I heard the Rex today......

[Parker]

.....and it sounds like ....... a generator!

Imagine an Motorhome / RV type Honda generator .... well suppressed .... but running at a constant speed with surprising low revs .... so a bit alien in a car.

People standing about 10 feet away didn't know it was on.

Interestingly I was able to force the Rex on even though the battery was at 88% full. There is a settings option for "preserve battery level" or something like that, just tick that box and the Rex starts up.

It feels loud (when stationary) because there is absolutely no noise from anything else, but in reality its no louder than a normal car engine.

 

[SanSerif]

Reassuring to confirm that you can fire it up at any time. I'd seen reports that it'd only come on at 20% charge - hugely reducing flexibility on a long journey. I've speculated elsewhere that it may be rigged thus in some markets for tax/incentive reasons where there are tight definitions of hybrid, BEV and range extenders.

So, having seen it in action, do you think it's a good implementation?

 

[Parker]

I think for the odd time day to day, (that unexpected extra 20-30 miles detour) and the occasional long 180 - 250 mile trip once or twice a month its absolutely ideal. The car is still fundamentally an electric car - but with zero range anxiety.

 

[Stevei3]

Hi Parker,

congratulations for being the first person (outside of BMW officials) to hear the REx actually running. It's alive ! They didn't make you cut off your ears afterwards ?
The REx is supposed to sport a variable engine speed depending on the amount of electricity needed. Did you notice any variation in the engine revs?

Greetings, Steven

 

[Plug]

I'd seen reports that it'd only come on at 20% charge - hugely reducing flexibility on a long journey.

The brochure says "Manually activated when the vehicle is below 80%" but Parker seems to have done it above that charge level which is good. I'm a bit surprised it even fired up with the vehicle being stationary.

 

[Parker]

I'm a bit surprised it even fired up with the vehicle being stationary.

It wasn't stationary to begin with

 

[Parker]

Hi Parker,

congratulations for being the first person (outside of BMW officials) to hear the REx actually running. It's alive ! They didn't make you cut off your ears afterwards ?

No thank goodness, but it does seem bizarre so long after launch that its the first time its been reported on.

The REx is supposed to sport a variable engine speed depending on the amount of electricity needed. Did you notice any variation in the engine revs?

I think because the batteries were so full it was running in its least stressed mode (with no variation), however even at that low rate you could still see the battery charge level going up as the car went along.

 

[Stevei3]

Hi Parker,

Light duty when battery @ 88% sounds plausible. Good to hear it actually seems to be charging the battery, not just keeping it level.
My guess about the REx is that it is simply not ready on the softwarefront, thus not ready for prime-time customer or P.R. use.

Steven

 

[TomMoloughney]

Hi Parker,

Light duty when battery @ 88% sounds plausible. Good to hear it actually seems to be charging the battery, not just keeping it level.
My guess about the REx is that it is simply not ready on the softwarefront, thus not ready for prime-time customer or P.R. use.

Steven

I believe that is the case Steve. Even the all electric i3's are still getting software updates. This is common for a new release and they could be getting software updates right up to launch.

 

[gaz26]

I hope I am not going to be a test bed once I take delivery. I sense BMW has real problems to overcome hence delaying customer production and lack on any information.

 

[Stevei3]

Hi gaz,

I'm sure you will be used as beta tester (mainly for the s/w). But, perhaps comforting, so will I and every other i3 buyer. Early adopters woes...
The lack of consistent info is inexusable though, I couldn't agree more. This has been a problem througout the i3's short history so far. Let's put this down to the unconventional nature of the car.

Steven

 

[SanSerif]

I fully expected to be a beta tester the moment I found myself putting down a deposit for a car which the manufacturer hadn't even cranked up the factory in which it was to be built!

So far I'm reassured by the info that I've gleaned from the web from laying eyes and hands on a (static) prototype demo car at the dealership.

However, I do agree that BMW could be more forthcoming and embracing of their brave beta testers and early orderers. One of the reasons I went for the i3 was that I'd read of Renault's appalling lack of information and support for the roll out of the Zoe. BMW, I'd hoped would be vastly superior. Sadly this doesn't appear to be the case.

