winter range Northeastern US

[nickez]

I leased my i3 3 months ago. The cold weather had already begun, however I had done an extended test-drive (about a week) with another i3 before the cold had set in.

The test-drive model consistently gave a range of 90 miles when fully charged. My new car however never suggests more than 60 miles of range when fully charged.

I assumed this was the cold weather affecting the batteries.

Are other drivers in cold climates seeing the same range reduction?

thanks

 

[websterize]

I'm seeing about 60-70 miles per charge in 25ºF-35ºF weather.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I get the same in 50f to 70f weather. Never seen over 70 miles.....ever. That's why we got the REx:I am too much of a cynic to believe BMWs range promises.... I didn't trust MPG ratings either so it isn't just EVs.

 

[jadnashuanh]

If you can precondition and aren't making lots of short trips where the car must rewarm itself each time, you'll get more range than if you didn't (how's that for being waffly!). The BEV is more efficient than the REx if it has the heat pump (standard in the USA). The range indicator is based on your last 18-miles or so, and may not be a good indicator if your planned trip will be considerably different road types and driving style. For example, I can regularly drive maybe as much as 7-10 miles and not have the range indicator drop when going somewhere else. 50-miles in the winter is the low end of what BMW's range estimates are in the cold - by adjusting your mode of use and driving style, you can get more reliably. Based on years of use, the average commuter drives around 30-miles per day, so even at 50, that's a significant buffer - the car was designed for urban, commuting, anything else you successfully use it for is a bonus. SOrt of like loosening that stuck nut with a pair of pliers...if it works, it saves you from replacing them with a wrench, but it isn't designed to replace the wrench!

 

[nickez]

I was with you until you got to the nut analogy.

 

[cove3]

The big problem is going to be if and when the battery over time deteriorates to 70%. All these range/temperature comments relate to a new battery. The 60 miles low end in winter just mentioned could then be 42

Ron

 

[nickez]

More charging stations would really help, but generally we have plenty of range

 

[fdl1409]

I am driving short distances most times. Usually with the seat heating only, which together with warm clothing keeps me warm enough unless I drive long distances.
Temperatures here in central Germany have been permanently below freezing for more than a week now. Still get a range of 75-80 miles, although range indicticator after charging predicts only 60-65 miles.

I don`t worry about deteriorating batteries at all. In the service menu you can check the max. capacity. In warm summer weather that was around 19.7 kWh. Drops with temperature, but I have never seen anything lower than 19.1 kWh. That was with a battery temperature of -2°C / 28°F. Recently after charging and then driving a 50 mile stretch it showed 19.6 kWh again at a battery
temperature of 15°C. Expect 19.7 again in the summer. So far I have driven 10.700km / 6.700 miles.

Frank

 

[cove3]

I thought of the 21.6 kwh total battery capacity, only 18.8 was usable, with the rest off limits from charging built in to save battery life. How are you able to show 19.7?

Ron

 

[fdl1409]

18.8 are usable officially.
Well, according to the board computer, real capacity is higher. Probably has to be, because otherwise costumers with only slightly lower values would complain.Some people pick up their cars in the winter, when capacity is a little lower! Good for warranty, if you start with 105% and guarantee 70%. And certainly good for us.

The service menu gives two readouts, one for maximum capacity and another for actual capacity, which is always a little lower after charging. In September, the average of 10 charging cycles was 19.7 for maximum capacity ( 19.5 - 19.9 ) and 19.4 for actual capacity after charging. The difference between max. and actual gets larger in cold conditions. Yesterday I got 19.5 for max. capacity and 18.7 for actual capacity. That difference was as high as it gets. Mid december after charging I had max. 19,6 and actual 19.5. There is some flicker in those figures, and charging seems to stop earlier when it is cold, so the difference between max. amd actual in average gets larger.

Frank

 

[websterize]

According to BMW, for the BEV:

And for the Rex:

 

[fferro09]

Unfortunately that's the normal range. I'm in Washington, D.C. and I got mine in November when the weather wasn't that cold yet. At that time I was getting about 70 to 90 miles per full charge. When the weather started getting to the 40s and below, that's where I started seeing the range go down to 60 miles on a full charge. The good thing is that the range has not really been affected below that 40 degree threshold... It's been consistent all the way down to 0° F.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Setting a departure time while plugged in does make a difference, if you can do it. Preconditioning by itself only warms the interior...departure time does both that and the batteries. The REx is worse than the BEV...more weight and lacks the heat pump of the BEV in the USA.

 

[justanotherdrunk]

I was with you until you got to the nut analogy.

:lol: