Pre-heating of the cabin

[russtyjames]

Can anyone tell me if you can pre-heat the cabin while the car is hooked up with the standard heating/air conditioning? I'm looking at an electric only I3. My dealer says I can and that I don't need the additional heat pump option. After reading a BMW press release today I'm not so convinced.

Cold weather cabin preparation
Comprising:
- Heat pump for pre-heating the cabin temperature for improved comfort when entering the cabin in cold conditions. This ensures that less battery energy is required to achieve the desired cabin temperature as this can be activated while the vehicle is on charge. This results in improved range performance as well as the optimum cabin temperature before you enter the vehicle.

Thanks

Russ

 

[SanSerif]

It looks like a "must have" option, regardless of the cabin heating; simply for the more efficient heating and, therefore, greater range. In the UK at least, it's a cheap option I think.