THIS CAR SUCKS! - HAD IT 10 MONTHS, JUST GOT 42 MILES!

[epirali]

How did you determine that you only had 42 miles of range? Without a defective high voltage battery, you can't average 3.9mi/kWh AND only get 42 miles of range - assuming you're not doing something else to drain the battery, like sitting in the car with the a/c running for hours.

Has anyone figured out if the efficiency includes or excludes the power used by auxiliary systems? Neither way is necessary incorrect it just makes a difference in the assumptions here.

 

[I33t]

Lol. So you can leave your car in the baking sun, drive like a hoon, with the A/C on full blast, and expect the same range as tested by the EPA for the same car in mild climate etc.

Physics says no.

Preconditioning will save battery capacity for the trip rather than chewing it out to bring the car and battery temps down to suitable ranges.

 

[WoodlandHills]

Lol. So you can leave your car in the baking sun, drive like a hoon, with the A/C on full blast, and expect the same range as tested by the EPA for the same car in mild climate etc.

Physics says no.

Preconditioning will save battery capacity for the trip rather than chewing it out to bring the car and battery temps down to suitable ranges.

I am pretty sure that the EPA claims the i3 gets a range in the 80's, how is getting only 1/2 of that in the summer acceptable or explainable by excessive a/c usage? it also does not explain why the OPs range seems to be dropping from previous experiences when full summer has not hit Vegas yet.

This is designed to be a "Mega-City" car. Surely repeated short trips are the whole purpose of the vehicle in the first place, to say that using it as designed in summer weather explains 42 mile range is absurd. You cannot blame a series of 1-4 mile trips for poor range when that is the exact description of the city driving BMW intended the i3 to be used for. If it can barely reach 1/2 the rated range under the conditions it was created for then when will it?

This is just another i3 with a defect like lots of others out there. In this case it seems to be either the battery or the range estimate. If the battery is fine then the problem is with the Guess-O-Meter, it does not really give an owner much confidence in their fancy new EV to be told to ignore that low number and just drive on.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Most places in the world are not over 100-degrees on an average summer day. Most people don't make 10 or more short hops with the car baking in the sun each time without preconditioning or plugging in at least on occasion. My ICE is listed at 17mpg city, but could easily see half that under the same conditions. Why would being an EV be any different? AT least with the EV, you don't have the engine oil and coolant that needs to reach full temp to become efficient, or the pollution of the oil that comes from many short trips, or the corrosion to the exhaust system while it sits in corrosive liquids because they were not burned off.

What hasn't been said is where was the actual SOC at the end of that 42-miles. WE all know the guessometer isn't perfect, and there may be a fair amount of range actually left, but probably not if that cycle were continued without preconditioning or some awareness of how an EV works.

 

[I33t]

Lol. So you can leave your car in the baking sun, drive like a hoon, with the A/C on full blast, and expect the same range as tested by the EPA for the same car in mild climate etc.

Physics says no.

Preconditioning will save battery capacity for the trip rather than chewing it out to bring the car and battery temps down to suitable ranges.

I am pretty sure that the EPA claims the i3 gets a range in the 80's, how is getting only 1/2 of that in the summer acceptable or explainable by excessive a/c usage? it also does not explain why the OPs range seems to be dropping from previous experiences when full summer has not hit Vegas yet.

This is designed to be a "Mega-City" car. Surely repeated short trips are the whole purpose of the vehicle in the first place, to say that using it as designed in summer weather explains 42 mile range is absurd. You cannot blame a series of 1-4 mile trips for poor range when that is the exact description of the city driving BMW intended the i3 to be used for. If it can barely reach 1/2 the rated range under the conditions it was created for then when will it?

This is just another i3 with a defect like lots of others out there. In this case it seems to be either the battery or the range estimate. If the battery is fine then the problem is with the Guess-O-Meter, it does not really give an owner much confidence in their fancy new EV to be told to ignore that low number and just drive on.

Sorry WH, Physics still says NO.

 

[jasleinstein]

I have had several situations as it seems DSMLVNV is having. We are having a hellish summer (for us grey lovers) here in Seattle so I have been forced to use the AC. We have the HCS-40 charger so i know I get a good charge. I have had the A/C on, not the max setting, drove over 65 under 70 mph, mostly flat freeway and four or five hills and barely made it out 25 miles and back. BTW I use the blue bars as a guide not the range indicator which is whacky. The wind seems to make a big difference. In a 15 mph wind it seems the milage drops more quickly than I thought. Granted the car is pretty tall, but......

 

[jadnashuanh]

Some people's hills are other's mountains. What's more important is your speed and the elevation gain/loss. The regen is by no means 100% efficient. Drag factor is a big part about range on any car, but more important on one like an EV that has little extra to spare and it goes up with a cubic factor as speed goes up...IOW, a little more speed makes a significant difference.

The math to figure out the work required to climb a hill is independent of the speed and therefore the drag it has to overcome, so that could be a major factor as would having one person on board verses 4. Drag probably doesn't change much with load, but the work to climb a grade does.

 

[MikeS]

The OP stated 'This latest range was achieved with no highway driving. Just quick 1-4 mile drives to and from shopping, restaurants, and so on. “ I also regularly use a full charge on my car for similar journeys and tend only to get about 65 miles (no A/C) , but if I do just 1 longer journey (10 miles plus) this increase to around 75. If I do a single trip on a charge then I get nearer 90. Its clear that the i3 does not do well on lots of short journeys - probably because on the power ‘wasted’ conditioning the batteries. That is also why I don’t use the A/C as the power is just wasted on such journeys.

Still, 42 sounds very low so either its the driving style (my consumption last trip was 4.4 and my overall average is 4.2) or there is something wrong with the OPs car.

