Lecram
Well-known member
Does anyone have any practical experience with the real range of the i3 rex version? BMW promises about 300 kms, but is that realistic?
real range of the Rex i3
- Thread starter Lecram
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kentheteaman
Well-known member
Lecram said:
Hi Lecram,
I am getting i3 on Monday for 24 hour test drive.
I will be testing the ranges and I will have some idea on Tuesday.
regards,
ken
TomMoloughney
Well-known member
kentheteaman said:
That's good to hear. I think it will be closer to 250km's. 300 is in ideal conditions.
Lecram
Well-known member
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing your experiences.kentheteaman said:
Enjoy your testdrive.
Lecram
Well-known member
kentheteaman said:
Any news, Ken?
kentheteaman
Well-known member
Lecram said:
Hello Lecram,
Sure.
I had the car for one full day and had plenty of drive testing it.
I will be posting my review tomorrow as I need to get my photos of the dashboard as I drove along, showing the electric and Rex ranges, working in this forum. Last two days I got too busy and didn't have time.
regards,
ken
kentheteaman
Well-known member
Hello Lecram,
I had the i3 for 24 hours on Monday.
The car was fully charged and the petrol tank was full with 9 liters.
The Dashboard showed Electric range 59miles and Rex range 6miles.
I am not sure at that time, why the fully charged car was showing just 59miles as range instead of showing 80mile or more.
LONDON TO OXFORD
I took the through M40 motorway to Oxford which was 57miles. So the car should have had no problems in reaching there with electric mode alone.
I used the cruise control for 65miles/hour speed.
Had the seat warmer on low level.
The air heater at low speed fan for 22degrees C.
It performed beautifully and I was very pleased with the way it responded. The power was excellent, Smooth drive with no vibrations and no noise.
Everything went well until I reached closer to Oxford. At 49 miles covered and 10miles to go the car suddenly started to loose range. The dashboard showed a warning "Electric range insufficient".
The Electric range only had 3miles and the Rex range was 45miles.
So the car only covered 49miles of range at 65miles/hour speed.
--------------------------------
OXFORD TO LONDON RETURN
The return journey was equally alarming.
First the dashboard showed Electric range 2miles and Rex range 50miles.
Then when I started to drive Rex range quickly fell to 16miles and then to 9miles !!! even though the petrol tank was still full.
I did not know what to do and thought may be fill up the tank if any space left. So drove slowly to a petrol garage and filled another 3 liters.
Then to my surprise the range started to creep up and started to show 46miles and 55miles little latter.
I managed to reach my destination which was 57miles away with 35miles still showing in the Rex range. So total range could be (57+35= 92miles) But I am not sure how much this estimation is accurate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON TO HOME
I filled up again just incase if the range drops as it was past midnight.
The Rex range showed 67miles.
When I reached home after 20miles with 47miles to spare.
-------------------------------------------------------
HOME TO WORK
I charged it using regular home plug for 8hours.
The charge showed it only charged little over than 50% and the Electric range was 41miles.
When I reached work place which was 45miles I still had 6miles left in the electric range.
----------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
I think the real range for both Rex and Battery is 60miles each in real world which gives you 120miles in total. Quoted range of 80 to 100miles is simply misleading.
i3 does not like motorway speeds more than 60miles/hour. Even at 65miles/hour the range drops alarmingly and I only managed 50miles.
Amazing drive quality, feels like being in an aeroplane with no noise, no vibration and exhilarating acceleration.
With in the urban roads i3 is simply majestic with its acceleration and nimbleness in turning and changing lanes.
MY THOUGHTS
BMW people have shot themselves in the foot by selecting a smaller battery of 18KW size. It should have been 24KW like the LEAF which would have given at least 80miles per charge.
It needs a bigger petrol tank of about 20 liters size so that Rex could have covered about 100miles instead of 60miles now.
I had the i3 for 24 hours on Monday.
The car was fully charged and the petrol tank was full with 9 liters.
The Dashboard showed Electric range 59miles and Rex range 6miles.
I am not sure at that time, why the fully charged car was showing just 59miles as range instead of showing 80mile or more.
LONDON TO OXFORD
I took the through M40 motorway to Oxford which was 57miles. So the car should have had no problems in reaching there with electric mode alone.
I used the cruise control for 65miles/hour speed.
Had the seat warmer on low level.
The air heater at low speed fan for 22degrees C.
It performed beautifully and I was very pleased with the way it responded. The power was excellent, Smooth drive with no vibrations and no noise.
Everything went well until I reached closer to Oxford. At 49 miles covered and 10miles to go the car suddenly started to loose range. The dashboard showed a warning "Electric range insufficient".
The Electric range only had 3miles and the Rex range was 45miles.
So the car only covered 49miles of range at 65miles/hour speed.
