Others have reported that the part number for the i3 and i3S motors are identical which means that the same motor is producing more power. I haven't read how this change is implemented. It could be different motor electronics or just different software.eNate said:1. 184 HP motor, which I presume is just a 1 for 1 swap
Not sure what you mean by this. There are no electronics in the wheels.eNate said:4. traction control electronics have been moved to the wheels; I'm not clear if this carried over to the standard i3 models as well
My interpretation is that traction control is now implemented directly in the motor electronics rather than in a separate traction control module. Nevertheless, traction control is much improved in newer i3's.eNate said:It's possible I'm interpreting this wrong:
"...the control process is now calculated directly in the powertrain instead of in a remote unit requiring long signal paths."
https://www.press.bmwgroup.com/global/article/detail/T0277603EN/new-bmw-i3s-traction-control-system-for-all-future-bmw-and-mini-models?language=en
But to me this reads as new electronics are involved (including new physical location), maybe not at the wheels, but somewhere directly in line between the geabox and the wheels.
Maximum power output doesn't seem to have been decreased in our 2014 BEV. However, traction control was modified to prevent a wheel momentarily off the pavement from suddenly spinning to high speed before returning to the pavement (e.g., when driving down over a curb). Also, the maximum torque when starting to move from being stopped or at a very low speed seems to have been reduced thus reducing the shock on the motor mount.scsikid said:I read on a facebook forum that there was a software upgrade done on the i3 which lowered the power to prevent damage to motor mounts. I guess to much torque for the original mounts is my theory.
This could be confirmed by comparing the motor mount parts numbers at realoem.com. A stronger metal motor mount began being installed on 2016 i3's, so the same motor mount could be used on the i3S. It is reported that the i3S isn't any faster from 0-30 than the i3 but that it has increased power above 30 mph.scsikid said:I'd suspect BMW used the same motor, put beefier mounts and via software increased power potential for the i3s.
At least one i3 owner installed i3S flares and remounted an existing ultrasonic sensor so that it wasn't covered by the flares. However, adding ultrasonic sensors where no wiring likely exists could be challenging.scsikid said:I know the fender flares are a thing on the i3s, but then I just read the parking assistant loss which actually is a feature I was looking for with having a tight garage space. Relocation of sensors that are currently in position of the fender flare mounting doable?
Tesla has demonstrated that both driving efficiency and performance are possible in the same EV. The much heavier and larger Model 3 is rated as more efficient than an i3. However, that's while driving only. While parked, Tesla cars have a significant parasitic drain of their high-voltage batteries whereas the i3 has none.Xiloh said:I thought the whole point of an electric car was to maximize efficiency rather than increase performance. We can thank Tesla for brain washing folks into what was supposed to be a more economical way of transportation into luxury performance without an engine.
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