 

[psquare]

Hi DSMLVNV - have you tried any of the tips/hints re precon etc ?

I thought of you on a trip yesterday, driving at 22 deg C (english summer!), in Comfort mode, AC off but fan blowing, with just over 50% SOC left, the GOM showed "42 miles" on my REx.

I am in no way comparing the 2 situations, by the way. Just wanted to know if you've tried something else and have seen any difference.

 

[jadnashuanh]

When the temperatures are extreme, preconditioning the vehicle while on the EVSE does optimize your range. Doesn't really matter if it is super hot or cold...there's an energy penalty almost in the same manner as in an ICE. Numerous short hops where the car can get back to ambient (or hotter, in the case of summer in Las Vegas) make for a significant load and an ICE would feel it in fuel economy as well. Traffic in Vegas can vary radically, and during some times, it doesn't move, so you have a lot more time on the vehicle than the miles would indicate. Sitting in the sun on hot asphalt between other vehicles makes the a/c load pretty significant and your average speed can drop to single digits. At least most of Vegas is fairly flat unless you get out of town.

We don't have the whole story here.

 

[coreperformance]

I've had mine for three weeks, and I love it.

But I'm in Dallas Texas, and up until this weekend, I have never gotten anywhere near 80 miles range.

I, too, do lots of really quick hops and my GOM has said I would get about 60 miles.

I bought mine used, and the KLE had not been replaced yet. They did that last week, along with the software upgrade. Yesterday I went on a trip with mixed freeway and main artery surface streets. I got 43 miles using 50% of my battery.

I admit that I had been a little worried before, but feel much better now.

 

[MikeS]

I've had mine for three weeks, and I love it.

But I'm in Dallas Texas, and up until this weekend, I have never gotten anywhere near 80 miles range.

I, too, do lots of really quick hops and my GOM has said I would get about 60 miles.

I bought mine used, and the KLE had not been replaced yet. They did that last week, along with the software upgrade. Yesterday I went on a trip with mixed freeway and main artery surface streets. I got 43 miles using 50% of my battery.

I admit that I had been a little worried before, but feel much better now.

When you do lots of quick hops the range is reduced. Typically, with lots of short journeys I get about 70 miles - comfort mode, A/C and fans off. Do a single trip and its nearer 85 (and a 100 from the REX!).

 

[WoodlandHills]

Isn't the i3 designed to be a city car? That by definition means lots of short trips, low speeds and a/c use due to smog. Surely the car should get its advertised range when used as intended in the environment it was designed for.........

 

[MikeS]

True, but I don’t think any car manufacturer gives ‘real life’ info - they always choose ideal conditions.

 

[epirali]

True, but I don’t think any car manufacturer gives ‘real life’ info - they always choose ideal conditions.

I think there is a pretty well defined test standard for US, which is neither really. My understanding is it isn't covering lots of short trips in a hot city, but isn't the ideal track conditions either. I believe European range numbers are inflated because they can use more ideal conditions, while the US is a mix of city/highway simulated driving and tends to be not too far off. In face if you drive conservatively they will tend to be a a little bit low for BEVs in my experience.

I still agree with another comment here: there is something off. I think it is hard to get just 42 miles of range, unless the driving pattern if just highly unusual.

 

[DSMLVNV]

Where is the "HIDDEN MENU?"

 

[DSMLVNV]

If I read the OP correctly, this is the result of numerous 1-4 mile trips. Each time, heat soaking in the sun, requiring a significant energy use to cool the car back off again without preconditioning or intermediate charging attempts. It's about what I'd expect at over 100-degrees F and maybe as many as 10 cool-downs from sweltering after sitting. Not only will the car have to cool the interior to help keep you sane, it will be cooling the battery pack off as well. Take ANY car and do numerous short hops where it can reach ambient in between and it will NOWHERE near get the EPA listed mileage.


The above probably sums it up best. I keep the car in my garage, but I do mainly very short trips, and the car is almost always left baking in the sun.

HOWEVER, pre-conditioning or not, I am living a perfectly normal life in Las Vegas. And for BMW to deny that I was sold a bill of goods is an INSULT. What you guys are telling me is that if I work from home in Las Vegas, during the Summer months I should EXPECT 42 mile ranges. That is a JOKE! I am not screaming - I am telling the truth. Compare this vehicle to any other in the BMW line-up, and it's just plain embarrassing. Unless your only goal is to hug trees, this is UNNACEPTABLE. The i3 is not a car - it's a transport vehicle in constant need of charging, akin to an iPhone with a bad battery.

 

[DSMLVNV]

I will try pre-conditioning for every trip for a few days and report back here the results. BTW, pre-conditioning 10 times a day? Wow, that sounds fun! So when I'm leaving the Gym, and I have to call a client in 15 minutes, I need to alert them that I'll be 5 minutes late due to pre-conditioning? Or when my GF's kid has an emergency, I can tell her "No Problem Honey, I'll rush right over...Woops, please allow 5 minutes for pre-conditioning!"

 

[DSMLVNV]

Almost never on The Strip. I live in the Suburbs, where there is virtually NO TRAFFIC...

 

[epirali]

Leaf had a useful display that showed the KWs pulled by climate control, and it was instructive. Usually for cooling I'd see 2-3 KW pull in normal summer heat (not NV heat mind you, this is MD). So theoretically for one hour of AC I was using 15% of the battery. That is partially why I am wondering how you could be losing almost 50% of the capacity to the climate control, it just doesn't seem right. Even accounting for BMS using some battery to keep the battery cool it still doesn't add up.

I know this is obvious but what if battery has partially failed?