REX Gastank

[Idleup]

here's some good reading from an owner on the great 6% soc start procedure that didn't work:

Thinking about getting the Hold Charge Function. (not found on DVDinmotion site).
We rarely use our REX feature (due to the wife's reluctance to drain the car down to only a couple of miles remaining). But before Christmas, dressed formally, heading to special event, we thought we could find a place to recharge. Instead (with only 20 miles remaining) the "REX Maintenance cycle" came on and failed - displaying a take me immediately to the dealer message. After powering off / On to clear - thinking hopefully this is a glitch - i3 did the same in a few miles. I wanted to continue on to event (which we had waited for 2 months to attend) - instead my wife said please no - we have get it to the dealer 20+ miles away.
Bottomline: We never made it the event, just rolled into the dealer on dashes for several miles - vehicle kept by dealer for 4-5 days. They said they had to "swap out" the spark plugs.
All-in-all the wife has little faith that the REX will be available when we need it - on a vehicle with less than 3k miles and only charging at 70%.

 

[Idleup]

And when you get tried of running you battery to the ground and having no control of your RX you can read my post on "Taking Control of your Range Extender!

http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2141

 

[PhilH]

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!

I am. I bought it with that knowledge, just like everyone else, and like the little tank.

 

[Idleup]

Just noticed if you're in the UK genius - you already have a large tank!


hello !

 

[I33t]

Just noticed if you're in the UK genius - you already have a large tank!


hello !

lol. I accept that size is relative, but let's not exaggerate.

Both versions have a tiny usable capacity, neither is 'large'

 

[Idleup]

Well let's just say; your tank is entirely too small - ours in the US. is a absolute joke!

They took a tank that was too small and made it smaller - they must hate us in the US! lol

 

[Tomasz]

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!

Let me introduce myself then. My name is Tomasz Korwel and I'm happy with tank size in my i3. That makes two.

 

[Sparky]

Me too!

 

[I33t]

Mine doesn't have a tank at all and I'm delighted with the size of it. lol.

 

[jadnashuanh]

For a city car design, the REx can help with getting home from work or if you decide to take a short side-trip...it was never designed for long distance. Running on a long trip using the REX at mid-30mpg, there are lots of other viable cars available that do it better. Using it as such, you live with its limitations...that it's possible isn't the issue, it was never designed for an ICE replacement that you could take cross-country without compromises. Those models are coming. Something like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear comes to mind...it is what it is, and for what it is, I think it does a very good job or I wouldn't have bought one. In the interim, selling the thing helps BMW keep money coming in to help with the research and real life experience of how to meet the upcoming fleet economy mandates. If they didn't have those credits, many of the other vehicles would end up costing more, depressing sales, which depresses money, which means less money for research and development...it's a fact of life, get over it. Personally, even if the car could go much further, while I find it perfectly fine for what it is intended, I do not like it when at the range limitations every trip and prefer my ICE where I can go for hours before stopping, and can hit 500-miles before I have to stop to refuel.

 

[psquare]

For a city car design, the REx can help with getting home from work or if you decide to take a short side-trip...it was never designed for long distance. Running on a long trip using the REX at mid-30mpg, there are lots of other viable cars available that do it better. Using it as such, you live with its limitations...that it's possible isn't the issue, it was never designed for an ICE replacement that you could take cross-country without compromises. Those models are coming. Something like trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear comes to mind...it is what it is, and for what it is, I think it does a very good job or I wouldn't have bought one. In the interim, selling the thing helps BMW keep money coming in to help with the research and real life experience of how to meet the upcoming fleet economy mandates. If they didn't have those credits, many of the other vehicles would end up costing more, depressing sales, which depresses money, which means less money for research and development...it's a fact of life, get over it. Personally, even if the car could go much further, while I find it perfectly fine for what it is intended, I do not like it when at the range limitations every trip and prefer my ICE where I can go for hours before stopping, and can hit 500-miles before I have to stop to refuel.

That is very much my thinking, too.

I see the REx as an "insurance policy" or a crutch for a longer trip every now and then. Or for those occasions where you have to do an unplanned surprise trip at the end of the day. I might take ours for the odd long distance trip in year 1, but after probably 12 months, it will be our main local travel motor.

 

[Tomasz]

I see the REx as an "insurance policy" or a crutch for a longer trip every now and then. Or for those occasions where you have to do an unplanned surprise trip at the end of the day. I might take ours for the odd long distance trip in year 1, but after probably 12 months, it will be our main local travel motor.

I look at it a little differently. My definition of 'local driving' is 'up to 100 of miles one way and back the same day'. I bought REx because it allows me to make 50-70 out of those 100 on electricity and the remaining on REx. There is no other plug in hybrid with that much electricity range on the market. Also even if it makes only 37mpg during those remaining 40 miles, whole trip back and forth results in overall efficiency close to 75mpg (I'm a number freak, I've got those numbers calculated). There isn't any car on the market right now that can get 75mpg and offers similar level of comfort and performance than i3 does. I haven't seen many capable of getting 75mpg, period.

Would I take my i3 on a 500 miles road trip? Of course no, but I also wouldn't take any other car that I have owned. I would rent an ICE for that. Putting those thousands of miles on somebody else's car is well worth those $30/day they charge. I'll recoup it with several times when I trade in mine with low mileage.

 

[michael]

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.

I guess the concept of "Ultimate Driving Machine" has gone by the wayside, replaced by financial forces.

But at the same time, Ford and GM seem to be managing by selling primarily ERVs (Energi and Volt). They each sell vanishingly few pure EVs (Ford Focus electric and Chevrolet Spark EV). In fact, BMW is selling BEV I3's faster than Focus electrics and Spark EV's combined. Couldn't BMW possibly have made a concession to utility for the Rex?

I really like the concept of the small "helper" engine, but to be the ultimate driving machine, it needs to be combined with the ability to rely on large amounts of battery reserves under certain circumstances. BMW knows this and made this capability available worldwide. In the US, they didn't stick to their principles.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I disagree, in the US they quite clearly DID demonstrate their principles: profit above safety. My Momma told me to look at what people do and to ignore what they say when you evaluate their ethics...... Enough said?