Buying a REX 360 miles away. Can I just drive it home?

[DUnit]

Please bare with me. I'm a newb.

I plan to purchase a REX tomorrow that's 360 miles away. I understand the REX acts as a generator when the battery level goes down to 6%, but will I be okay driving it all the way without charging? There's gas stations every hour on 101N from southern Cali to northern Cali, but I'm just afraid if the battery level draws to 0%, will I be screwed?!

Any advice? Should I drive 55mph all the way up?

 

[TOEd]

Yes you can drive long distances on REx. We have a 2015 with 38,000 km. 10,000 on REx. REx turns on automatically at 6.5% and tries to maintain 6.5%. You can monitor % battery by selecting menu function. If you speed and battery charge gets too low, car will lose power especially up hills. Easy to run out of gas with 7 litre fuel tank and lack of infrastrucure so we keep 5 litre gas can in frunk for emergencies. Used spare gas 3 times in 10,000 km.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Yes, it's possible. You might want to check out DVD in Motion. That company sells a program that works off of a USB drive to allow you to turn the REx on earlier.

On the level, the REx can keep up at speeds up to about 65mph...go faster or climb a grade, and the state of charge (SOC) drops. If it gets too low, things start to shut down, with the last one, limiting speed. It does warn you of this impending situation, so if you're watching, it shouldn't be a surprise.

But, yes, you can just keep filling the tank and continue.

SoCal has more DC-fast charging stations than many places, and those might be an option.

 

[Lesterbmwi3]

All gas can are expanding with temperature rising if you carry a can in frunk you expose to vapor fumes in cabin I think is not the best idea bc any electric surge can ignite that crab .your gas tank in REX is design to breathe and remove vapor safely.Did you ever cary extra gas with your Volkswagen...

 

[Milam]

Good luck

 

[theothertom]

Yes, you can drive it home. Without coding, you'll have to limit your speed to 60-65 but you'll be ok. Just stop every 70-100 miles to refill the tank. Also, the tank is pressurized and it sometimes takes a few minutes after you press the button to release the pressure so the fuel flap will open. Other times it just won't open but it has an emergency release. Look in the owners manual (should be available online) and know where the emergency release is located.
I'm not a coding expert but I've heard good things about DVD in motion and also bimmer app.

Oh, and get the plugshare app for your phone. It shows where all the charging stations are.

 

[DUnit]

Thanks for all the good information and wishing me luck!

 

[Milam]

Please let us know, how it goes.

Good luck.

I am going to try a road trip in two weeks.

I have a 2017 REX with the large battery pack.

Would love to know if you are successful.

 

[redbarn]

We have driven a 2015 Rex & now a 2017 Rex for 500 mile each way trips once a month for 9 months a year.
So 360 miles should be no problem.

You probably won’t be able to hack the “Rex on” setting but an I3 will make that trip ok.
Preplan by finding where the Level 3 charge stations are located and then adjust the route to suit.

 

[jadnashuanh]

IF you're lucky enough to have a string of CCS stations (dc-fast charge) along your route, it's easy, but you'll need to either burn some gas or wait at least 1/2-hour or so to recharge the batteries. 1/2-hour may not get them full, depending on when you stop, but will provide a useful boost. If you can refill the REx at the same time, you might get by with only one stop, but it will be close, you'd probably need two. If you don't recharge, you'll need to stop more often to refill the tank. Probably a mute point...I think he's either on the road, or already home!

 

[DUnit]

UPDATE.

Long story short, I made it home from Laguna Niguel in southern California to the Bay Area, CA without any major issues. Right after purchasing the car, I drove straight to European Auto Source (EAS) in Anaheim to get the car coded which was like half an hour away. Here's the coding options I had done.

