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babbles

Member
Joined
Jun 26, 2017
Messages
17
Just traded my es300h Lex for a REX today. I tested one for a few days with carvana a few years ago but I recall one night I got in and the inside lit up blue, does the REX do that? it is a MEGA model, also what would be considered off peak times to charge? I am in Washington state, thanks.
 
My interior lights up blue when I unlock it using the button on the remote, i.e. basically never -- since I always use the door handle to unlock, aka "Comfort Access." But I recall seeing this the first time at a dealership and being wowed.

I believe (but somebody please tell me if I'm incorrect) that the 7KZ package includes these lights. If you type the last 7 of your VIN into Mdecoder.com, this will be listed as P7KZA BMW I INTERIEURDESIGN SUITE under "editions and packages."

Off-peak hours are set by your utility, not the state.
 
Thanks for the quick reply but how would you even use your key to get in if the FOB's battery is low?? I thought I saw an opening underneath the door handle??
 
If you ever find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance where you have to use your physical key to open the door, due to a dead FOB battery, use the key in the slot under the door handle to pop off the small cover piece.

Under this plastic cover is a conventional lock cylinder.

Be careful -- some owners have reported this plastic cover piece is fragile and the locking tabs are easily broken. I, personally, haven't messed with it.
 
babbles said:
Thanks for the quick reply but how would you even use your key to get in if the FOB's battery is low?? I thought I saw an opening underneath the door handle??
The car displays a warning on the instrument panel when it detects a weak fob battery. Unfortunately, the warning, like so many of them, is a bit vague and confusing (which battery is weak?), maybe because of a poor translation from German. Because of this warning, I have never been locked out of our i3 due to a weak fob battery.

Our i3 has the Comfort Access option that was standard on 2014 Giga and Tera World models but wasn't included with Mega World, so I don't have to press the fob unlock button to unlock the doors. However, the fob battery must be strong enough for the Comfort Access receiver to unlock the doors. I don't know whether a stronger battery is required when pressing the fob's unlock button. It's likely that pressing the unlock button while approaching the car from a distance might not work with a weak fob battery while pressing it while standing beside the door would work.

I have used the physical key twice each year when we store our i3 and take it out of storage. The plastic lock cover is a bit finicky to remove and could be broken if care isn't taken. Care must also be taken to snap it back onto the door handle completely so that it doesn't fall off while driving. I've used the physical key probably 10 times without breaking the plastic lock cover or without losing it while driving.
 
Thanks to the advice provided by alohart here in Hawaii several months ago, I have been using the physical key when I go into the ocean about twice a month or so. I went to the dealer and bought another cover (unpainted) and I use that one at the beach instead of my more valuable painted cover in case it does not fit securely on the door but I have not had a problem.
I have found that (once you discover the correct angles) it is easy to remove and replace the cover securely every time in order to use the physical key.
 
babbles said:
Just traded my es300h Lex for a REX today. I tested one for a few days with carvana a few years ago but I recall one night I got in and the inside lit up blue, does the REX do that? it is a MEGA model, also what would be considered off peak times to charge? I am in Washington state, thanks.

I'm nowhere near Washington state (so grain of salt, YMMV, etc.), but I can give you an example of the off-peak rate plan using "Evergy" (formerly Kansas City Power and Light). I'm working from memory here, but the deal was something like this:

4PM - 8PM, 1.5x level plan rates
12AM-6AM, 0.33x level plan rates (so charge now!)
Rest of the day M-F and all day weekends, 0.66x level plan rates

The benefit to the utility is that some customers will decide to buy more of their power overnight when the generating plants are underutilized and avoid using excess energy during the afternoon/evening penalty period. The utility doesn't save fuel this way, but they do delay (or avoid) the capital outlay for increasing generation capacity, similar to deals they've made with industrial customers for decades.
 
Varies widely, though.

Here, off-peak is midnight to 3:00 pm, plus weekends, and full peak pricing is in effect from 4 pm to 11 pm weekdays. The gaps are "partial peak" which is 2¢ cheaper than peak, and peak is 2x the cost of off-peak.

I assume regional grid demands vary by climate, and supply is affected by factors such as solar and wind co-generation.

But a Google search ought to turn up an accurate answer specific to your utility.
 
eNate said:
I assume regional grid demands vary by climate, and supply is affected by factors such as solar and wind co-generation.
Indeed! Probably because of so much rooftop PV here, my low-demand rates that are ~12¢/kWh less than the mid-demand rate occur 9 am - 5 pm. Mid-demand rates are 10 pm - 9 am. High-demand rates that are ~16¢/kWh more than the mid-demand rate occur 5 pm - 10 pm. All rates apply on all days including weekends. So I always charge between 9 am and 5 pm.
 
since I am two days to this, is charge point or EVgo memberships worth it? so I am charging at home now so should I be able to see the charging status from my iPhone? I still have the connected services
 
I signed up with EVGo, Blink, and ChargePoint. I don't pay any monthly or annual fee. The first two sent me RFID cards, while ChargePoint accepts my phone's NFC as a surrogate card. All three can also be accessed by apps.

The paid memberships tiers that get you discounted rates for charging will depend on how often you find yourself using their services. If you're primarily charging at home or work, there's a good chance it's not worth the paid membership.
 
thanks! do you know how it would affect the monthly electric bill? I think others talked about it earlier, sorry
 
That depends on so many variables!

  • daily miles driven
  • whether you also charge at work
  • time of day you charge
  • utility rate plan
  • whether you have solar on your home
  • other electrical demands insure your home

My utility offers an EV rate plan, but I had to sign up for it using my i3's VIN. Even though it gives me a better cost structure for charging, it hiked the rate I pay for appliances I run in the afternoons.

Previously I remained on a low overall tier, 24 hours a day, for most of the billing cycle. So the time of day we used our appliances didn't affect the bill, until late in the cycle when we might exceed the Tier 1 kWh threshold. At that point, costs would begin to be calculated at the Tier 2 rate.

But charging the i3 ate through Tier 1 quickly. I switched plans. Now with the peak pricing EV plan, my electric costs are lower before 3:00 pm, and they double after 3:00.

All in all, my electric bill has risen from $35 to $95. I drive 45 miles per day on average. I get over 300kWh from my employer each month 16A x 120v x 8 hrs/day x 20 days/month), which is about 700 "free" miles (4.5 miles per kWh driving efficiency).

My public charging costs at this point are basically zero.
 
thanks! was at BMW yesterday because the carfax showed the vehicle hadn't been serviced since 3296 miles at pep boys for an inspection in California, I did buy the 2017 REX used the other day with 19k miles and four brand new tires and they dd their normal, as they 150 point inspection BMW, said see you next year, no need for nothing to be done, it was done dec 12, 2019 but interesting she wouldn't give me a copy of the maintenance report she was holding but did show it to me which included oil oil filter tire rotation and brake flush, she said it was confidential, my lexus's historical servicing was available online under my lexus account, why all the secrecy I wonder??
 
babbles said:
BMW ... wouldn't give me a copy of the maintenance report ... said it was confidential, ... why all the secrecy I wonder??

That's odd. If it was "confidential," then they ought not have shown it to you, either.

The BMW dealership I used provided me the full maintenance history of the i3 I purchased, without having to ask.

Acura pulled some similar nonsense on a used TSX I bought -- my local dealership service department said they couldn't access any service history performed at other Acura dealerships outside of their dealership group. Sounded like nonsense, but I didn't press it.
 
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