New owner - is it normal for the heating to have this much impact on range?

[Laureni3]

Hi all, I’m a new i3 owner. Went to the supermarket earlier and had 91 miles range when I parked. Came out of the supermarket and the car was really condensates inside so I put the front windshield fan on full for 2 minutes to clear it.

The range instantly dropped by 10 miles and by the time I had driven the mile home my range was down to 66 miles from 91 miles a few minutes earlier!

I paid extra for the auxiliary heat pump but am now wondering if perhaps they didn’t fit it?

So my questions are:

1. Is it normal for the fans to have such a huge impact on the range?
2. Is there any way I can find out whether the aux heat pump was actually fitted?

Thanks

 

[spartacus68]

I'll answer this back to front.

My understanding is the auxilliary heat pump is located at the front of the vehicle. You'd probably need to remove the frunk (where the spare wheel compressor is located), and even then you need to know what you're looking for. The heat pump is meant to make the system more efficient using less battery power, but hey this is a new vehicle so step away from the tool kit!

If you paid for this - then I'm assuming this is a new build 120Ah model? My advice is to go back to the main dealer and get them to scan the car just to ensure it's not throwing up any fault codes as it's under warranty.

Here's a picture: https://ibb.co/gvb4Cyz

If you want to confirm whether it was fitted, just type in your VIN number here: http://bimmer.work/

At this time of year the cold saps energy quickly, so a lot depends on if the car was connected to a wall-charger before you departed, as you can pre-condition the battery and cabin, in effect warming it up. Avoiding using the heated seats will further reduce the need for additional power and I wouldn't expect to use the air-conditioning blowers as the car should have warmed up sufficiently getting rid of any condensation.

If the car isn't connected to a wall charger before you leave you can't pre-condition the battery, but you can pre-condition the cabin.

 

[alohart]

The range instantly dropped by 10 miles and by the time I had driven the mile home my range was down to 66 miles from 91 miles a few minutes earlier!

That's the range estimate that assumes that you will continue driving exactly as you have been driving for the previous ~18 miles. You sat drying the condensation (i.e., using energy) without moving at all which really decreases your predicted efficiency. This estimate can be wildly inaccurate because it cannot predict the future. If you're following a navigation route, the estimate can be more accurate because the navigation system knows where you are likely to be driving, the speed limits, the altitude changes, etc.

The estimated range could then increase from 66 miles if your driving the previous 18 miles was more efficient.

 

[eNate]

Just a note about the heat pump.

The heat pump is a compressor and requires electricity to operate.

The resistive heater (toaster oven coils) take a little electricity to make a little heat, or a lot of electricity to make a lot of heat.

The heat pump requires a fixed amount of electricity to make any heat. So depending on what's needed to warm the car, sometimes the heat pump is the more efficient option, and other times the coil pack is more suitable.

Either way, the car chooses for you, and both use up power.

 

[Laureni3]

I'll answer this back to front.

My understanding is the auxilliary heat pump is located at the front of the vehicle. You'd probably need to remove the frunk (where the spare wheel compressor is located), and even then you need to know what you're looking for. The heat pump is meant to make the system more efficient using less battery power, but hey this is a new vehicle so step away from the tool kit!

If you paid for this - then I'm assuming this is a new build 120Ah model? My advice is to go back to the main dealer and get them to scan the car just to ensure it's not throwing up any fault codes as it's under warranty.

Here's a picture: https://ibb.co/gvb4Cyz

If you want to confirm whether it was fitted, just type in your VIN number here: http://bimmer.work/

At this time of year the cold saps energy quickly, so a lot depends on if the car was connected to a wall-charger before you departed, as you can pre-condition the battery and cabin, in effect warming it up. Avoiding using the heated seats will further reduce the need for additional power and I wouldn't expect to use the air-conditioning blowers as the car should have warmed up sufficiently getting rid of any condensation.

If the car isn't connected to a wall charger before you leave you can't pre-condition the battery, but you can pre-condition the cabin.

Thanks for this. Yeah it’s a new 120AH model but it’s a company car so I have none of the main dealer details. I tried the VIN website but I think it must be down at the moment so will try later and also have a look to see if I can see the heat pump under the bonnet.

Unfortunately I found out after ordering the car that I can’t have a wall box installed at home so I can’t precondition the battery. I think the lack of wall box is adding to my range anxiety!

 

[Laureni3]

The range instantly dropped by 10 miles and by the time I had driven the mile home my range was down to 66 miles from 91 miles a few minutes earlier!

That's the range estimate that assumes that you will continue driving exactly as you have been driving for the previous ~18 miles. You sat drying the condensation (i.e., using energy) without moving at all which really decreases your predicted efficiency. This estimate can be wildly inaccurate because it cannot predict the future. If you're following a navigation route, the estimate can be more accurate because the navigation system knows where you are likely to be driving, the speed limits, the altitude changes, etc.

The estimated range could then increase from 66 miles if your driving the previous 18 miles was more efficient.

Ok thanks - that makes sense as my battery is currently at 58% with range of 66 miles whereas yesterday battery was at 51% with a range of 73 miles. Thanks for explaining.

