REx now with more power - 28 kW

[mindmachine]

I think the turn-on level for the REx in the USA is 18%...you cannot turn it on manually until it reaches that level. As a result, it ends up a different vehicle in North America.

First you can not turn it on manually in the USA and second the auto turn on point is 6 to 6.5%.
That's why we US Rex owners are so pissed at California for their interference in the way the car is configured for their CARB rules. BMW is to blame too though, as they could configure cars differently for the other 40 states that are not in the CARB program.

 

[Surge]

Right! And why do we get the same configuration in Canada, which doesn't have the dumb California rules...

 

[rozakk]

I'm up to about 2700 miles on my rEx in sf/bay area, thanks to my wife's commute which is ~100miles round trip for her work. She usually ends up on gas the last 10-15 miles or so of the trip, and has taken it probably 20 times on this route so far if not more, without any issues. The last mile is also very steep as we live on a hill.

 

[Zzzoom3]

I think the turn-on level for the REx in the USA is 18%...you cannot turn it on manually until it reaches that level. As a result, it ends up a different vehicle in North America.

First you can not turn it on manually in the USA and second the auto turn on point is 6 to 6.5%.
That's why we US Rex owners are so pissed at California for their interference in the way the car is configured for their CARB rules. BMW is to blame too though, as they could configure cars differently for the other 40 states that are not in the CARB program.

Listen, if it wasn't for California, you wouldn't have an i3 or any other EV for that matter. I do understand the frustration and agree it is not desirable but blaming it on California is misguided.

 

[jadnashuanh]

According to the BMW University documents, when the battery charge gets to 4.9% (relative, IOW, not counting the 10% it reserves, or 14.9% of total capacity; 4.9% of useable capacity), it puts the vehicle into reduced power mode, and you will start to 'lose' things, such as max speed, or a/c, or potentially other things. So, with the low percentage of where the REx in NA turns on, if you are putting the vehicle into a stressful situation (high speed, lots of accessories, climbing a hill), it is not hard for it to drop to that 4.9%, and then start to slow down.

THe document also explained another reason why they don't let you use the last power from the battery - it needs at least some to be able to manage the recharging properly! IOW, for the vehicle to immediately start to recharge, it must have at least some charge left in the batteries. If it doesn't, it must then use a different path to build up a charge, then once that happens, it can start a full current recharging cycle and that can take awhile, lengthening the process considerably.

 

[KurtEndress]

You are correct that the BEV operates in “restricted drive power” below 4.9% relative SOC according to the diagram on page 180. But the diagram on page 181 and 182 shows the Rex can go down to 1.9% relative SOC before power is reduced. So the two versions are treated differently. Possibly so the Rex has a larger buffer of normal operation between 6.5 and 1.9%.

With the REx there was also an additional point at 0.4% relative SOC that seems to be reserved for restarting the REx motor after you refill it with gasoline.