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It still strikes me as odd that BMW's designers chose an ancient lead-acid battery for such an advanced car... Surely a small lithium-ion 12V pack of similar capacity would have been a better solution! Chris

I've found there is a benefit in using a charger beyond the 50kW the i3 can accept: many 50kW units simply can't deliver full output, even when the car's capable of accepting the power. So when I actually need a really fast charge, I head for my local BP Pulse 175kW CCS facilities. (2 devices...

Helpful advice from the preceding posts has persuaded me to accept a phone call from my local BMW dealer to get the boots replaced by them. While there may be cheaper options, I want to have the job done properly. And the serious savings I'm making in fuel costs will easily cover the expense...

I have a 2016 i3 REX 94Ah, and whilst the range extender has been useful on a few occasions, I'm now finding it a maintenance liability, and would rather have the 120Ah battery plus heat pump option. IMO the UK charging network, although not fully developed, is adequate for long trips, given...

Here's another- my 2016 i3 REX has just been serviced, the dealer has advised that the front damper boots are split. The original items are convoluted rubber, presumably better quality aftermarket parts are available? Unfortunately the struts need disassembly to replace them, for which my...

Mine started flaking a year ago. I simply scraped off all the remaining black paint, for a more subtle, but longer lasting finish... Chris

I believe all i3 models sold in Europe since the 94Ah battery became standard are equipped for 11kW charging (my 2016 REX is thus) However, it's necessary to have the appropriate 3 phase type 2 cable to permit this, a single phase cable will only allow 7kW charging. I prefer to use DC rapid...

Interesting discussion, re. UK chargers, a significant proportion of the rapid network are unserviceable at any time- I always have a 'plan B' for long trips. But last Saturday 2 of 3 rapids were u/s and the 3rd was busy, so I had to REX for 20 miles. Based on my experience, I'm not currently...

You're right Art, sorry for my mistake! I now recall reading that Mode 1 charging isn't used by the i3. Nevertheless, there are still some simple public chargers here in the UK which need no payment. Let's see how long this continues! Chris

My take on this is: Any i3 can charge from any 120V to 240V AC outlet, using a simple 'dumb' cable with suitable connectors. This is borne out by a public charger I use in Didcot (Oxfordshire) Although on the Pod-Point network, it simply supplies 230V at up to 32A single-phase, with no app...

According to the BMW University text 'Charging the High-voltage Battery' "The input voltage, which can be processed by the electrical machine electronics, may be in the following range: 100V to 240V, 50Hz or 60Hz" So you can use an adapter plug, and will get faster charging with 240V (for the...

Not sure if this relates to my recent software update, but today the REX started its Maintenance Run with the battery at 78.5% Previously, it's always waited until the 75% threshold. Possibly started early because I'd set the navigation for a short 25 minute trip... Chris

Problem improved- I found a specific software update at BMW.com (after entering my VIN number) Easily applied using a USB stick. Shutdowns are still occurring, but much less frequently than before. So I'll leave it as is, unless it gets worse, mustn't expect perfection from a free fix... Chris

A couple of years ago I asked my BMW I dealer if the e-drive warning sound could be retro-fitted to my 2016 i3 REX. He said it couldn't be done... Of course, if it becomes obligatory, I'd expect this to change! In the meantime, I just take extra care when driving at low speed when people are...

Thanks to everyone, especially malspa! I'll contact my supplying dealer and see if I can get my car's software updated (though it's currently behaving normally...) Chris

During a 180 mile round trip today my 3 year old 94Ah i3 REX suffered several spontaneous re-starts of its audio/nav system. These started after being parked for about 5 hr. with the main battery at 33% and not charging. Following rapid charging to 95%, a few more re-starts occurred, but with...

There's more: Go into the 'Settings' menu, select 'Instrument cluster' then you can choose which parameters to display as you scroll through. However I still struggle to master the two data sets found in the "Onboard info" and the "Trip computer" and their various Reset options... Chris

Most of my charging (2016 94Ah REX) over the 26 months I've had my i3 has been done with 50kW rapids, as I mainly use the car for long trips (rarely under 100 miles...) I've not noticed any significant loss of capacity, but if this happens I want it to do so before the battery's warranty...