REX Gastank

[KIRP]

Hi All,
Although I certainly prefer to drive electric, it is cumbersome to fill up the 9ltr tank on longer trips.
So, does anybody know whether there is a German tuning company around which is offering a replacement tank?
I would be very pleased if I would be able to tank about 20-30ltrs. Do not know whether the space in the i3 allows for this?
Bringing along a Jerrycan I consider dangerous. Appreciate your comments.

 

[Tomasz]

Knowing what I know now I find it very, very unlikely that there will ever be a replacement tank available for i3, even if there was a place. I can think of only one way to do this without triggering CEL, and that would be very complicated and cumbersome.

 

[jadnashuanh]

IMHO, a long trip in an i3 is like using a pair of pliers to loosen a bolt...you can do it, but a wrench is better. FWIW, the car was designed primarily for short trips, and was optimized for that. They spent lots of effort to make it as light as possible. Fooling with that design concept can be done, but with compromises. Just like adding the REx was a compromise - it lowers the acceleration rate and maximum battery range, changing to a larger tank will have continuous consequences as well...they may be worth it to you, but they weren't for the designers and they did not make it easy to change.

 

[Waitingi3]

You can thank California. CARB leglislated a class of vehicle called BEVx, an extended range battery electric vehicle. A BEVx is advanteious to the owner (who can now use the restricted lane on the Interstate), and to the car manufacturer who gets credit for selling an electric car.

One of the mandated properties of a BEVx is that the gasoline range must be less than the pure electric range, hence the small gas tank. As far as space goes the gas tank takes the space used by the heat pump in the all electric i3, so the BEVx uses less efficient resistance heating. The subsequent loss of range is not so critical because the gas engine can take over if needed.

Thank you California for the above and also for mandating that the gas engine should not start until there was only a very few miles left in the battery.

 

[Pixelpro]

You can thank California. CARB leglislated a class of vehicle called BEVx, an extended range battery electric vehicle. A BEVx is advanteious to the owner (who can now use the restricted lane on the Interstate), and to the car manufacturer who gets credit for selling an electric car.

One of the mandated properties of a BEVx is that the gasoline range must be less than the pure electric range, hence the small gas tank. As far as space goes the gas tank takes the space used by the heat pump in the all electric i3, so the BEVx uses less efficient resistance heating. The subsequent loss of range is not so critical because the gas engine can take over if needed.

Thank you California for the above and also for mandating that the gas engine should not start until there was only a very few miles left in the battery.

I hate California. Born and raised in that stink hole and finally left 12 years ago. I installed the Rex hack and really hope someone figures out how to add a larger tank in the future.

 

[michaelbmw]

Volt has gasoline range many times larger than electric range, allows the operator to switch to gasoline at any time whatsoever, and qualifies for both green stickers and $1500 rebate. Why does BMW not work the same way?

 

[WoodlandHills]

BMW wants to qualify for the $7500 EV rebate, not the hybrid one. Also the carbon credits are worth millions a year and they need the BEVx classification to get them. The Volt is not a BEVx.

 

[Idleup]

I looked into perhaps adding a hopper tank and found out quickly there is no room in that car other than the front compartment -in the event of a front end collision you don't want an unprotected tank anywhere in the front of this vehicle. I read a few posts that the USA cars have the same physical size tank as Europe but when manufactured they installed an air bladder to reduce capacity - if this is the case, we could buy the tank and install it in the same space.

I mean its not going to make a lot of difference its only around a 1/2 gal - but it would at least let you burn 2 full gallons between fill ups should you decide to take a trip.

I'm thinking I'll just find a metal 1 gal can (outboard) and strap it to the right side of the trunk that could be used for trips

Mike

 

[KIRP]

I looked into perhaps adding a hopper tank and found out quickly there is no room in that car other than the front compartment -in the event of a front end collision you don't want an unprotected tank anywhere in the front of this vehicle. I read a few posts that the USA cars have the same physical size tank as Europe but when manufactured they installed an air bladder to reduce capacity - if this is the case, we could buy the tank and install it in the same space.