--------------------------------
OXFORD TO LONDON RETURN
The return journey was equally alarming.
First the dashboard showed Electric range 2miles and Rex range 50miles.
Then when I started to drive Rex range quickly fell to 16miles and then to 9miles !!! even though the petrol tank was still full.
I did not know what to do and thought may be fill up the tank if any space left. So drove slowly to a petrol garage and filled another 3 liters.
Then to my surprise the range started to creep up and started to show 46miles and 55miles little latter.
I managed to reach my destination which was 57miles away with 35miles still showing in the Rex range. So total range could be (57+35= 92miles) But I am not sure how much this estimation is accurate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LONDON TO HOME
I filled up again just incase if the range drops as it was past midnight.
The Rex range showed 67miles.
When I reached home after 20miles with 47miles to spare.
-------------------------------------------------------
HOME TO WORK
I charged it using regular home plug for 8hours.
The charge showed it only charged little over than 50% and the Electric range was 41miles.
When I reached work place which was 45miles I still had 6miles left in the electric range.
----------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
I think the real range for both Rex and Battery is 60miles each in real world which gives you 120miles in total. Quoted range of 80 to 100miles is simply misleading.
i3 does not like motorway speeds more than 60miles/hour. Even at 65miles/hour the range drops alarmingly and I only managed 50miles.
Amazing drive quality, feels like being in an aeroplane with no noise, no vibration and exhilarating acceleration.
With in the urban roads i3 is simply majestic with its acceleration and nimbleness in turning and changing lanes.
MY THOUGHTS
BMW people have shot themselves in the foot by selecting a smaller battery of 18KW size. It should have been 24KW like the LEAF which would have given at least 80miles per charge.
It needs a bigger petrol tank of about 20 liters size so that Rex could have covered about 100miles instead of 60miles now.
Something not quite right there.
Which driving mode were you using? Did you switch to a more economical mode when the range was showing it was inadequate?
I think there is a post here of a NL driver using a BEV i3 on new years eve. He turned off the heating, switched to Eco plus and made it with bit of fingernail biting.
Something that is worth considering is to slow down when range is limited.
As for choosing a bigger battery, there is an environmental impact of using more cells than most users need. Trip statistics show that the range of the Leaf and the i3 is more than adequate for most trips.
This is a good example:
If you had the wallbox, you would have achieved 100% charge, and a return journey from home to work on electric range would be feasible.
As for the range figures at start, this is a demonstrator, yes? Most likely, it has been flogged around the block by various tyre kickers and the car is just saying that with the kind of driving it has been subjected to, don't expect to get very far.
Which driving mode were you using? Did you switch to a more economical mode when the range was showing it was inadequate?
I think there is a post here of a NL driver using a BEV i3 on new years eve. He turned off the heating, switched to Eco plus and made it with bit of fingernail biting.
Something that is worth considering is to slow down when range is limited.
As for choosing a bigger battery, there is an environmental impact of using more cells than most users need. Trip statistics show that the range of the Leaf and the i3 is more than adequate for most trips.
This is a good example:
If you had the wallbox, you would have achieved 100% charge, and a return journey from home to work on electric range would be feasible.
As for the range figures at start, this is a demonstrator, yes? Most likely, it has been flogged around the block by various tyre kickers and the car is just saying that with the kind of driving it has been subjected to, don't expect to get very far.
I33t said:
Sorry, but this is BS! 60miles is not a car. This is bicycle. BMW has made an extraordinary mistake to give a car such a tiny battery. 80 miles should be absolute minimum in comfort mode and in cold weather (sub zero). Anything less is just not acceptable.
BTW, the wallbox does not improve your charging, at least in Germany. For that you have to pay extra 1590€ for AC/DC fast charging. It is a well hidden fact.
Stevei3
Well-known member
kentheteaman said:
Hi Ken, thanks for sharing your experiences !
I guess getting higher range results will prove to be a challenge (as with ICE equipped cars btw). Self-control will be extra difficult, 'cause the car is so nice and effortless to drive, as far as we experienced it on our two test-drives.
We also observed, like the previous poster stated, that the projected range is influenced by the cars driving history. Where the privately owned i3 of a friend (BEV) is showing 146 km on a full charge (and climbing as he makes more (sensible) kms), the dealers car (REx, ~3000km) gave us only ~100km on a 80% charge.
But still, getting the most out of the 22kWh will be an adventure, to say the least. BTW: please mind that the battery is not 18.8 kWh; where BMW states the usable capacity (85% of 22kWh), Nissan et al. state the hypothetical installed capacity. For the leaf, usable capacity should be ~90% of 24kWh = 21.5kWh AFAIK.
Thanks for sharing, Steven
PS: nevertheless: more battery capacity would have been a bonus of course ! At around 32kWh BMW could have had a winner on this aspect...
