UK Model Year 2015 i3 will have Winter Pack included

[psquare]

I’ve just had confirmation from my dealer that 2015 models (at least for UK, other markets please someone else confirm) will have the Winter Pack included.

P

 

[elptex]

The most important detail to this is:

Is it included and the base price remains the same?

OR

Is it included and the base price goes up accordingly?

Winter package is 'only' £260 as it stands (includes heated seats and battery temperature pre-conditioning).

 

[psquare]

Got ya. All I can say is that my quoted price has come down by £260.

Winter Pack is basically not a choice anymore.

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[Themass31]

Still has it a cost option on the web site.

 

[psquare]

Still has it a cost option on the web site.

Yes, but that's not where you order your car, isn't it?

I actually placed an order for a car and the sales exec could not choose the Winter Pack anymore - BMW UK Product Mgt also confirmed this by email today. (btw, I also asked about the DC Fast Charge Option becoming a standard and was told that this is not happening for UK i3s).

However: the list price for a REx has also increased from £33,100 to £33,400, which basically means you pay £300 more for a Winter Pack which used to cost you £260.

Anyway, this is what my experience was - YMMV.

Fact is: Winter Pack for UK cars is from now on included, but you still pay for it.

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[Dee123]

Thanks for this info Craig. I did order the winter pack as it's a cheap no-brainer. Too bad no standard DC options. It seems to me that BMW UK has no plans to seriously invest in UK charging infrastructure like US does..,

 

[psquare]

It seems to me that BMW UK has no plans to seriously invest in UK charging infrastructure like US does..,

The reasoning behind this appears to be that more home charging is done in the UK (in comparison to the US, for example) and BMW wants to leave it up to the consumer to decide whether to have the DC Rapid option or not. At least this is what I saw in an email conversation.

Basically, models will always vary from market to market.

I ordered mine with DC Rapid, too. It's a way of future-proofing the vehicle in terms of range, convenience and value. But everyone is different.

P

 

[Themass31]

Yes we ordered my wife's with winter and D/C they were both a priority over the professional screen, BMW Warwick at the weekend said they were in partnership with ecotricity to get there type of fast chargers rolled out.

 

[RJSATLBA]

As an aside, I'm beginning to think there is a downside to the Winter pack with the HV preconditioning. It doesn't seem to be possible to precondition the cabin without also preconditioning the HV battery which I guess uses much more energy.

When not plugged in to an EVSE and about to do a short journey in frosty conditions it would be good to be able to defrost the car (essential no matter how short the trip) without taking the hit to pre-heat the HV battery, which probably uses more energy than it saves over a short trip. However, I can see that the greatest benefit from preconditioning must coming in the first few minutes of driving when I presume the battery management is using energy to bring the HV up to optimum temperature anyway.

Thoughts from those more technical than me or in colder areas with experience?

 

[amateurish]

It's very difficult to know what impact preconditioning the HV battery has, since there is no temperature gauge. How long does it normally take to get up to temperature?

 

[elptex]

As an aside, I'm beginning to think there is a downside to the Winter pack with the HV preconditioning. It doesn't seem to be possible to precondition the cabin without also preconditioning the HV battery which I guess uses much more energy.

When not plugged in to an EVSE and about to do a short journey in frosty conditions it would be good to be able to defrost the car (essential no matter how short the trip) without taking the hit to pre-heat the HV battery, which probably uses more energy than it saves over a short trip. However, I can see that the greatest benefit from preconditioning must coming in the first few minutes of driving when I presume the battery management is using energy to bring the HV up to optimum temperature anyway.

Thoughts from those more technical than me or in colder areas with experience?

I have a recollection of a discussion on the i3 Facebook group that the battery only pre-conditions when plugged in (as opposed to the cabin being able to pre-heat when not plugged in).