I mean its not going to make a lot of difference its only around a 1/2 gal - but it would at least let you burn 2 full gallons between fill ups should you decide to take a trip.

I'm thinking I'll just find a metal 1 gal can (outboard) and strap it to the right side of the trunk that could be used for trips

Mike

Hi Mike,
The smaller USA tank "size" is just a software fix. After re-coding you will have 1/2 a Gallon more.
In Europe we have 9,3 ltrs if we fill it up completely. Good for approx 115km.

 

[KIRP]

IMHO, a long trip in an i3 is like using a pair of pliers to loosen a bolt...you can do it, but a wrench is better. FWIW, the car was designed primarily for short trips, and was optimized for that. They spent lots of effort to make it as light as possible. Fooling with that design concept can be done, but with compromises. Just like adding the REx was a compromise - it lowers the acceleration rate and maximum battery range, changing to a larger tank will have continuous consequences as well...they may be worth it to you, but they weren't for the designers and they did not make it easy to change.

Disagree there. BMW designed an affordable "all electric" car, but is still hampered by the un-affordability of a battery package with real range potential.
Although I have deep respect for the car, positioning and the whole concept, as an i3 driver I would have liked being able to choose for a heavier battery package.
If I would have had the choice to double the range, i.e. double battery package; I would have done it. When they would have offered +7500€ for a double battery pack: ok.
Since BMW does not offer this; Why enforce -on the world- Californian CARB rules? Sorry but being in the Netherlands, couldn't care less about tax rules in the USA.
I feel deprived that BMW did not offer a larger Rex tank -as an intermediate solution before a better battery becomes available-

This car is a mature car. Yesterday I drove about 350 miles (175 up and down) birthday of my sister, and I have many days like that.
On European roads, the car is good enough to drive 1500km in one stretch. To southern France for instance.
So; positioning i3 is one thing, but the car is thát good that it will be driven long distance.
Having to fill up the gastank every 115km is tedious.

Today I have the car exactly three months and have covered 7600 miles. (30.000+miles/yr)

 

[Idleup]

IMHO, a long trip in an i3 is like using a pair of pliers to loosen a bolt...you can do it, but a wrench is better. FWIW, the car was designed primarily for short trips, and was optimized for that. They spent lots of effort to make it as light as possible. Fooling with that design concept can be done, but with compromises. Just like adding the REx was a compromise - it lowers the acceleration rate and maximum battery range, changing to a larger tank will have continuous consequences as well...they may be worth it to you, but they weren't for the designers and they did not make it easy to change.

Disagree there. BMW designed an affordable "all electric" car, but is still hampered by the un-affordability of a battery package with real range potential.
Although I have deep respect for the car, positioning and the whole concept, as an i3 driver I would have liked being able to choose for a heavier battery package.
If I would have had the choice to double the range, i.e. double battery package; I would have done it. When they would have offered +7500€ for a double battery pack: ok.
Since BMW does not offer this; Why enforce -on the world- Californian CARB rules? Sorry but being in the Netherlands, couldn't care less about tax rules in the USA.
I feel deprived that BMW did not offer a larger Rex tank -as an intermediate solution before a better battery becomes available-

This car is a mature car. Yesterday I drove about 350 miles (175 up and down) birthday of my sister, and I have many days like that.
On European roads, the car is good enough to drive 1500km in one stretch. To southern France for instance.
So; positioning i3 is one thing, but the car is thát good that it will be driven long distance.
Having to fill up the gastank every 115km is tedious.

Today I have the car exactly three months and have covered 7600 miles. (30.000+miles/yr)

I'm with you 100% there partner, but as you know we didn't design the car - we can all complain the way we want it but we didn't spend the millions and years to develop this little gem. We don't need more batteries for longer range because then we have to use or battery power to carry them around what we need is better batteries and I'm sure that's where BMW is going with the next I3.1

For BMW to come out of the gate with a car as amazing as the I3 is a pretty special thing. With my addition of the RX start option, I could not be any more happy with the car, I'm truly in love again!

