My commute is 78 miles round trip from Conejo valley to Studio City. I live on a mountain so I have 3 downhill runs and 3 uphill grades. 2/3 of my commute is fast and the rest is start-stop traffic. I drive in Eco mode with AC on, and not too fast (well, let's say I drive slower than I used to
:twisted: ) I focus on driving slower when going uphill.I can usually make it to the last mile of the last grade before the Rex kicks in.
TL;DR -> you should be fine.
jadnashuanh
Well-known member
I won't know until it gets cooler, but the heat pump (on those models that have one) shouldn't be much different in power warming the car say 20-degrees as it would be cooling it those 20-degrees. Now, using the seat heaters or the rear window defroster could be a big hit on power.
Your best bet when it's cooler is to set a departure time along with a charging window so that the car is both on the EVSE and not fully charged, or close enough where the car is still capable of using the EVSE to power things...then, you can finish your charging, and precondition the vehicle, and start with a nice car interior and a full battery.
If you just say charge immediately, then precondition later after it's fully charged, it won't turn the EVSE back on again unless it gets below 95%, and I do not think (don't know for sure) that a precondition would draw it down that far. I'd hope they could tweak the programming to turn the EVSE back on and run a charge rate big enough to cover the preconditioning load, but I'm told, it does not work that way today.
Once the battery is conditioned, and the vehicle cabin is where you want it, the cold weather hit won't be as big as on a vehicle that doesn't have those features. Doing it while using line voltage to maintain the batteries while doing it is your best bet.
Your best bet when it's cooler is to set a departure time along with a charging window so that the car is both on the EVSE and not fully charged, or close enough where the car is still capable of using the EVSE to power things...then, you can finish your charging, and precondition the vehicle, and start with a nice car interior and a full battery.
If you just say charge immediately, then precondition later after it's fully charged, it won't turn the EVSE back on again unless it gets below 95%, and I do not think (don't know for sure) that a precondition would draw it down that far. I'd hope they could tweak the programming to turn the EVSE back on and run a charge rate big enough to cover the preconditioning load, but I'm told, it does not work that way today.
Once the battery is conditioned, and the vehicle cabin is where you want it, the cold weather hit won't be as big as on a vehicle that doesn't have those features. Doing it while using line voltage to maintain the batteries while doing it is your best bet.
jadnashuanh said:
Agree with that, but I think battery life takes a significant hit even apart from power used to maintain comfortable cabin temp. I think there's a physics/chemistry issue that causes a capacity hit in very cold weather.
Zzzoom3
Well-known member
Possibly but BMW warrants the high voltage battery to 70% SOC for 8 yrs / 100K mi so I wouldn't concern myself with this personally. I confirmed this in the "Service and Warranty Information" booklet that came with the car.Chrisn said:
davidrshelton
Active member
nostatic said:
While I don't drive an i3 (I have the i3-REx), I would recommend the i3-REx. Though there are several accounts of those who have made trips with an i3 in the 80-90 mile range, I would argue that a BEV tends to constrain one's driving limits, psychologically or otherwise. (I own a Honda Fit EV with a 70-90 mile range.) Having the range extender provides not only the insurance policy, but also allows you to travel further distances with fewer limitations and no sacrifices in comfort. As a case in point, I just made a trip to San Diego from Irvine. Even with exercising some restraint with the speed limit, I managed to get 84 miles of EV before the gas engine kicked in (note the 6.5 mile forced battery headroom); however, I just kept going for 3 more miles and I was at my destination.
I need to drive up to Thousand Oaks next weekend, so that obviously is another case for the i3-REx than our BEV.
I read recently that studies have shown that PHEVS tend to use their battery reserve more thoroughly, resulting in more EV miles being travelled. It's also too soon to tell, but I recall reading that PHEVs tended to keep their resale value higher than BEVs.
In summary, I think you'll find that if you get the REx, you'll not only find that you have peace of mind, but also find further uses (excuses?) for driving it.
David
jadnashuanh
Well-known member
As long as you understand what the REx is and how it works, if it fits your needs, it's a great car. Same with the BEV (which fit my needs - I don't need to go very far very often, and since I kept my ICE, it needs a run once in awhile, too!). Given the choice, BMW would have preferred not to build the REx at all, based on some stuff I read along the way, but it does expand their market, and in some of those, would be the only viable option.
Took my wife to test drive and she gave the thumbs up. This one was a Rex and I didn't really notice a huge performance hit. I think we're going to go that direction since we know she'll have a regularly longish commute and not having to worry about side trips will be worth the extra $ and weight. If we find that she ends up never using it, then maybe we'll make a swap in a year or three. Philosophically I'm in the BEV camp but the last thing I want is her to get stranded because of a change of, or lack of planning.
Should be interesting, and now have to figure out what/how to do the home charging station.
Should be interesting, and now have to figure out what/how to do the home charging station.
kevinb61
Well-known member
nostatic said:
Yes, that would be my thought too. I absolutely love my BEV, wouldn't want a REX, but for my wife.....I would definitely get a REX!
jadnashuanh
Well-known member
THere's a market for the REx, some of it is just feel good, some of it is just prudent, it is not great if you want to treat it like an ICE that you can refill on a long trip or under strenuous use at the end of your power capacity.
nostatic said:
Just finished a 60 mile round trip today with 25 miles remaining in battery charge of my BEV. Whole trip in comfort mode. Went from Salt Lake City to Park City. 3000 ft elevation gain, highway speeds at 68-70 mph. The trip up was 24 miles and range dropped from 85 to 40 so used equivalent of 45 miles to climb the 24 miles up to Park City. But then on the trip back down I started with 40 miles and finished with 42 miles. Did some other running around and arrived back home at 60 miles for the trip. It was 93 degrees and I ran AC at 76 the whole trip.
So, I only have 3 long trips thus far and it seems pretty solid for 85 miles. I am sure winter driving range will be a bit less but not by much. There should be much less penalty for winter driving in electric car compared to ICE. Just as easy to heat from 40 to 75 as it is to cool from 90 to 75 in the heat pump equipped BEV and no penalty for warming up the motor. Probably some penalty for heating the battery pack mitigated by pre-conditioning before leaving home.
Very pleased so far with the potential range.
tiburonh
Well-known member
Marki3 said:
Phew! Very reassuring report for me, due to receive my BEV on Wednesday and living in driving up and down the big hills of the SF Bay area.
