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hedge

Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
8
Newbie here. Just discovered the forum AFTER ordering my car yesterday! Fortunately most of what I had researched and decided seems to be validated on the forum (which is great).

I have a UK i3 arriving hopefully late March on a 15 plate. Fully electric, capparis white with the standard interior (I love the blue inserts & stitching, and steering wheel trim), media pro pack, parking pack, hk upgrade, comfort access, 428 wheels and electric sunroof.

I test drove one hoping I would like it, and I didn't. I LOVED it. Terrific fun, I have other vehicles which are much quicker but OMG the torque and silence from liftoff are incomparably hilarious. Just so impressed and can't wait to get it now!

Will post pics when it arrives.
 
Oh, one thing I could use some advice on please is charging out and about. I live in Herts, work (and drive to) Shoreditch daily. I have the DC fast charge option and will have a charger installed at home (no facility to plug in where I park at work). Which service should I sign up to? Thx.
 
I have the ecotricity card for their ccs fast charge network on the motorways, polarinstant for around London, and CYC (charge your car) for Bristol and sometimes London. With these 3 I seem to have it all covered. I live near Swindon and M4 it to London and Bristol quite often. BEV (electric only) like you too.
 
I hope you ordered a REX - coz if you are doing more than 50-60 miles per day you will get stressed about charging.

I got mine 2 days ago - and do 120 mile round trip commute. The car is great but with no workplace charging I've been disappointed all the CCS chargers are out of action. Tried Chievely, Warwick and Corley so far. Basically you can't rely on them. I've tried a couple of 32A Type 2 sockets too and they didn't work ! :( I've got a Rolec at home installed for free - and that works great.

Plan B is a BMW garage near where I work about 15 minute walk though. 5 days after ordering I still don't have my chargenow card. CYC has been ordered as has plugged in midlands. The latter giving access o free parking in Brum which I visit once or twice per month so worth the £20 sign up cost. Ecotritricty arrived 2 days after ordering. Still waiting for the rest. I can't fault their customer service, rang them up at warwick and they answered straight away . I wanted to see if they could reset the CCS unit from their end as I've heard sometimes a remote reboot sometimes sort it. Not this time however.

As I say, the way to not get upset by infrastructure failures is order the REX. Go online and see how much a "portable" 25kW generator costs you, and how big they are, and you'll realise that BMW squeezing one under the boot for a £3,000 premium is a bargain.

Ecotricity have just announced they have halted the upgrade that was supposed to fix the fast DC problems as they are getting inconsistent results. Basically the issue seems the be the DBT chargers they bought stand for "Don't Bother Trying". You'll waste 10 minutes pulling off to use one eat up another mile or 2 range and then be on your way having taken on no charge.

Maybe in a year or two public charging will be better, but for now I couldn't recommend a BEV to anyone unless they know they only make short journeys and/or have another car.
 
Can I make one suggestion - if you can change your order drop the pro media - and get Active cruise. Not impressed with the idrive or the nav. Not for £960! You'd be better off getting an ipad with a sim card and having it installed! The "charging station list" only includes 7kW Chargenow network none of the others including Ecotricity Rapid CCS. Adding them yourself can be at best described as "painful" as it doesn't seem to want to let you add map locations to the address book unless they have an actual address. So you have to find the rougt location were you know theres a CCS point, look for POI in the vicinity, (like the hotel or services) and then add that to the address book. Yet to see if you can import a POI list from USB, but I think a full list of ALL charge stations kept up to date over the air, is an essential element missed. Better still they should be using the API to check current live charger status and availability. I'm left hinking I paid all that money for a fancier looking screen and 10 year old sat nav tech.

But the active cruise is awesome. It even works in slow traffic. I just did a 60 mile trip to work and used the brakes twice. And about 90% of the way didn't have to use the power pedal either. It will come to a complete stop, follow cars in traffic and then pick up back to your set speed. I'd never buy a car without it ever again. The only time I swtich it off it at roundabout and when coming along side a lorry in the narrow roadworks on the M1 where I want to position the car rather than have the distance set by te computer to the car in front.
 
PluviaPlumbum said:
A two month factory lead-time !!!!!!!! :shock: Looks like the reported increase in production rate is now happening.

That's what they quoted...the car has been ordered today so I await the actual delivery date!
 
nowtta60 said:
I hope you ordered a REX - coz if you are doing more than 50-60 miles per day you will get stressed about charging.

I got mine 2 days ago - and do 120 mile round trip commute. The car is great but with no workplace charging I've been disappointed all the CCS chargers are out of action. Tried Chievely, Warwick and Corley so far. Basically you can't rely on them. I've tried a couple of 32A Type 2 sockets too and they didn't work ! :( I've got a Rolec at home installed for free - and that works great.

Plan B is a BMW garage near where I work about 15 minute walk though. 5 days after ordering I still don't have my chargenow card. CYC has been ordered as has plugged in midlands. The latter giving access o free parking in Brum which I visit once or twice per month so worth the £20 sign up cost. Ecotritricty arrived 2 days after ordering. Still waiting for the rest. I can't fault their customer service, rang them up at warwick and they answered straight away . I wanted to see if they could reset the CCS unit from their end as I've heard sometimes a remote reboot sometimes sort it. Not this time however.

