Recent content by jadnashuanh

Of the winter tires available, I think the Nokian R3s are your better choice. With the REx, the only winter tires that I've found are a square set, so you'd at least need to buy new rear wheels, if not a full set. I think Canadian i3s now come with TPMS, but if so, make sure the wheel you...

As a percentage of people that have had a catastrophic battery cooling problem, it's miniscule, so putting that into the equation for average running costs is kind of flaky. That is not a wear item. If you take into account normal wear items (brakes, maintenance, oil change, filters, checks)...

Most of the batteries in use utilize somewhere in the high 300-400 volts fully charged. There are some out now, and probably more coming, that utilize up to 800-volts. So, while I haven't looked, I'm guessing the DC fast charging 'levels' may be tied to the voltages available. A CCS unit is a...

As I said earlier...BMW did think about the locking...it made the assumption that if it was unlocked, but you didn't open a door, it was a 'mistake', and after a delay, will relock them. There's no easy assessment of whether you wanted the windows down or not as instead of a single, short...

When DCFC is attempted, the ACV input plug pins get repurposed to be serial data lines that communicate with the CCS unit and are required to manage the charging of the vehicle. As was mentioned, the weight of the plug and (mostly) cable can distort the socket so that the serial data...

Batteries degrade from temperature excursions beyond design and (mostly) the number of charging cycles. Given the same miles driven, a vehicle with a smaller battery will require more charging cycles. Note, one cycle is from 0-100%, not the number of times it is plugged in, so one from 0-100%...

Most of what you can change on a BMW with something like Bimmercode is changing constants, you are not actually changing the operational code. YOu can think of the simple equation for the circumference of a circle...the formula is fixed. You change the Diameter value to account for different...

As more and more EVs hit the roads, paying for the highway infrastructure based on fuel taxes will become way lopsided. Expect everyone to eventually end up paying a per distance tax and the fuel taxes at the pump may go away. The administration of that could be messy, but I think it will...

The REx normally doesn't run, so there's a special diagnostic mode you have to put the vehicle in to run the REx so they can do tailpipe emissions checks. It's not hard, but it's not readily apparent unless you are familiar with the BMW i3's service instructions. I don't think it's in the...

The first couple of years, they supplied 12A EVSEs in the US, then they dropped it to 10A units. The US electrical code says a device like an EVSE must derate the supply to NGT 80%, so the 12A would be okay on the nominal 15A circuits in the US. The hassle is, there could be lights, a garage...

I had an ICE and the i3...last fall, I sold the ICE and bought the X5 45e PHEV. Just looked at the status page this afternoon, and it says I'm averaging 66mpg...most of my driving with it is in EV mode. While it's much larger than the i3, I've also got a handicap tag, so parking isn't usually...

Batteries age by the number of recharge cycles, so, over the same miles, a smaller battery will need to be charged more often than a larger one. A charge cycle is 0-100%, so ten recharges from 90-100% is still one cycle. IOW, plugging it in when you get home doesn't really hurt versus waiting...

When charging a lead acid battery, it can outgas hydrogen, which is highly flammable...best to vent it out and way from the enclosed spaces.

FWIW, you can't maintain a battery trickle charge in most any BMW vehicle when using a 12v socket (i.e., cigarette socket), as those get disconnected when the vehicle goes to sleep. You need to connect the trickle charger directly to the battery or the provided terminals, on those that have...

Over the next five years or so, I expect some places will start charging EVs a toll based on the miles driven to compensate for the 'lost' revenue they collect on the sale of gasoline. Most EVs are heavier than similar ICE vehicles, and that puts a bigger wear factor on the roads and bridges...