Clanduncan
Member
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2021
- Messages
- 24
I've owned a '66 plate 2017, 94Ahr Rex for three years now. In this time I've seen the seasonal variance in range, from 100 to 135 miles electric, and 70 to 100miles on the Rex. My personal record for distance, without the Rex cutting in, is 132 miles with 9% battery still left. I drive evenly, and get an average 4.5miles / kwhr. In three years I've not seen any noticeable degradation in range, despite passing 88,000 miles, with the battery still reporting a kappa max of 27.6-28.2kwhr. I only charge to 100% when I need to, via Intelligent Octopus, usually setting a charge limit of 90%, which generally finishes at 85-95%. With the Rex option I have no range anxiety, but the option of travelling up to 220 miles without a recharge if I want to.
My improvement(s) have been;- (1) a larger 10.25" screen to replace the smaller 6.6" unit, sourced via AliExpress, fitted and coded myself for under £370, (2) all front lights (dip, high, side, indicator) are now LED as opposed to tungsten, with no additional electronics needed.
I considered (a) lowering springs, and wheel spacers to enhance handling, but it drives so well that I decided not to fit the springs, but kept the 15mm spacers, (b) sequential flasher lights for the wing mirrors, but was advised by an independent specialist that the electric mirrors can be fragile and break when changing bulbs, so haven't fitted those, (c) I looked at Havrla’s upgrades to a 120Ahr battery in the Czech Republic, which paired with a Rex should give a range of over 250 miles in summer. The guy is fantastic at what he does, but the costs are understandably so high, that if I ever had to replace my i3 battery it would probably be cheaper to get another 2nd hand i3 instead. What an adventure that would be though, upgrade and holiday all in one!
The wheels are original 'pizza' alloys, which I don't plan to change. I reckon the flatness of design is probably more aero efficient. Maybe I'll get them cleaned and refurbished at some future point, perhaps changing the colour to black, to match the rest of the car.
The only disappointment for me has been the poor radio reception on both FM and DAB. So, now I just use the usb socket for my own music, and rarely listen to the radio.
Three years after buying it, I'm still finding out features I didn't know about. Overall I wouldn't change this car for the world, and I certainly wouldn't go back to an ICE car.
My improvement(s) have been;- (1) a larger 10.25" screen to replace the smaller 6.6" unit, sourced via AliExpress, fitted and coded myself for under £370, (2) all front lights (dip, high, side, indicator) are now LED as opposed to tungsten, with no additional electronics needed.
I considered (a) lowering springs, and wheel spacers to enhance handling, but it drives so well that I decided not to fit the springs, but kept the 15mm spacers, (b) sequential flasher lights for the wing mirrors, but was advised by an independent specialist that the electric mirrors can be fragile and break when changing bulbs, so haven't fitted those, (c) I looked at Havrla’s upgrades to a 120Ahr battery in the Czech Republic, which paired with a Rex should give a range of over 250 miles in summer. The guy is fantastic at what he does, but the costs are understandably so high, that if I ever had to replace my i3 battery it would probably be cheaper to get another 2nd hand i3 instead. What an adventure that would be though, upgrade and holiday all in one!
The wheels are original 'pizza' alloys, which I don't plan to change. I reckon the flatness of design is probably more aero efficient. Maybe I'll get them cleaned and refurbished at some future point, perhaps changing the colour to black, to match the rest of the car.
The only disappointment for me has been the poor radio reception on both FM and DAB. So, now I just use the usb socket for my own music, and rarely listen to the radio.
Three years after buying it, I'm still finding out features I didn't know about. Overall I wouldn't change this car for the world, and I certainly wouldn't go back to an ICE car.
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