My 2015 BMW i3 was flawless until I reached the 100,000 mile mark and my 12v battery failed. Since then the root of all issues has to do with my 12v battery. I read this forum as well as visited You Tube for how to replace the battery. First error was not waiting 30 minutes to allow the computer to reset after installing the new Remy 12v and reconnecting the HV Battery. Later my i3 shut down completely after hitting a bump in the road. I had the flickering dashboard, drive train error message and ultimately a black screen. I had loose 12 v battery terminals and the new battery discharged. It was pulled, recharged, load tested and reinstalled. I am at 111,000 miles now. I commute with my i3 car 70 miles a day.
2015 BMW i3 and my 12v Battery
- Thread starter Seedaddy
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i did similar in a 2014 i3 60Ah BEV, for exactly 5 years. Rapid charged on DC 4 days a week and AC every night for the 5 years. Now DC twice a week and AC every night. S.O.H. of HV Battery now after 200,500 miles: 78%. Noticeable range loss from factory new: 12-15 miles. Cold weather is now affecting my 12V lead-acid AGM battery and the car can shut down in freezing conditions with only 10 to 15% SOC remaining on the HV battery. This is why i'm replacing the 12V now. (The original since new!)
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What happens when it shuts down? Is an error message displayed? Is this a sudden shutdown that could leave you stranded?
A 2014 BEV that I was driving recently suddenly shut down with a displayed charge level of 20%, 46k miles driven, 76% battery pack state of health, an ambient temperature of 27 ºC, and a 12V battery that was replaced 6 months ago with a 99% state of health. A drivetrain error was displayed. The voltages of the HV battery cells were lower than they should have been at a displayed 0% charge level.
I get warnings out of nowhere that battery is depleted, stop carefully, and also the high drain warning for the 12v... then a drivetrain warning.. then the power is completely reduced and the car comes to a dead stop. This is typically with a HV battery SOC percentage nearing the single digits. I can turn on the car after 10 seconds or so and move the car in short 2 to 3 second bursts at a time before the car forcibly stops with a jerking action from the rear of the car or parking brake being applied by itself. I can keep doing this in order to reach a chargepoint so i can plug in and after an half-hour ... to an hour, the car is back to life without errors.
This seems to only happen with low and freezing temperatures - and especially when it's not been plugged in overnight in such temperatures. It never happens to me with normal temperatures and certainly not when the car has been driven for a considerable length of time continuously or after being DC or AC charged.
The 12v battery in this car has never been replaced. Bimmerlink shows it at 98 to 96% but that's ridiculous given its age surely! I've cancelled an order for a different battery which had M5 connections and ordered an Exide AGM12-23 battery which I think may be more plug and play for the i3. Will report back on how it goes.
PS: I may have a screenshot of the Electrified app showing battery cell condition and temperature at the time of the breakdown in November before I charged on AC to get everything back up again. I'll see if i can find it and upload here.
The 2014 i3 that I was driving at 55 mph suddenly shut off with a drivetrain error and shifted to neutral so I was able to coast to the back of a queue waiting for a green traffic light. I was able to start the car and drive for a few hundred yards before another sudden shutdown but this time accompanied by the pretty violent jerking action from the rear of the car as you described. After a few minutes, I was able to start the car again and proceed very slowly for a few hundred yards before the final shutdown, again with violent jerking. No power gauge power segments existed and none appeared after waiting at least 30 minutes. The car could enter drive ready state but it couldn't propel itself. I had it towed.
I didn't notice whether the car shifted into park 'P'. It seemed like the parking pawl might have engaged with the suspension bouncing. Hope that didn't crack the motor mount bracket or damage the parking pawl.
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My motor mount had been replaced in a UK-wide recall early on in its life around the time of the KLE recall I think.
An update on replacing my 12v battery: unfortunately the exide 12-23 battery is out of stock and I've had to cancel the order. Now looking for another option
An update on replacing my 12v battery: unfortunately the exide 12-23 battery is out of stock and I've had to cancel the order. Now looking for another option
madasa fish
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