Recent content by CharonPDX

Local dealer just got two '19s with sunroof and tech package back from lease. He wasn't sure REx or BEV for either, but REx isn't really a necessity any more with the 120Ah battery, but it's also not really a dealbreaker either, so we'll take whichever one has better other options. Looking...

Up in Oregon, it is classified as a hybrid, so needs a smog check. Ironically, this also means I pay the "20-39 MPG vehicle" registration fee, instead of the twice as expensive EV registration fee.

New-to-us 2014 Tesla Model S joins our i3 and our Arcimoto FUV. And all three with at least major components made on the West Coast. BMW i3's carbon fiber "life module" is made in Moses Lake, Washington; Arcimoto FUV is fully built in Eugene, Oregon; Tesla is built in Fremont, California. The...

Hey, my 1996 Ford F-250 has power inflatable lumber support! But it's way slower than the modern Mercedes one. (Takes about 10 seconds to go from empty to full, and mine has a slow leak, so you need to reinflate every 30 minutes or so.)

The only downsides - and what I see as one of the major stumbling blocks for self-driving vehicles - are suddenly changing and/or variable speed limits. Specifically school zones. Around me, there are a couple places where the "regular" speed limit is 45 MPH, and 20 MPH in school zones. But...

Around here, DC rapid charging has improved tons just in the last 12-18 months. When I bought my i3 REx in mid 2018, I couldn't take many reasonable usual-for-me "nearby road trips" (trips of 150-200 miles) without using the REx. Now I can take all of those same trips just fine. And this is on...

The problem with the i3 is that it isn't easy to get to a place you can see all that, unlike "conventional" vehicles where you just pop the front hood and look where the ICE would be.

I know that when I bought my 2015, Connect was still connected to the previous owner somehow. We would occasionally get "appointment reminders" for appointments that definitely weren't ours.

I regularly have the key fob accidentally trigger buttons in my pocket. As jadnashuanh suggests, try leaving your keys on a counter or something to make sure it's not that.

My best in my 60Ah REx was 202 miles combined:

Yep - ECO PRO.

Hadn't even thought of 'picking' the solenoid, which is funny, because I enjoy lock picking and have a decent set of picks! I'll bug them about it being a known issue - is there a technical bulletin or whatever BMW calls it for it that you know of? I can't find any under "i3 charge solenoid"

My i3 has been having issues with the charge port recently - the vehicle hasn't been releasing charge plugs from the socket reliably. Lock/unlock a few times, wait half a minute to about 5 minutes before it finally releases the connector. Then this morning, not only that, but all the warning...

Made the drive back today. Decided to go the "faster" route, which (I thought) would absolutely REQUIRE the REx to be used. The city I was in has no quick chargers, and the route I was taking had me driving 125 miles over a mountain range to the first rapid charger along that route. Here's the...

Yes, turning on Nav gave a more realistic estimate. Before starting up the hill, it said 50-ish miles, engaging nav it dropped to 20.