Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - 2014 BMW i3-REx report

bwilson4web · 01-15-2017, 11:57 AM

Hi,

In May, we 'sold' our 03 Prius to our housekeeper who needed reliable, affordable transportation. So the first Saturday in May 2016, I went by the local Toyota dealer to look at the 2016 Gen-4 Prius.

The local dealer would not talk about price unless I took one for a test drive. But dynamic cruise control and accident avoidance was only available on the middle grade, level three with a d*mn moon roof. So we went to a local benchmark loop and after 5 miles, I complained that "99.1 MPG is not good enough."

Back at the dealer, they offered it for $33k and I told them, "Sorry but 99.1 MPG is not good enough" as I'd already used the roll-down parameters and knew the Level two ECO would easily bust 110-120 MPG. They asked me to wait and came back with $28.5k. I knew I could get a 2014 BMW i3-REx off-lease with 6,440 miles for $29.9k ... that was an easy decision.

GOOD NEWS

I drove 66 days in EV mode, $0.25/10 miles, before I got a message,"Please run the range extender." That $0.25/10 miles is misleading as about 1/3d of my EV miles are from free, public chargers. My 'out of pocket' cost is closer to $0.15/10 miles.

The dynamic cruise control makes cross country driving a dream. At 65 mph, I get 40 MPG and follow trucks that already drive in the 65-67 mph range. At 70 mph, it drops to 38 MPG and 75 mph 34 MPG with a 20% loss of SOC with each tank. Slack off to 55 mph, it gets 44 MPG. At 65 mph, it runs about $0.60/10 miles, not great but acceptable.

So far, we've driven three trips:

463 miles - Charlotte NC to Huntville AL, 6 fuel stops
700 miles - Huntsville AL to Stillwater OK, 10 fuel stops and 1 gal spare can
700 miles - Stillwater OK to Huntsville, 10 fuel stops

Since May, we've gone from 6.4k miles to 18.4k miles in 7 months. With 168 hp, rear wheel drive, in a 2900 lb car, it is a sprite ride. But I'm starting to look at efficiency tuning.

I've already figured out a simple approach to doubling the 2 gallon fuel capacity to 4 gallons. This doubles the gas range from ~80 miles which more nearly matches a typical +2 hour drive segment.

BAD NEWS

The 5 year, 50k mile warranty has been great but being a first model year, we've found:

BMW "recalls" are called "campaigns" and not always carried out on lease cars. They replaced two rear tires and I bought two front so we're running four new tires.
Single tire manufacturer for this car so they run ~$150 each.
Parts always add two days to a shop repair.
Rare parts ordered from Germany added a week.
A cracked windshield, $1,800 (the wiper slipped off the arm which snapped down to crack the glass.)
Repaired motor mount bolt failure is substantially stronger but there is no evidence of a wide-spread recall and repair of other BMW i3.
A 'code' (i.e., software patch) allows turning the engine on at 75% SOC like they do in the EU instead of the default, CARB imposed 6%. This is critical for safe, cross-country driving.

When the motor mount bolt failed, we didn't have the heart to drive our Gen-3 Prius with ordinary cruise control 1,600 miles to Arizona. During the two weeks to repair the BMW i3-REx, I test drove a Prius Prime and that led to replacing the Gen-3.

SUMMARY

I had considered keeping the Gen-3 Prius for a year as backup for the BMW i3-REx. But the long repair delays and potentially high price of repairs outside of warranty changed my mind.

Had the Prius Prime been available in May 2016, I probably would have passed on the BMW i3-REx. But the BMW i3-REx led to getting an L2 charging wiring at home (and a favorite business center.) At the current rate, the warranty will expire between June 2018 and by time, January 2019.

