My 200 miles a day commute with an i3

[i3marc]

Hello everyone I found this forum while perusing for more info on my i3.

I also started this blog to document the practical aspect of a long distance commute for anyone interested.

http://practicalbev.blogspot.com/

I will update regularly.

Enjoy!

 

[alohart]

It sounds like you might be spending quite a bit of time figuring out how to charge your i3. Hopefully, your i3 has the DC quick charge option, and a compatible DC charger is near your work. You might need to install a Level 2 charger at your home since you use so much of your battery pack's capacity each work day that the Level 1 charging rate would be insufficient overnight. There is also some indication other than in its name that the Occasional Use Charger included with your i3 isn't designed for frequent use, and if used frequently, could die an early death.

We did not have a home EVSE for our first BEV and drove it ~3,000 miles using nothing but free Level 2 public charging stations. Fortunately, several were within a 10-minute walk from our apartment, so I rarely had a problem finding an available charging station. But by November, 2014, when we finally completed the long process of having a Level 2 EVSE installed in our apartment parking space just as we traded in our first BEV for an i3 BEV, finding available public charging stations had become very difficult due to the slow growth of the public charging infrastructure not keeping up with the rapid growth of EV sales. Being able to fully charge overnight, if necessary, is very convenient.

Before we had our own EVSE, I occasionally charged too far away to walk home in a reasonable period of time while our car charged. I bought a folding bike that I could throw into the back of our EV so that I could ride home and then back when our car had finished charging. Having a folding bike might help you at times.

It will be interesting to learn how well your battery capacity holds up over time since you are using 2 full charge-discharge cycles every work day. Good luck with your adventure!

 

[i3marc]

Actually I got a discounted 2014 with only the level 2 charge, which makes it a bit more challenging.

I asked for a retrofit but I doubt that will happen. Meanwhile 99% of the charging stations out there are still level 2.

And fast DC is like 50 cents a kwhr after the honeymoon period which is generally 3-6 months after you buy the car. So you will pay gasoline prices or worst for that little privilege, and installing a fast DC at home is kinda out of the question.

I expect some gouging to start to take place with public charging... this is why Tesla has no dealerships. Smart move as dealers being independent will see $$$ signs in the formerly free charging stations they have (as my post about the VW dealer shows).

That unless VW and BMW create their own stations entirely controlled by the coporation. I see BMW has already taken notice of Tesla's strategy as they sell the i3 direct in Japan through Amazon.com, so there is some hope there.

 

[justanotherdrunk]

Nice blog and thanks for all your hard work!


I'm fortunate to have unlimited, fast DC charging thru 6/2016 included with the lease at Whole Foods 1.6 miles away.

Unfortunately, the charger is unreliable and frequently inoperative or being used.

Chargenow/ Chargepoint demonstrates consistently by their actions that they don't care.

 

[i3marc]

Nice blog and thanks for all your hard work!


I'm fortunate to have unlimited, fast DC charging thru 6/2016 included with the lease at Whole Foods 1.6 miles away.

Unfortunately, the charger is unreliable and frequently inoperative or being used.

Chargenow/ Chargepoint demonstrates consistently by their actions that they don't care.

I hope they will provide some kind of upgrade. But maybe inductive charging just driving on a small square surface will be norm when I replace my battery pack a few years from now

So far so good the charge seems to be holding on. I crossed the 4k mark yesterday on a little x-country trip to San Diego.

I saw a few Fast DC chargers at Crevier in the OC but the salesman using them had to try 3 before one worked.

So I am not crying too much not having realized it was a critical option. Then again I got a top of the line i3 with leather and parking assistant and all the bells and whistles for a good price.

 

[barrychan]

It sounds like you might be spending quite a bit of time figuring out how to charge your i3. Hopefully, your i3 has the DC quick charge option, and a compatible DC charger is near your work. You might need to install a Level 2 charger at your home since you use so much of your battery pack's capacity each work day that the Level 1 charging rate would be insufficient overnight. There is also some indication other than in its name that the Occasional Use Charger included with your i3 isn't designed for frequent use, and if used frequently, could die an early death.

You mean the charging cable that comes with the car is ONLY for occasional use??

 

[jadnashuanh]

I think you should be able to use the 110vac level 1 EVSE that comes with the car as often as you like without reliability issues. But, unless you don't drive very much, you may not be happy with it in the long run. A 30A/240vac unit is over 4x faster, and especially if you can take advantage of off-peak charging rates, is the only way that makes any sense. The small level 2 unit that comes where 240vac is the normal plug in the wall is still slow, but being twice as fast, you'd have a fairly reliable way to get an overnight charge. With the level 1 unit and a depleted battery, you're talking around 19-20 hours to recharge the i3. Doesn't leave much time to do anything, and may not be enough to get you where you want on a daily basis. Say you get home with a depleted battery then want to go out in the evening...the level 1 unit probably will not get you enough power, and then, you might not have enough for the next day once you get back. A full-capacity level 2 unit should not be a problem. Now, if you have access to CCS or a convenient level 2 unit, maybe for the occasional top up, the OUC unit would work out.

There are lots of choices of EVSE units out there with a big range in costs. The BMW one is one of the more expensive ones, and you're paying for the styling and name, not better performance. All it is is a fancy/smart switch - the charging circuit is in the car. They're overpriced for what they are.