Consumer Reports says the i3 is getting needed enhancements

[MarkN]

According to http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/bmw-i3-has-the-little-engine-that-could/index.htm:

[A] BMW spokesman, Matthew Russell, said that an enhancement is coming in spring [...]. It will include a battery state-of-charge indicator, an early alert prior to potentially experiencing a temporary loss of power, and a proactive boosting of the battery level based on the car’s navigation prior to encountering hilly terrain. This enhancement will also be available as a retrofit for existing i3 owners.

 

[TomMoloughney]

According to http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2014/10/bmw-i3-has-the-little-engine-that-could/index.htm:

[A] BMW spokesman, Matthew Russell, said that an enhancement is coming in spring [...]. It will include a battery state-of-charge indicator, an early alert prior to potentially experiencing a temporary loss of power, and a proactive boosting of the battery level based on the car’s navigation prior to encountering hilly terrain. This enhancement will also be available as a retrofit for existing i3 owners.

Yes, these features will indeed be added soon. The SOC indicator will likely come before any REx engaging modifications.

 

[ecoangel]

Good news especially the SOC indicator!

 

[Surge]

Can someone explain why you need a % state of charge indicator?

You have 4 wide bars, so you can estimate the % rather easily.

What does 32% really mean anyway? It's a % of total, but that's not really the relevant piece of information, range is.

Knowing that my iPhone battery is at 82% doesn't mean much to me. Knowing I can talk for 2.5 hours does. The i3 already has this information.

 

[Chrisn]

For me, SOC (expressed in numbers) is a better UI than analog bars. Using the same screen real-estate as the blue bars, I would like to see SOC %, current load (in kW) and estimated remaining range (which incorporates Nav route data (speed limits and elevation changes) and driving history-- not just current load).

Should be fairly trivial to allow some customization of the displays via settings.