As I say, the way to not get upset by infrastructure failures is order the REX. Go online and see how much a "portable" 25kW generator costs you, and how big they are, and you'll realise that BMW squeezing one under the boot for a £3,000 premium is a bargain.

Ecotricity have just announced they have halted the upgrade that was supposed to fix the fast DC problems as they are getting inconsistent results. Basically the issue seems the be the DBT chargers they bought stand for "Don't Bother Trying". You'll waste 10 minutes pulling off to use one eat up another mile or 2 range and then be on your way having taken on no charge.

Maybe in a year or two public charging will be better, but for now I couldn't recommend a BEV to anyone unless they know they only make short journeys and/or have another car.

Hi nowtta60,

Thanks for the comments. I have ordered the pure electric and that is what appeals to be honest. My daily commute is around 22 miles each way, around 12 of which are motorway. So as long as I can be happy that I won't run out of juice with a 50 mile trip (say half motorway) separated by a few uncharged/parked hours in the middle, then I am all good. And from what I have read and the test drive I did, I think that is comfortable?

Noted about the less than ideal network, hopefully that will improve over time!
 
nowtta60 said:
Can I make one suggestion - if you can change your order drop the pro media - and get Active cruise. Not impressed with the idrive or the nav. Not for £960! You'd be better off getting an ipad with a sim card and having it installed! The "charging station list" only includes 7kW Chargenow network none of the others including Ecotricity Rapid CCS. Adding them yourself can be at best described as "painful" as it doesn't seem to want to let you add map locations to the address book unless they have an actual address. So you have to find the rougt location were you know theres a CCS point, look for POI in the vicinity, (like the hotel or services) and then add that to the address book. Yet to see if you can import a POI list from USB, but I think a full list of ALL charge stations kept up to date over the air, is an essential element missed. Better still they should be using the API to check current live charger status and availability. I'm left hinking I paid all that money for a fancier looking screen and 10 year old sat nav tech.

But the active cruise is awesome. It even works in slow traffic. I just did a 60 mile trip to work and used the brakes twice. And about 90% of the way didn't have to use the power pedal either. It will come to a complete stop, follow cars in traffic and then pick up back to your set speed. I'd never buy a car without it ever again. The only time I swtich it off it at roundabout and when coming along side a lorry in the narrow roadworks on the M1 where I want to position the car rather than have the distance set by te computer to the car in front.

Its on a lease so the incremental cost of any of these options is not that much. I thought that active cruise only comes with the upgraded interior? I actually prefer the standard interior over all the others, so adding the drivers assist pack will increase the cost a lot I think?
 
Yes, delivery lead times have been improving. I ordered Nov 9th and was given delivery date for late Feb, but just found out that mine is already winging its way over to the UK! Sounds more like a mid-Feb delivery now.
 
nowtta60 said:
But the active cruise is awesome. It even works in slow traffic. I just did a 60 mile trip to work and used the brakes twice. And about 90% of the way didn't have to use the power pedal either. It will come to a complete stop, follow cars in traffic and then pick up back to your set speed. I'd never buy a car without it ever again. The only time I swtich it off it at roundabout and when coming along side a lorry in the narrow roadworks on the M1 where I want to position the car rather than have the distance set by te computer to the car in front.

Advice sought. I still cannot decide whether to go for the Driving Assistant Plus option. I was talked out of it because I do not drive a lot in heavy traffic and the sales agent told me that contrary to what is suggested in the brochure the package does not come with Lane Departure Warning system. He did however say that it comes with traffic sign (speed limit) recognition but that the system picks up symbols on the back of lorries and braking can be triggered by fog/mist. The (BMW) Driving Assistant option available on the new MINI includes Traffic Sign Memory, Forward Collision Warning, Pedestrian Collision Warning, City Collision Mitigation and Adaptive Cruise Control. I believe the system available on the mainstream BMW models may be a variation of the MINI system although I am unsure.

Can someone tell me the features incorporated in the Driving Assistant Plus option on UK spec'd cars and how useful they are or is it a just another expensive gadget?

Your comments would be appreciated.
 
DAP isn't a gimmick. Now I be used it for a couple of days I'd never have a car without it. It hasnt got Lane departure, its better than that..Here's what I stuck in my Facebook tonight...

2 days with the car. It's epic. Really is the future. 60 miles coming back from Northampton tonight. I only had to drive 40 of them. The car did 20 miles of the M1/M6. Keep 2 fingers and thumbs on the steering wheel and it will stay in lane up to 35mph stopping and starting with no pedals required.

This morning i got 4.8miles/kWh. Which is equivalent to 194 mpg in energy terms. Shows how much energy combustion engines waste. Before any one says but where does the electric come from... It's all renewable as my supplier is good energy. In cost terms it is 1.3p/mile on econony 7.

