Kent to South of France in i3 REx - am i mad?

[rabster]

Hi all, I've been lurking here for a while enjoying the topics so this is my first post on the forum. I live in Kent, UK and ordered an I3 REx in January. Still waiting for delivery of course but I've had an extended test drive (4 days) and I'm so happy that I ordered the car. Cant wait for it to arrive!

So, every year we drive down to Spain or south of France for a few weeks in the sun. This isn't a problem with the current car but when the i3 arrives I hope to sell on the Mercedes. So... we're looking to take the i3 this year! We've planned a route that means that the most miles we do in a single day is ~350. I'm thinking that I should be able to do 100 mile hops between fuel stops using the REx. Has anyone done anything similar? Am I bonkers? or is this relatively simple?

In the car will be me, my wife, and our 9 year old plus our luggage - ie the car will be nicely loaded up

Thanks, Floyd

 

[BrianStanier]

In summer, driving fairly gently 90 miles is easily possible on a tank using Rex. In current weather 70. You will need to stop more often, but filling up a 2 gallon tank doesn't take long. We done a little over 300 miles in a day starting with a full battery and tank and 3 stops for filling up. No reason not to do it.

 

[FrancisJeffries]

Has anyone done anything similar? Am I bonkers? or is this relatively simple?

Yes, No, Yes. :lol:

We've done several 250-300 mile each way trips to the Lake District. I've described the process elsewhere, but in summary, this is how we do it on any long trip:

(1) Start with fuel tank full and ditto battery.
(2) As soon as battery is down to 75%, start Rex. In mild weather on motorways, we found we get around 90 miles at motorway speeds. It'd be more if we were lighter-footed!
(3) When petrol is very low (or has run out), stop at the next service station and fill up again.
(4) As you leave the service station, remember to engage Rex again!
(5) Continue at (3) until you get there.

The first time we tried it (and we'd only had the car 3 days!), we weren't sure about whether it'd all work as planned, and so I carried a 5-litre can of petrol to be safe. We never needed it, and I've stopped carrying the can altogether. After the 700-mile round trip, we still had 70% in the battery and never charged it at all.

Nowadays I charge from a three-pin 13A mains socket at the hotel if I can find one, so toddling around is extra-green. So far, the hotels haven't bothered to charge me for the electricity either! The car takes only 9.5A maximum, but it's still wise to unwind the extension lead if you need to use one to avoid the wound-up cable overheating. And, in the Lake District, I put the connection under the car when it was raining.

As we get used to the car, we're getting better at arriving home with a flat battery so we minimise petrol use (and cost).

I'm planning to do a long trip through France in September, so would appreciate confirmation that there are plenty of service stations to make the strategy I've outlined valid.

 

[rabster]

Phew, that's good to hear. I was really questioning my sanity!

I'll definitely do some kind of blog for the journey and feed back to the group on my experiences. I was also considering packing a fuel can in the frunk just for emergencies.

 

[Stevei3]

Hi Floyd,
we've been to Switzerland twice, the second time to Geneva and back with the REx on all the time, 850 km (525 mi) one way, to (a friday) and fro (the following wednesday) both driven on a single day. We've encountered no problems. I tried to keep the top speed in check on flat terrain to avoid eating into my battery reserve to much for I wanted enough battery reserve for the mountainous areas I needed to cross. And I tried to avoid stopping for gas after driving uphill for a while to avoid losing battery percentage (the 'hold' level is reset if you switch off to fill up), if you catch my drift, so I ended up filling up every 100-110 km or so.
Regards, Steven

 

[FrancisJeffries]

And I tried to avoid stopping for gas after driving uphill for a while to avoid losing battery percentage (the 'hold' level is reset if you switch off to fill up)

That is good advice, which I follow as well. I forgot to mention it earlier.
If you watch it, you'll find that the state of charge varies quite a bit below and up to the marker at motorway speeds, and a bit of light-throttle motoring just before you fill the tank always seems to top the battery up nicely, ready for the next long hop.
Incidentally, I have programmed my number 8 soft button to toggle the Rex on and off - that saves having to look away to do it.

 

[DJCeeJay]

Hi Rabster,

That's an interesting journey, but looks eminently feasible with some planning, according to the reports from others.

Where about do you live in Kent ? And which dealer did you place your order with ? Do you have a delivery date yet ?

I live on Tonbridge, West Kent, and have my i3 arriving 16 March. There is another nice chap on the forum (S3RDP = Richard) who will take delivery in April. We already talked about a meet up, and would be nice to have more people join !

Cheers, Christof.

 

[rabster]

Hi Christof, I'm in West Malling, so not too far away from you. Would be good to meet up for sure!

I've actually ordered to the car through our leasing scheme at work so I think the car is coming from Sytner in Leicester. I placed the order at the end of January and was given a "late April" delivery date - hoping it will come in sooner, of course

Here's the spec I ordered:
Model ZI3B I01 i3 with Range Extender IB1
Colour B81 Andesit Silver metallic w Metallic
Upholstery BHGI Neutronic cloth upholstery. Aragats Grey
Option 2G5 19" BMW i Turbine-spoke style 428 alloy

As you can see, I kept it fairly standard for 2 main reasons: firstly I actually preferred the standard cloth with the blue accent but also because I wanted to avoid light colours that could stain and potentially sting me when it comes to handing the car back in 2 years The other options I wasn't too fussed about... other than adaptive cruise control. In retrospect, I wish I'd have ordered that as I will be driving into London a few times per week and it would be a god-send in the rush-hour fight along the A2!!

