Range

[noakey]

The phone app shows % SOC.
I find that the combination of increasing experience, the car info and the app info is making me more confident in the range indicated and I guess most importantly, how my driving style will affect the remaining range.

HI DefSdrawd

I think you hit the nail on the head with your above paragraph. Getting to know the car and how driving styles, different roads speeds, temperature, accessories affect the range are key. I now feel confident in my range predictions and I dont remember the last time I had range anxiety now!

 

[jadnashuanh]

If you can, always precondition the vehicle while still plugged in. Under extreme conditions, that can eat up a huge amount of battery capacity better left to drawing it from the cord without affecting the battery's state of charge. Then, I think, you'll find your total range may not vary as much with the exterior temperatures.

 

[surfingslovak]

The phone app shows % SOC.
I find that the combination of increasing experience, the car info and the app info is making me more confident in the range indicated and I guess most importantly, how my driving style will affect the remaining range.

HI DefSdrawd

I think you hit the nail on the head with your above paragraph. Getting to know the car and how driving styles, different roads speeds, temperature, accessories affect the range are key. I now feel confident in my range predictions and I dont remember the last time I had range anxiety now!

Good to hear that. The entire point of the SOC gauge discussion was to provide drivers with enough information so that they can come to their own conclusion. In the end, we all know our cars, our driving style and trip routes the best. The technology, as manifested in the various gauges, is there only to support us. I have to admit that I resorted to using the BMW i Remote app as a workaround for the missing SOC percentage readout on the dash. It's useful, but I cannot seem to get it to update consistently. At first, I assumed that new data will be transmitted when the car is parked and shut down, but that does not seem to be the case. I would feel uncomfortable wielding the phone when driving, and that's how I used the SOC meter in the ActiveE, which was the precursor to the i3.

 

[Bunter]

If you can, always precondition the vehicle while still plugged in. Under extreme conditions, that can eat up a huge amount of battery capacity better left to drawing it from the cord without affecting the battery's state of charge. Then, I think, you'll find your total range may not vary as much with the exterior temperatures.

I thought the community had decided that preconditioning power is drawn from the battery and then replaced by recharging. In my experience this "feature" is far from perfect as it is nearly impossible to get to the car full and preconditioned. But you certainly know about when you do achieve it as you get a bunch of "free" miles at the outset of your journey.

Bill

 

[noakey]

If you can, always precondition the vehicle while still plugged in. Under extreme conditions, that can eat up a huge amount of battery capacity better left to drawing it from the cord without affecting the battery's state of charge. Then, I think, you'll find your total range may not vary as much with the exterior temperatures.

I thought the community had decided that preconditioning power is drawn from the battery and then replaced by recharging. In my experience this "feature" is far from perfect as it is nearly impossible to get to the car full and preconditioned. But you certainly know about when you do achieve it as you get a bunch of "free" miles at the outset of your journey.

Bill

Hi bill.. i find that for example I precondition for say 7 am, then actually depart at 710am I have warm batteries, warm interior and 100% charge... i decided to allow the 10 mins after the above conclusion but haven't managed to leave at the departure time yet as I am not organised enough lol...

 

[Bunter]

Hi bill.. i find that for example I precondition for say 7 am, then actually depart at 710am I have warm batteries, warm interior and 100% charge... i decided to allow the 10 mins after the above conclusion but haven't managed to leave at the departure time yet as I am not organised enough lol...

Thanks for the tip, I find pre-conditioning unreliable but if it does then it's also unreliable as to whether it takes a charge to top off the batteries. I can tell what it's doing as I can see power draw from my home Owl monitor and it often pre-conditions and doesn't take any power.

Bill

 

[jadnashuanh]

Keep in mind that while charging, the computer will also be keeping the batteries at a reasonable temp, so there may not be much load (or as much) to just precondition the interior as well. I've only tried the BMW app to request it to precondition the vehicle, not done it via the vehicle's menu, so the timing of when and how that happens may differ. I do not think I could get tiered pricing to make off-peak charging worthwhile in my condominium, so I just tell it to charge immediately when I plug in...then, you're ready for anything once it is charged verses waiting until the wee hours of the night or morning.

The manual says to always precondition while on charge if you can to maximize battery range, if I remember correctly. It certainly is nicer getting into the vehicle at a comfortable climate, regardless of what else may happen in the background!

 

[trunkrecords]

We have about 450 miles on our i3 and we are more than pleased with the range. We live in mountainous Western North Carolina and are achieving nearly 135 miles of range per charge. The regenerative braking performs superbly as we regain a lot of miles coasting down the mountains.

We drive exclusively in Eco Pro + mode so you could say we are trying to hyper-mile but owning hybrids for more than a decade prepared us well to accelerate at a slower pace and rarely drive above 55mph. We avoid the Interstate and are happy to enjoy the curvy mountain roads in our electric car.