Increase Fuel Range (1.9G to 2.5G)
HOLD MODE for Range Extender (REx)
Change when REx turns on (6% to 12%)
Enable Brake Force Display (BFD)
Door Handle LED on when in reverse
Disable Front Sidemarker
Disable Rear Sidemarker
Brighter Angel Eyes (50% brighter)
Close Windows with Comfort Access (CA)
Fold Mirrors with Comfort Access (CA)
Fold Mirrors with FOB (2-Step)
Adjust Passenger Mirror Tilt in Reverse
1-Touch Window Up while Doors Open
Pass mirror dips less when in reverse (decrease dip range)
Fold Mirrors with door lock (AUTO)
Windshield Wiper Return
Open Hood (Frunk) with key FOB
Disable Auto-Locking of Doors once driving away
Disable Headlight Washer Jets
Disable Horn Honk when closing vehicle
Enable ventilation with key FOB
Close Windows with FOB
Remove Seatbelt Chime/Reminder
Unlock all doors automatically upon vehicle shutdown
Always Remember Air Recirc. on startup
Disable Welcome Sound (3 Gongs)
Disable Active Sound
AC does not turn on when pressing AUTO
Always Remember AC OFF on startup
Unlock door when engine is OFF
Digital Speedometer on BC Stalk
Specify soft-touch blinker count (1-9)
Enhanced Bluetooth (6NS)
Disable iDrive Legal Disclaimer/Accept
VideoinMotion
Enable USB Video/Movie file import

After I got it coded, I filled up the gas tank for the first time. My initial max REX range was over 100 miles, but every fill up after that, I only saw about 87 miles REX range. Does that sound correct? I basically used HOLD MODE for the entire trip and purchased a 2.5" gas tank for the frunk which saved me once on a long stretch on the I5. Once I set the adaptive cruise control to 65 mph, it was smooth sailing. The only minor hiccup I encountered was how to open the gas lid... LOL. I didn't realize the gas tank had to de-pressurize itself and found the green pull tab in the frunk to get it open.

 

[MikeS]

REX range changes in the same way the GOM does as it depends on your driving style.

 

[alohart]

Change when REx turns on (6% to 12%)

I think that you will find that the REx triangle indicator has moved to 12% but the REx engine will still start at ~6% (i.e., the coding change made no difference in the REx behavior). However, if your REx engine does start at 12%, please report this because many REx owners have tried to make this change but have failed.

Windshield Wiper Return

What does this do?

Disable Headlight Washer Jets

No i3 has headlight washer jets, so this change does not apply to an i3.

Disable Horn Honk when closing vehicle

Choosing horn honking, light flashing, or doing nothing when locking/unlocking is a standard iDrive setting. What does this coding change do?

Enable ventilation with key FOB

What does this do?

AC does not turn on when pressing AUTO

What happens when you press AUTO?

Always Remember AC OFF on startup

This was the default behavior with early system software versions, but many owners prefers that the climate control system settings remain the same when a car is started as they were when the car was turned off. So later system software versions remember climate control settings.

Specify soft-touch blinker count (1-9)

This coding change worked on earlier system software versions but doesn't seem to work on later versions. The default number of blinks is 3. Has this actually changed after coding?

After I got it coded, I filled up the gas tank for the first time. My initial max REX range was over 100 miles, but every fill up after that, I only saw about 87 miles REX range. Does that sound correct?

Yes. When a module's parameters are changed (a.k.a., coding), the module is reset to its default values and loses driving history information used to predict range. So after you had driven a bit, the range estimate reflects your recent driving conditions rather than the default range.

I basically used HOLD MODE for the entire trip and purchased a 2.5" gas tank for the frunk which saved me once on a long stretch on the I5.

You have probably chosen to ignore how potentially dangerous it is to store gasoline in the collision crush zone.

The only minor hiccup I encountered was how to open the gas lid... LOL. I didn't realize the gas tank had to de-pressurize itself and found the green pull tab in the frunk to get it open.

Your i3 might have a defective fuel pressure sensor which prevents the gasoline lid from opening. This is a fairly common problem whose repair is covered by the warranty.

 

[jadnashuanh]

If the people doing your safety inspection are paying attention, your car will fail an inspection without the side marker lights and could be a reason for a law enforcement officer to stop you and give you a ticket. I don't really see why this is something useful.