I'm now REALLY looking forward to our little adventure into France in late-July!!

 

[crossie]

You need a Type 3 to Type 2 cable if you want to charge on a public charger in France.

I'll be doing Dublin to Berlin in my REx around June. My plan for France is to charge at Folkestone, head for the Belgian border (with it's welcoming Type 2 chargers) and avoid spending €300 on a cable that is only useful for one country.

 

[FrancisJeffries]

You need a Type 3 to Type 2 cable if you want to charge on a public charger in France.

Could you elaborate, please? And is there such an adaptor?

 

[crossie]

You need a Type 3 to Type 2 cable if you want to charge on a public charger in France.

Could you elaborate, please? And is there such an adaptor?

France uses an entirely different socket than every other country in Europe for EV charging:

You'll need a cable from type 3 to type 2 (which is the socket on your i3):

Like this: http://www.ratio.nl/en/catalog/e-mobility/charging-cords-mode-3/mode-3-type-3-to-2/for-use-at-16a-230v/type-3-2-charging-cable/g+c+s+i+a

 

[jadnashuanh]

France uses an entirely different socket than every other country in Europe for charging

Is that typical French, or what?! If it is multi-phase, does that mean that they have a different charging unit in the i3 as well? Someone in Belgium was having issues hooking up an EVSE because of the required balancing of phases.

 

[i7fan]

I was under the impression that the CCS combo charger is the agreed standard for all of Europe.

 

[psquare]

Is that typical French, or what?!

Almost - I guess it's the kaleidoscope that is Europe for you. It's a tactic the Brits have also used many times. (power sockets, left-hand driving, units of measure... the list goes on).

 

[RJSATLBA]

I was under the impression that the CCS combo charger is the agreed standard for all of Europe.

That'll be exactly why France does it differently!

 

[crossie]

I was under the impression that the CCS combo charger is the agreed standard for all of Europe.

It is. For the car side

The french got pissed because the german mennekes connector got chosen as the standard type 2 connector over their design.
Then got their connector added to the standard as an auxiliary connector and deployed a few thousand charging stations 'round the country using the Type 3.

The last 6 months has seen a few commercial charging stations set up with Type 2 connectors, and in many cases the Type 3 connectors were installed with a standard Shuko plug on the other side of the charger.

 

[S3RDP]

Hi Rabster,

Where about do you live in Kent ? And which dealer did you place your order with ? Do you have a delivery date yet ?

I live in Tonbridge, West Kent, and have my i3 arriving 16 March. There is another nice chap on the forum (S3RDP = Richard) who will take delivery in April. We already talked about a meet up, and would be nice to have more people join !

Cheers, Christof.

Hi Rabster
I live near Tonbridge so like Christof I am just down the road from you. My car is being built this week and I hope to take delivery before the end of the month. I tried sending you a personal message with my email address but not sure whether you received it. Have not seen any i3s locally but that looks to be changing in the next month.

 

[i3MK]

Hi all, I've been lurking here for a while enjoying the topics so this is my first post on the forum. I live in Kent, UK and ordered an I3 REx in January. Still waiting for delivery of course but I've had an extended test drive (4 days) and I'm so happy that I ordered the car. Cant wait for it to arrive!

So, every year we drive down to Spain or south of France for a few weeks in the sun. This isn't a problem with the current car but when the i3 arrives I hope to sell on the Mercedes. So... we're looking to take the i3 this year! We've planned a route that means that the most miles we do in a single day is ~350. I'm thinking that I should be able to do 100 mile hops between fuel stops using the REx. Has anyone done anything similar? Am I bonkers? or is this relatively simple?

In the car will be me, my wife, and our 9 year old plus our luggage - ie the car will be nicely loaded up

Thanks, Floyd

No, your not mad. I've done the journey from Folkstone to Paris twice. Once in a REX, then in an i3 BEV.

Both approaches worked well. Just make sure you follow the iDrive Nav precisely. A wrong turn could be problematic

Note that the CCS Combo Rapids, are only available along the coastal edges of France and in Paris. Other than that you'll be fine. Check on ChargeMap.com from a PC or download the free app to check your route by filtering for rapid chargers only.

 

[psquare]

Note that the CCS Combo Rapids, are only available along the coastal edges of France and in Paris. Other than that you'll be fine. Check on ChargeMap.com from a PC or download the free app to check your route by filtering for rapid chargers only.

Hi,

Which charge card system did you use and how did you get the card?

Thanks.

 

[FrancisJeffries]

I found this online, and it might come in handy for top-ups using the Occasional Use Charger at a hotel, etc., overnight.
It is a full-spec 3-pin French-style plug with earth, and offers two standard 13Amp UK sockets.
I couldn't work out how to add my image of it to this post, so here is what it is:
Pro-Elec
PL09171
13AMP 2 GANG
TRAILING LEAD