How to precondition NOW as against @ departure time

[coupedncal]

With winter here, i believe there is a use case for the feature that allows you to precondition now while the car is on a EVSE so both the batteries and the cabin warms up. The precondition on the app just warms up the cabin and I see no advantage to efficiency if the battery starts up cold.

Ideas?

 

[FrancisJeffries]

I've programmed the diamond on my fob to start the preconditioning. (It may not do the battery pre-con, but it does the inside of the car!)
I think it runs for only half an hour in case you forget to use the car after starting the heating.

 

[SSi3]

http://bmwi3.blogspot.ca/2015/03/bmw-i3-understanding-how.html

 

[coupedncal]

http://bmwi3.blogspot.ca/2015/03/bmw-i3-understanding-how.html

Thanks. I had already reviewed this page before posting this question. If BMW is listening, perhaps they could put this feature request in their next software iteration. The idea of connecting battery preconditioning to the departure time makes sense if customer is following a set schedule. But in cases where the battery preconditioning is needed at other times then there is no current option for that. Here is my classical use case. I don't get the same charging spot to charge on my work EVSE and on the days i am charging at the end of the work day then i would like to enable battery preconditioning to optimize my commute. Plus there is the three hour "advance notice" needed in the current program to enable preconditioning that also doesn't help in this case.

Bottom line, make battery preconditioning as simple to use as cabin preconditioning.

 

[jadnashuanh]

It takes between 3-3.5hours to warm the battery pack, so if you have enough time to set in a departure time, it can be done without hassle. There are three slots. IF you do not select a day, it will start at the next opportunity to follow your set departure time within the next 24-hour period and will not repeat. So, in effect, you CAN tell it to do it now, but will be of little use unless you do it early enough to complete for that one time.

For example, say you will be leaving at 5pm, and you get your vehicle plugged into an EVSE after lunch. SEt the departure time, and it will work for that one time only and not repeat. You can do this from either the app or from the car.

As you are probably aware, that won't work if you are not plugged into an EVSE, only the cabin preconditioning works regardless of that.

 

[Jeffj]

I'm sympathetic to the OPs situation. While I understand that battery pre-conditioning takes 3 hours, or maybe a little more, I think its an oversight to not allow a "pre-condition now" feature. It could use the same 3-hour time schedule (which I assume is dictated by battery longevity and safety concerns), but you only get whatever benefit that its activated for. Even if you are only plugged in for 30 minutes when you activate this, you should be able to get some benefit (simple math says 16%) from a short pre-condition. That's better than nothing, and might make a 5% difference in your range.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Not sure that the heater for the batteries is all that large, plus, you're trying to warm 450# of metal, liquid, and batteries...it takes time. I do not believe you'd gain much of anything in a 1/2-hour. As early as you can, set a departure time, and you'll get as much as possible. SO, if you decided you were leaving in 1/2-hour, and it was 1630, set it to 1700 and you'll get what you get...not much, but anything is better than nothing. It might take you an extra 30-seconds to do that verses the cabin preconditioning, but it's not particularly hard or time-consuming.

Just the process of discharging the batteries, say to precondition the cabin, will start to warm them, even without setting the departure time. Done while on the EVSE, you'd still be gaining a bit.