Bob Wilson

01-15-2017, 11:57 AM	#1 (permalink)
bwilson4web Engineering first Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 843 17 i3-REx - '14 BMW i3-REx Last 3: 45.67 mpg (US) Blue Bob's - '19 Tesla Std Rng Plus Thanks: 94 Thanked 246 Times in 157 Posts	2014 BMW i3-REx report Hi, In May, we 'sold' our 03 Prius to our housekeeper who needed reliable, affordable transportation. So the first Saturday in May 2016, I went by the local Toyota dealer to look at the 2016 Gen-4 Prius. The local dealer would not talk about price unless I took one for a test drive. But dynamic cruise control and accident avoidance was only available on the middle grade, level three with a dmn moon roof. So we went to a local benchmark loop and after 5 miles, I complained that "99.1 MPG is not good enough." Back at the dealer, they offered it for $33k and I told them, "Sorry but 99.1 MPG is not good enough" as I'd already used the roll-down parameters and knew the Level two ECO would easily bust 110-120 MPG. They asked me to wait and came back with $28.5k. I knew I could get a 2014 BMW i3-REx off-lease with 6,440 miles for $29.9k ... that was an easy decision. GOOD NEWS* I drove 66 days in EV mode, $0.25/10 miles, before I got a message,"Please run the range extender." That $0.25/10 miles is misleading as about 1/3d of my EV miles are from free, public chargers. My 'out of pocket' cost is closer to $0.15/10 miles. The dynamic cruise control makes cross country driving a dream. At 65 mph, I get 40 MPG and follow trucks that already drive in the 65-67 mph range. At 70 mph, it drops to 38 MPG and 75 mph 34 MPG with a 20% loss of SOC with each tank. Slack off to 55 mph, it gets 44 MPG. At 65 mph, it runs about $0.60/10 miles, not great but acceptable. So far, we've driven three trips: 463 miles - Charlotte NC to Huntville AL, 6 fuel stops 700 miles - Huntsville AL to Stillwater OK, 10 fuel stops and 1 gal spare can 700 miles - Stillwater OK to Huntsville, 10 fuel stops Since May, we've gone from 6.4k miles to 18.4k miles in 7 months. With 168 hp, rear wheel drive, in a 2900 lb car, it is a sprite ride. But I'm starting to look at efficiency tuning. I've already figured out a simple approach to doubling the 2 gallon fuel capacity to 4 gallons. This doubles the gas range from ~80 miles which more nearly matches a typical +2 hour drive segment. BAD NEWS The 5 year, 50k mile warranty has been great but being a first model year, we've found: BMW "recalls" are called "campaigns" and not always carried out on lease cars. They replaced two rear tires and I bought two front so we're running four new tires. Single tire manufacturer for this car so they run ~$150 each. Parts always add two days to a shop repair. Rare parts ordered from Germany added a week. A cracked windshield, $1,800 (the wiper slipped off the arm which snapped down to crack the glass.) Repaired motor mount bolt failure is substantially stronger but there is no evidence of a wide-spread recall and repair of other BMW i3. A 'code' (i.e., software patch) allows turning the engine on at 75% SOC like they do in the EU instead of the default, CARB imposed 6%. This is critical for safe, cross-country driving. When the motor mount bolt failed, we didn't have the heart to drive our Gen-3 Prius with ordinary cruise control 1,600 miles to Arizona. During the two weeks to repair the BMW i3-REx, I test drove a Prius Prime and that led to replacing the Gen-3. SUMMARY I had considered keeping the Gen-3 Prius for a year as backup for the BMW i3-REx. But the long repair delays and potentially high price of repairs outside of warranty changed my mind. Had the Prius Prime been available in May 2016, I probably would have passed on the BMW i3-REx. But the BMW i3-REx led to getting an L2 charging wiring at home (and a favorite business center.) At the current rate, the warranty will expire between June 2018 and by time, January 2019. Bob Wilson __________________ 2019 Tesla Model 3 Std. Range Plus - 215 mi EV 2017 BMW i3-REx - 106 mi EV, 88 mi mid-grade Retired engineer, Huntsville, AL Last edited by bwilson4web; 01-15-2017 at 12:05 PM..