BrianStanier
Well-known member
Ken, the range you got is very similar to what we expect from our Gen1 Leaf at this time of year ~60-65miles. Some users are reporting less, some more. I agree that BMW have made a marketing mistake in claiming 80-100, though I think moderate drivers in warm, flat terrain will easily achieve that, enthusiastic drives in cold and/or hilly conditions won't.
With the lighter car and driving in the same fashion I expect our Rex to have the same, or possibly slightly better, range than the Leaf in electric only mode. And in practice the reassurance of the Rex will enable us to use more of the battery without the fear of being stranded somewhere in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales or the Pennines.
With the lighter car and driving in the same fashion I expect our Rex to have the same, or possibly slightly better, range than the Leaf in electric only mode. And in practice the reassurance of the Rex will enable us to use more of the battery without the fear of being stranded somewhere in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales or the Pennines.
As more and more extended test drive and early owner experiences are revealed - it's becoming depressingly obvious that the i3 is really a 60 mile range car, like the Leaf.
I can't help but think this is going to cause BMW serious reputational damage. They have always traded on the fact that they are an "engineering led" company rather than a marketing orientated one - and that their technical pronouncements can therefore be trusted. This has always been true for figures like fuel consumption where my experience has been that something pretty near the quoted figures can be obtained from a Beemer, whereas this never seems possible with a Lexus for example.
I seem to remember various interviews around the product launch period when senior BMW figures were assuring journalists that the 80-100 miles guidance was based on "genuine real world experience" - the implication being that it would me more reliable than competitors' claims.
If the net result is, after all the technical innovation and the multi-billion pound development programme, just a "me too" range performance - an awful lot of potential buyers are going to feel let down.
Combined with the Californian HOV sticker fiasco, and all the design compromises which were made in an apparently futile attempt to achieve it - it seems to me that the launch is turning into a serious embarrassment.
I'm going to stick with my order because I need a city car with a high driving position and, being retired, my car use is modest and the i3 suits this.
If I was a working commuter with family commitments, I would be having serious second thoughts.
I can't help but think this is going to cause BMW serious reputational damage. They have always traded on the fact that they are an "engineering led" company rather than a marketing orientated one - and that their technical pronouncements can therefore be trusted. This has always been true for figures like fuel consumption where my experience has been that something pretty near the quoted figures can be obtained from a Beemer, whereas this never seems possible with a Lexus for example.
I seem to remember various interviews around the product launch period when senior BMW figures were assuring journalists that the 80-100 miles guidance was based on "genuine real world experience" - the implication being that it would me more reliable than competitors' claims.
If the net result is, after all the technical innovation and the multi-billion pound development programme, just a "me too" range performance - an awful lot of potential buyers are going to feel let down.
Combined with the Californian HOV sticker fiasco, and all the design compromises which were made in an apparently futile attempt to achieve it - it seems to me that the launch is turning into a serious embarrassment.
I'm going to stick with my order because I need a city car with a high driving position and, being retired, my car use is modest and the i3 suits this.
If I was a working commuter with family commitments, I would be having serious second thoughts.
Lecram
Well-known member
I really want to know what to average experience is after one year of driving by many owners. It's obvious that electrical cars demand a different, more gentle and anticipating driving style. We are all early adopters and we can't compare a electrical vehicle with a petrol cars yet. We have to deal with the current limitations.
I drive 60 miles (95 kms) to the work office over the highway, but in the morning and evening with heavy traffic. With a bit of luck, the charging point at the office parking spots are not occupied when I arrive there, otherwise I have to arrange something with my colleagues. They drive a Volvo V60 plugin hybrid.
I will see it as a challenge to make the most out of the battery capacity.
FastNed, a Dutch company, is building 200 fast chargers along the highways which provides every 40-50 kms a fast DC charging spot. They have 4 stations built yet, one located 10 miles from the office.
I discussed the battery with the sales guy and we think that the battery technology is evolving quite fast. The battery is easily exchangeable, so possibly we can exchange the battery over 4-5 years with a cheaper, lighter battery with a much higher capacity.
I drive 60 miles (95 kms) to the work office over the highway, but in the morning and evening with heavy traffic. With a bit of luck, the charging point at the office parking spots are not occupied when I arrive there, otherwise I have to arrange something with my colleagues. They drive a Volvo V60 plugin hybrid.
I will see it as a challenge to make the most out of the battery capacity.
FastNed, a Dutch company, is building 200 fast chargers along the highways which provides every 40-50 kms a fast DC charging spot. They have 4 stations built yet, one located 10 miles from the office.
I discussed the battery with the sales guy and we think that the battery technology is evolving quite fast. The battery is easily exchangeable, so possibly we can exchange the battery over 4-5 years with a cheaper, lighter battery with a much higher capacity.