 

[eNate]

... I can’t have a wall box installed at home so I can’t precondition the battery.

You can precondition your battery using the simple 120v EVSE that's included with the car.

You can also buy a slightly higher output 120v EVSE for under $200 (Duosida) that outputs 16A and works with a standard wall receptacle that's fedby a 20A circuit, typical for most garages.

That same EVSE is dual-voltage and will charge at 2x the rate if you can plug it in to a 240v outlet, which you may already have.

 

[alohart]

The heat pump requires a fixed amount of electricity to make any heat. So depending on what's needed to warm the car, sometimes the heat pump is the more efficient option, and other times the coil pack is more suitable.

According to the I01 Heating and A/C Systems Technical Training Manual, the compressor is a variable-speed device, 860 - 8,600 RPM, whose rotational speed depends on the cooling or heating demand, so its electrical power consumption isn't fixed and varies with demand.

When the climate control set point is 22º C (71º F), the heat pump is the more efficient way to heat when ambient temperatures are above -10º C (14º F). The heat pump is turned off below this temperature at which point cabin heat is generated by electrical resistance as in all REx models.

 

[alohart]

As spartacus68 wrote, using the BMW VIN decoder would be the best way to determine whether your i3 has the heat pump option.

Identifying the heat pump visually would be more difficult. The I01 Heating and A/C Systems Technical Training Manual includes several photos and descriptions of the heat pump system and its components that aren't included without the heat pump option. Some of these differences might be visible in the frunk with the frunk box removed or by crawling under the car to look for refrigerant lines connecting the heat pump components to the A/C compressor.

 

[spartacus68]

Thanks for this. Yeah it’s a new 120AH model but it’s a company car so I have none of the main dealer details. I tried the VIN website but I think it must be down at the moment so will try later and also have a look to see if I can see the heat pump under the bonnet.

Unfortunately I found out after ordering the car that I can’t have a wall box installed at home so I can’t precondition the battery. I think the lack of wall box is adding to my range anxiety!

Look at the bottom of the windscreen on the right hand-side assuming you're UK based, you'll see your VIN number there. The Bimmer site is definitely working (just checked tonight), just remember to click on the 'I'm not a robot' reCAPTCHA box and it will reveal the specification of your car, right down to a colour thumbnail which freaks me out!

I'm sure the heat pump has been included. Even without the wall-charger, this is a new 120Ah vehicle, so I don't think you should worry too much about range, although that's entirely natural if you dipping your toe into the electric market for the first time. If you are in a city and are well served by electric charging points, then you'll get used to this side of running the car. It's a minor inconvenience, and just think of the tax you're saving!

With winter just around the corner, then get used to pre-conditioning if you have a routine and are travelling to work at set times. This is for the cabin only, but will avoid the need to put on blowers, heated seats, which all drain power.

 

[jadnashuanh]

It sounds like you're in the UK, but answers will be better if you indicate at least your country in your profile so it's displayed.

The cable supplied is, I think, a 10A device, and when plugged into the nominal 220-vac, would pass about 2200W into the vehicle. Some of that is used by the controllers, some might be used for heating/cooling the batteries and the charging unit in the vehicle, and some will be lost in the conversion from ACV to DCV needed to charge the batteries. I've seen mine drawing nearly 4Kw at least for a little time, when having set a departure time and conditioning the cabin. The heater for the batteries is a 1Kw device, the rest is used to condition the cabin. So, since the battery heater could run for up to three hours, the cabin preconditioning only happens in about the last half hour or so. It depends on how hot or cold it is out, how much energy is used. The included EVSE is not big enough to not dip into the battery capacity when you set a departure time and precondition the cabin, but it will still improve your total miles to empty.

So, even if you can't install a larger EVSE that can meet the full capacity of the i3's charging capacity (7400W in most of the world, which would need almost 34A at 220vac (power=volts*amps), preconditioning will help you keep your available range when you leave if you can do that while plugged in. While you can precondition the cabin while not plugged in, that won't help your range, but it does make things more comfortable. Remember, there's no abundant waste heat like in an ICE you can use to heat the vehicle. The heat pump can pull some heat from various places and is more efficient than using resistance heating. No battery to date can move energy as well as it gets colder, so will always decrease your available range as the temperature drops. An ICE is less efficient as it gets colder since it takes longer to warm up to reach its peak, and while true for any vehicle, the air is denser as it gets colder, and drag goes up as well.

 

[eNate]

The heat pump requires a fixed amount of electricity to make any heat.

According to the I01 Heating and A/C Systems Technical Training Manual, the compressor is a variable-speed device, 860 - 8,600 RPM, whose rotational speed depends on the cooling or heating demand, so its electrical power consumption isn't fixed and varies with demand.

Thanks Art, that's good info and makes perfect sense since the compressor isn't engine driven.

I'm trying to track down and re-read what I recall was an interview with Tom Moloughney and a BMW engineer discussing this topic, which is where I got my 3,000W figure. But the link you provided is directly from the source, internet gold!