Help! mY 2016 rex gas range never goes over 50

[Sandyi3]

Hi just bought a 2016 I3 REX. the gas range never goes over 50 miles. Is this normal? It is winter in America now and the temperature in my area ranges from 30 to 40 F. I thought the range extender could go 80 miles on a full tank of fuel ?

 

[Anonymous]

The range is the car's computer "guesstimate" based on the last 20 minutes or so of driving style & conditions, temperature, efficiency setting, climate control settings, etc - both electric and extender - since the extender is just an on-board gas-powered electricity generator. Mine shows 50 right now for the extender, with an "almost" full tank according to the gauge - having run one 10 minute maintenance cycle since tank was filled by my sales guy . When the weather was warmer, and before the maintenance cycle, it showed 70+. You can visually see how simple adjustments affect the range - watch the numbers change when you turn on and off the cabin heater, or seat heaters. or switching from Comfort (which should really be called "Sport"), to Eco Pro, to Eco Pro +.

Have you checked your tank is actually full manually (by adding gas)?

 

[Sandyi3]

No I never tried to fill up the tank. The dealer said he filled up the gas before delivery.

This is giving me a lot of anxiety. My daily commute is 80 miles (40 miles one way) and I was hoping to go electric all the way. Will I end up in a scenario where I have to go the gas station every 2 days?

 

[Anonymous]

Colder weather definitely impacts range - the car is using some of its charge to warm the batteries to optimal operating temperature. Your commute is pushing your range beyond the car's electric range, Any chance of plugging the car in at work? Even plugging in to a standard 110 outlet during the day would really extend your electric range. Otherwise, you will be doing your last 10 - 20 miles using the gas extender each day - and filling up once or twice a week, either at the pump, or from a gas-can at home. Alternately, you can stop and charge at a public charging station on the way home.

But with a known commute of 80 miles a day, and if you don't have charging options at work - not sure why you would choose to buy a car which, under the best conditions, only goes 70 miles on a full charge. - and in winter will likely barely go 60 miles per charge, if that. The range-extender is really not intended for daily use, but purely as a short-term emergency stopgap to get drivers to the next recharging location.

 

[Sandyi3]

Yes, I guess I did not think this through. When I scoped out the building of my NEW office it had to two charging spots. But on a daily basis, I find that the 2 spots are always occupied. My building admin says they dont plan to add more chargers for a while so I guess i am screwed.

 

[Anonymous]

If your building has two charge spots, are they always the same cars, all day, or do they switch out? Option would be trying to get to know who is charging, Leave nice notes on windshield, and ask to coordinate swapping out cars via texts, etc. Or try coming early and see if you can beat them in (or wait until they leave at the end of the day).. My Company allowed us flex hours, so we could choose to come in early and leave early to beat rush-hour if we wanted to. Fully charging a car at a commercial charging station shouldn't take more than an hour or so, depending on what amp charge stations were put in, so those charge stations should be shared. If they are not, maybe building management can be asked to send out a use notification on not monopolizing the charge stations after their car has been charged, preventing others from charging their cars - notification that they are "charging spots, not parking spots", if that is what is happening.

 

[Sandyi3]

Thanks, these are very good tips.

 

[jfran2]

I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to use the Rex for 20 miles each day. It's a scooter motor, after all. Aren't scooters made to be ridden every day? If you haven't already coded your car for the Hold State Of Charge, I'd recommend that so you can turn on the Rex while you're still on the highway, and save some electricity for getting home at the end. I'm a sales rep, and use the Rex often on the highway when driving from town to town. It still saves me a lot of gas versus driving my ICE, plus the car is a blast to drive!

 

[jadnashuanh]

The temperature really does make a difference in your range, but maybe as big is how fast you go. If you're on high-speed roads, that will adversely affect range, too. On the REx, cabin heating can eat up some watts as well. To maximize your range, if you're plugged in at home, make sure to utilize the preconditioning logic with setting a departure time. That will warm the cabin and the battery to help minimize the cold weather hit while still plugged in, so it doesn't have to be done via the battery pack. WOn't help at work unless you're plugged in prior to leaving, which may make the others less willing to share!

 

[albion]

Hi, this is my first post so nice to meet the forum.
My i3 REX shows @ 70-90 miles on the range extender petrol range meter. The 90 miles was during the very hot summer we've had in England this year; when it was @2c earlier this month the range was 70miles. I believe the US versions have a software restrction to prevent the maximum filling of the tank- something to do with a California requirement that the electrical range must be greater than the petreol range.
My commute is 80 miles (roundtrip) of almost all dual carriageway and motorway. EcoPro all the way and it shows 70% charge reamaining when I get to work.
Overall this is the most expensive car I've ever had- and the smallest. It is also the most fun and looks fantastic.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Once the battery capacity got large enough, the restriction on max fuel use was eliminated since the EV range was then larger than the petrol range. BUt, the first few years, in the USA, the computer wouldn't let you use the full fuel tank's capacity. It's not hard to recode the software to allow it, though. The actual tank size is the same, it's just the computer's limiting it, so software can change it.