SanSerif
Well-known member
@kentheteaman
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
The ranges you're getting do seem lower than I'd expected. Not a problem for me as I'd worked on a real range of 60 miles when calculating whether an EV would work for us. That said, BMW did make a big play of "83 real world miles" so I do wonder if your experience was degraded by the car having recent history of being a maxed out demonstrator.
I'm more concerned about your report that it took 8 hours to achieve a 50% charge on a three pin socket. That's an irritatingly long time. Need to get the wallbox installation sorted before the car arrives (3 weeks to go!).
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
The ranges you're getting do seem lower than I'd expected. Not a problem for me as I'd worked on a real range of 60 miles when calculating whether an EV would work for us. That said, BMW did make a big play of "83 real world miles" so I do wonder if your experience was degraded by the car having recent history of being a maxed out demonstrator.
I'm more concerned about your report that it took 8 hours to achieve a 50% charge on a three pin socket. That's an irritatingly long time. Need to get the wallbox installation sorted before the car arrives (3 weeks to go!).
Hope to pick up a BEV for 24h demo on Monday and will report back - likely UK Wx will get more wintry next couple of weeks so range likely to go down.
Following week will try REX on similar routes.
Main commute is 28 to 40 miles each way on A and B roads plus some dual carriage ways.
Concerned about 8h recharge from UK socket though - please advise likely KWh for overnight charge - car left outside but might have option to pre-warm?
Following week will try REX on similar routes.
Main commute is 28 to 40 miles each way on A and B roads plus some dual carriage ways.
Concerned about 8h recharge from UK socket though - please advise likely KWh for overnight charge - car left outside but might have option to pre-warm?
BrianStanier
Well-known member
The 8 hours to 50% seems impossible. Our Leaf has never needed that long to 80% charge on the 3-pin plug @ 10Amps. The only possibilities are a fault, wrong setting in the EVSE limiting current, or it wasn't charging for the whole time.
Muhv said:
Perhaps for you, not for the majority of urban drivers.
This is not 'BS' these are facts. Here in Australia, we have some of the longest urban trips yet the average daily distance is around 40km per car. Of course there are people who drive more than the range of an electric car, but that also means that there are masses of people who drive way less than average. The Leipzig plant can perhaps make 30,000 i3's per year, why should BMW load up every car with 30% more battery to pull in maybe an extra 5% of customers whose range requirements exceed the design of the i3?
Some US information:
I think you will find that the range of the i3, the Leaf, the Zoe, etc is set where it is for simple reasons: Costs/Benefits/Impacts.
The simple facts are that if the range is not adequate for your real trip data, then your needs are outside the design specifications, this is not the car for you.
In Teslamotors forum ChadS writes: "Not to mention that 35kWh wouldn't give BMW any more CARB credits. 22kWh was chosen to be barely enough to give them 3 credits (100 miles of range on a city test - about 75 miles EPA). To get a fourth credit, they would need 200 city miles of range; roughly 46kWh. To my mind that's one of the biggest problems in the industry; if automakers got a fourth credit at 150 city miles and a fifth at 200, somebody might make a 150-city-mile car and be thinking about 200-mile cars."
BMW didn't hesitate to add some extra weight with REX. It seem's to me, that number of people (especially in California) would have wellcomed 10kW additional batery instead. And this is not some 5% any longer.
BMW didn't hesitate to add some extra weight with REX. It seem's to me, that number of people (especially in California) would have wellcomed 10kW additional batery instead. And this is not some 5% any longer.
kentheteaman
Well-known member
I33t said:Something not quite right there.
Which driving mode were you using? Did you switch to a more economical mode when the range was showing it was inadequate?
.........I used the comfort mode. There is no point in torturing oneself for 50miles range. May be if I am looking for 100miles then Eco pro etc will be ok.
I think there is a post here of a NL driver using a BEV i3 on new years eve. He turned off the heating, switched to Eco plus and made it with bit of fingernail biting.
Something that is worth considering is to slow down when range is limited.
..........The range dropped suddenly like falling down a cliff. One minute it was showing 20miles left in the range and all of a sudden it fell down to 5miles and to 3miles. It was alarming.
As for choosing a bigger battery, there is an environmental impact of using more cells than most users need. Trip statistics show that the range of the Leaf and the i3 is more than adequate for most trips.
This is a good example:
If you had the wallbox, you would have achieved 100% charge, and a return journey from home to work on electric range would be feasible.
As for the range figures at start, this is a demonstrator, yes? Most likely, it has been flogged around the block by various tyre kickers and the car is just saying that with the kind of driving it has been subjected to, don't expect to get very far.
........I am sure that is a factor. But having said so it should not struggle for 50miles at 65miles/hour speed.