Mike

 

[KIRP]

Hi Mike,

Thx for your understanding. Not so much meant to complain as well as to raise the issue that most drivers DO like to drive electric.
As Tesla is offering a "range" of battery packages, and MINI for instance also started up in three executions (One, Cooper, Cooper S)
it seems a bit like a lost opportunity BMW did not offer more battery capacity (at higher price). That way the car still would have been
affordable for those going for the basic version. I certainly would have invested in extended range.

Reason for mentioning is that I hope BMW engineers/marketeers now and then read these user fora.
The better battery seems to be coming:
http://www.electric-vehiclenews.com/2013/09/bmw-i3-to-have-200-mile-lithium-air.html

I have no regrets of my purchase at all, love the car and the concept.
Reds! Rick

 

[michael]

BMW wants to qualify for the $7500 EV rebate, not the hybrid one. Also the carbon credits are worth millions a year and they need the BEVx classification to get them. The Volt is not a BEVx.

Volt gets the $7500 rebate...and incidentally it all gets passed on to the customer even in a lease. BMW hold some back in a lease.

Volt gets $1500 from California while BMW gets $2500. Wouldn't you happily have settled for $1000 less to get a bigger gas tank and the ability to shift to gas whenever you want?

 

[Jeffj]

Its not about the tax credits that purchasers get, its about the ZEV credits that can be acquired and re-sold to other manufacturers that want to sell in CA but have no ZEV vehicles. Tesla, which only makes ZEV vehicles sells credits worth north of $76M (that's one of the reasons they are turning a paper profit these days, most estimates are that they will need to sell 200K+ Model 3's to reach ultimate break-even). The BEVx designation from CARB (the i3 REx is the only car qualifying with that desgination) receives the same number of credits as a full ZEV. While I don't know the actual numbers for BMW, the credits are literally worth millions to them.

Why they didn't make CARB and non-CARB versions for sale in the US is a mystery to us all, but I suspect that lawyers at BMW NA were involved in the decision.

 

[Idleup]

What ever the reason - they are not thinking of the customers!

 

[jadnashuanh]

What ever the reason - they are not thinking of the customers!

The vast majority of BMW customers are ICE buyers, and yes, they were thinking of them. If they didn't get the credits for the i3, the prices of most of the other vehicles would have to go up. Nobody forced you to buy an i3. It is what it is.

 

[Idleup]

Forget all that credit certificates and such, I could care less - I just want a RX I can start and a fuel tank that is bigger than my lawn mower!

 

[Tomasz]

What ever the reason - they are not thinking of the customers!

Maybe they don't, but apparently at least 6000 people in US last year did not mind.

I bought mine knowing what I'm getting myself into. The dealer did not hide tank size from me, nor tried to convince me to some inflated range numbers. I knew I'll have 50 miles of electric range in winter and about 70-80 in summer, I knew that if I decided to drive further I'll have to put fuel in every 40-50 miles or so. I've accepted it, bought the car and love it.

Now after unlocking EU tank capacity I love it even more. Have absolutely no regrets and no complains (well, I've got a few, but they have nothing to do with BMW's design decision, most of them are about quality, but I knew I'm buying beta version).

 

[Tomasz]

Forget all that credit certificates and such, I could care less - I just want a RX I can start and a fuel tank that is bigger than my lawn mower!

Then go and buy Volt. Or Plug in Prius. Or i8. Nobody forces i3 on you.

 

[Idleup]

Forget all that credit certificates and such, I could care less - I just want a RX I can start and a fuel tank that is bigger than my lawn mower!

Then go and buy Volt. Or Plug in Prius. Or i8. Nobody forces i3 on you.

I already have an I8!

You can sit here all day but you are the strange one - I haven't found one guy that is happy with a tank that holds less than 2 gallons - like I said, my lawn mower hold more fuel than my I3!