Now the bad news. I wouldn't recommend pure ev unless you have another car or are sure you won't need to go more than a 30 mile radius from home or have reliable chargers at your destination Why? I've now made 4 stops to use public chargers on 7 different connectors. None have worked. These are the ecotricity chargers you see in motorways. Sad. It's a known problem with the DBT units (ive nick named them dont bother trying). They are trying to fix it, but have been since March last year. Luckily I was aware of the problems and ordered a REX version which has a scooter engine connected to a generator under the boot. Means you can go 120 to 160 miles before stopping for fuel. And then every 70 miles. Until you find a working charger. Lol. Better than a tow truck! VW GTE, Audi etron and mitsbbishi outlander are Plug in hyrids and would do better as your only car till they sort the mess. Or an i3.
The car is really fast. I've put my foot down at a green light a few times. I've done 100m before anyone else has found the biting point and started to roll. Whooosh. Loving it.
Oh and in the 150 mile drive from southampton. Didn't touch the brake pedal once. The regen scrubs off the speed and charges the battery.
 
hedge said:
Oh, one thing I could use some advice on please is charging out and about. I live in Herts, work (and drive to) Shoreditch daily. I have the DC fast charge option and will have a charger installed at home (no facility to plug in where I park at work). Which service should I sign up to? Thx.

Welcome and congratulations... I would agree that perhaps it may be worth considering the REx. In the last couple of months, I've found that CCS DC charging is either broken or simply does not work with the car (error message "vehicle not recognised" on charhing station). Although BMW are investigating this, until it's fixed, it means that any round trip I make over 30 miles each way (range depletes quickly in cold weather) with no destination charging, the REx has saved me. I don't consider it as carrying nearly 200kg of extra mass, it's been a lifeline on a few occasions now.
 
nowtta60 said:
..... Adding them yourself can be at best described as "painful" as it doesn't seem to want to let you add map locations to the address book unless they have an actual address. So you have to find the rougt location were you know theres a CCS point, look for POI in the vicinity, (like the hotel or services) and then add that to the address book. Yet to see if you can import a POI list from USB, but I think a full list of ALL charge stations kept up to date over the air, is an essential element missed. Better still they should be using the API to check current live charger status and availability. I'm left thinking I paid all that money for a fancier looking screen and 10 year old sat nav tech .....

Not strictly true...

You can easily add locations by pushing the iDrive controller right and selecting the save current position option - no address needed, just a name & type. If you've charged at a place, you can also locate it afterwards by going to recent destinations and then recent charging points - and once again push the iDrive controller right (or press Option I think) to save it as a contact. These are saved to the car regardless of any Bluetooth address books you have paired.

You can also login to the BMW ConnectedDrive portal, select your car, click on My Info, Address Book and then Import Addresses, this will allow you to import vCard files, which are then available in your car.

Although you may think it's 10 year old nav tech, in my opinion it is the best of the current "factory fit" manufacturer systems by far.
 
mark1 said:
nowtta60 said:
..... Adding them yourself can be at best described as "painful" as it doesn't seem to want to let you add map locations to the address book unless they have an actual address. So you have to find the rougt location were you know theres a CCS point, look for POI in the vicinity, (like the hotel or services) and then add that to the address book. Yet to see if you can import a POI list from USB, but I think a full list of ALL charge stations kept up to date over the air, is an essential element missed. Better still they should be using the API to check current live charger status and availability. I'm left thinking I paid all that money for a fancier looking screen and 10 year old sat nav tech .....

Not strictly true...

You can easily add locations by pushing the iDrive controller right and selecting the save current position option - no address needed, just a name & type. If you've charged at a place, you can also locate it afterwards by going to recent destinations and then recent charging points - and once again push the iDrive controller right (or press Option I think) to save it as a contact. These are saved to the car regardless of any Bluetooth address books you have paired.

You can also login to the BMW ConnectedDrive portal, select your car, click on My Info, Address Book and then Import Addresses, this will allow you to import vCard files, which are then available in your car.

Although you may think it's 10 year old nav tech, in my opinion it is the best of the current "factory fit" manufacturer systems by far.
Thanks for the tips. I'll get myself preperared for another play later. I;ve got a sneaky feeling I may be wrong about the status too. Was in Sutton Coldfield last night. The CYC or PiM point look like they might have a status reported to the car.

Trouble was - when I got there a) the first point had an Audi Cabriolet and a Leaf parked in them. Audi driver may be ignorant and forgivable - but the left had just used it as a parking space. Nevermind. Tried the multi-storey. Ah. Closed. Went back round to the oter car park, and the Audi had moved off. Tried my Plugged in Midlands card but it didn't want to talk. Realised there's a CYC Sticker on the base. Must be one of the ones that has transferred networks, but I haven't received my CYC card yet. Frustrating! Why are PiM Listing it if theirs cards don't work!?

I really real recommend you look at the REX if this is the state of affairs. That's 0/10 successful attempts to use public charging now. I've got another car too, but it would mean having to do whole journey in an ICE rather than getting 70ish miles of electric range plus whatever I need on the REX. Plus the i3 is just easier/more fun to drive than an X-Trial.

TBH they'd be better off just sticking 20 32A sockets around car parks in each town and making them free until say there's 100,000 EV on the roads. The concept of a "network" for basically giving access to a 240V supply is just not the right way to go about things.
 
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