Here's an example. I wanted to know if the Ecotricity charge points could be used by the i3 so I emailed the i-team at the address on the BMW website and I contacted Ecotricity. Ecotricity had no email address just a single web form for all their electricity supply business - presumably dealing 99% of the time with customers querying tarrifs and meter readings etc - nothing ev specific. So I was pleasantly surprised to get a detailed reply from them within 24 hours.

Two months on, I have yet to receive even a holding email from BMW - let alone any actual answer.

 

[ChrisC]

Note that the behavior (including sound) of the REx engine still has months of tweaking ahead of it.

Six months before the first Volt deliveries, GM let some journalists ride in the Volt in REx mode and the engine sounds was quite jarring. After that, GM adjusted the logic so that the engine revs up and down along with speed, purely for psychological reasons. They were tweaking that drivetrain right up through the first shipments in Dec 2010.

 

[AndrewDebbie]

I heard the Rex today, Oh Boy
About a lucky man who made the grade...

(sorry, I just had to)

Note that the behavior (including sound) of the REx engine still has months of tweaking ahead of it.

On the US side I wouldn't be surprised if EPA and CARB delay deliveries. Especially California Air Resource Board. Wouldn't be the first time BMW had cars sitting at the port because the test article didn't pass California Emissions.

EPA and DoT aren't going to be doing any work on approving new cars until the US has a budget agreement. Unless it already has DoT approval even the battery only i3 could see a delay.

 

[TomMoloughney]

On the US side I wouldn't be surprised if EPA and CARB delay deliveries. Especially California Air Resource Board. Wouldn't be the first time BMW had cars sitting at the port because the test article didn't pass California Emissions.

EPA and DOT aren't going to be doing any work on approving new cars until the US has a budget agreement. Unless it already has DoT approval even the battery only i3 could see a delay.

We have at least 6 months before the i3 is available in the US. If the budget agreement isn't hammered out well before then an i3 delay will be the least of our problems!

 

[Parker]

I heard the Rex today, Oh Boy
About a lucky man who made the grade...

(sorry, I just had to)

I was originally going to write that ........ but I didn't think anyone would get it.

 

[surfingslovak]

Two months on, I have yet to receive even a holding email from BMW - let alone any actual answer.

Sorry to hear! Were you inquiring about Ecotricity's level 3 rapid chargers? If so, those are CHAdeMO only units from Sumitomo, and will not work with the i3, which will have an optional CCS rapid charger inlet. The regular AC charging points, which run about 230 Volt, should be readily usable with the i3. There is some hope that combined CCS and CHAdeMO rapid chargers will be deployed soon. I took a photo of couple of them at the Plugin 2013 conference in San Diego.

 

[AndrewDebbie]

Here's an example. I wanted to know if the Ecotricity charge points could be used by the i3 s ...

I've been told Ecotricity are planning to begin installing rapid chargers that are compatible with chdemo, CCS, and type-2 3-phase AC. Eventually they hope to upgrade all their chargers.

Because of this I've switched our electricity supplier to Ecotricty even though we don't live within range of any of them.


Their current units are chademo and 22kW 3-phase AC. They should charge an i3 but only at 7kW.

 

[SanSerif]

Here's an example. I wanted to know if the Ecotricity charge points could be used by the i3 s ...

I've been told Ecotricity are planning to begin installing rapid chargers that are compatible with chdemo, CCS, and type-2 3-phase AC. Eventually they hope to upgrade all their chargers.

Because of this I've switched our electricity supplier to Ecotricty even though we don't live within range of any of them.


Their current units are chademo and 22kW 3-phase AC. They should charge an i3 but only at 7kW.

Yes - Ecotricity replied to all my questions in detail. I merely recounted the anecdote as an example of my disappointment with the i-Team's utter failure to embrace and inform their "beta testers".

Ecotricity are impressive. Not only is the organisation slicky run if their response to an EV question is anything to go by (a question about an as yet unmanufactured car to an unrelated utility company that makes zero profit from its EV operation) - but they're also the only body in the UK that both "gets" EV charging and is spending money putting decent chargers in sensible places.