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Post by i3StormTrooper on Nov 16, 2015 11:57:45 GMT -5
Hello Please provide stories on the longest trip you've taken in the REx. Describe challenges and unexpected victories.  For example, 400 mile road trip and explain some details for those who might want to explore outside the city limits. Thanks! |
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Post by afadeev on Nov 16, 2015 20:01:57 GMT -5
Hello Please provide stories on the longest trip you've taken in the REx. Describe challenges and unexpected victories. For example, 400 mile road trip and explain some details for those who might want to explore outside the city limits. Thanks! The longest I've driven in my REX is 138 miles one way. Repeatedly. On Eco Pro mode. Which happens to be the door-to-door distance from my garage to a nearby amusement park (that has a free EV charger at the parking lot). I do bring a 2.5 gallon gas tank along as insurance (fits nicely in the frunk), but haven't had to use it. For 200+ mile road trips (or anything longer than 2 hours on a highway), I'm going ICE ice baby... i3 is just no fun on the highway. a |
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BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 40000
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Post by geosynch on Nov 19, 2015 5:24:29 GMT -5
Hello Please provide stories on the longest trip you've taken in the REx. Describe challenges and unexpected victories. For example, 400 mile road trip and explain some details for those who might want to explore outside the city limits. Thanks! Me personally? SF Bay Area to Tahoe and back. ~400 miles. More than one person has done across the US. OK, one from California to Iowa, and another Chicago to Phoenix. There are others. Tedious, but possible. |
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BMW i3 REx Owner
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Post by i3StormTrooper on Nov 30, 2015 11:28:06 GMT -5
I completed 640 mile one way trip this past Saturday - 2 gallons at a time without charging during my route. 90% SOC at the start 22% SOC at the end $30 in gas. Overall success - except for the error code ' Drivetrain Error - OK to drive' message after just 58 miles into the drive. Dealer visit tomorrow; dropping off tonight BMW Cincinnati North November software updated Nov 25th via BMW Charleston SC Keep you posted |
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BMW i Owner Moderator
BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 214000
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Post by tommoloughney on Dec 7, 2015 21:58:46 GMT -5
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Post by jd525 on Dec 9, 2015 9:35:00 GMT -5
Nice blog posts. Thank you for posting.
I don't think I recall seeing anything about the general comfort on a long trip. In particular, did you find the seats comfortable enough for a long trip?
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BMW i Owner Moderator
BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 214000
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Post by tommoloughney on Dec 9, 2015 9:41:45 GMT -5
That's a tough question because everyone has a different opinion on what is and what isn't comfortable in automotive seating. I can tell you this, I had back surgery five months ago, so I am particularly sensitive with that and I've never had a problem with the i3 seats on long drives. I find them very comfortable, in fact. My Toyota, on the other hand, gives me problems if I drive longer than a hour in it. But as I said above, seat comfort is highly dependent on the individual. I've also seen where others have criticized the i3's seats for lack of support.
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Post by on Dec 15, 2015 15:23:02 GMT -5
Hello Please provide stories on the longest trip you've taken in the REx. Describe challenges and unexpected victories. For example, 400 mile road trip and explain some details for those who might want to explore outside the city limits. Thanks! I leased my i3 REx in the SF Bay Area, but live in LA. So (naively) without thinking too much about it, I planned to drive the car down along the 101, where there's plenty of DCFC charging stations. I had my whole route and stops mapped out and everything. But after leaving late I was on a bit of a time crunch and had to change course mid-route to take I-5 instead, with absolutely zero charging stations. I had a spare gas tank with me, but the REx can only do so much on its own. It was pretty much limited to around 60-65 MPH (usually on Eco Pro mode), and the thing really, I mean really, struggled going up some hills in the last 100 miles of the trip. I had to drive in the semi-truck far-right lane, averaging about 30 MPH up the hills. Semis were actually blowing past me trying to climb the hill. If you know the Grapevine, you know what I mean. I had to pull over at least 5 times during this stretch to let the battery charge a bit, as it quickly drained to 0.5%. A 10-minute stop to charge would get the battery up to around 4%, and would drain back down after about 15 minutes of climbing. In the end, the 400 mile trip took me about 11.5 hours. It would have been manageable without those hills toward the end, and even enjoyable/normal if I had access to DCFC stations. I'm planning another trip up the 101 to San Luis Obispo in the car, where I can actually take advantage of the charging options along that route. I would not recommend using the REx if there are any kind of serious hills involved. The one benefit, though, was that I got to learn a lot about how the car behaves, its likes and dislikes, etc, much faster than just doing routine city driving. |
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Post by cj on Dec 17, 2015 15:30:33 GMT -5
I'm about to take my 2015 Rex on a 2600-mile trip. I'll let you know in a couple of weeks!
Of course, I've had the Rex recoded to hold its full potential, as well as coding to enable "hold state of charge."
-CJ
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BMW i3 REx Owner
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Post by i3StormTrooper on Dec 17, 2015 15:51:59 GMT -5
epic indeed have fun and be safe... send pictures  |
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BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 19000
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Post by OCULUS on Feb 22, 2016 15:34:22 GMT -5
During the summer, I routinely drive back and forth to my boat on Lake George (65 miles north into the Adirondacks at 70mph) a couple of times per week. On my way back--about 10 miles south--on I-87 the Rex kicks in and I use that to get back home. There is an L2 charger in LG Village that's not convenient to my marina, but I have recharged there when I needed to go further north or stay overnight, etc. What I am reallly looking forward to is traveling on the NYS Thruway, now that they have begun installing L3 DC chargers at certain rest/fuel stops. They are still sporadic (often in the other direction...) without 2-way access. I have not used one of these high-power stations but am ready to be impressed. (Any suggestions/tips?) Once these are in place, I'll feel much more comfortable, especailly being on Interstates. I'll note, after two upstate NY winters, I am convinced that BMW didn't consider cold-climate ranges enough when they cut their limited gasoline-capacity deal with the sunheads at CARB. My winter max range is routinely in the mid-50s during <50F weather and beware strong headwinds toll on range. On the other hand, at 15K miles, I have relied on a borrowed car only once--to get to Mt. Desert, ME (650 miles); but otherwise, I have not resorted to a rented vehicle--that, at the outset, I presumed I would need to do. Admittedly, I don't do day-long casual cruises (and have also sold my motorcycles) any more, but those were never "necessary" ventures. Bottom line: I'm anxiety free and satisfied, and all that old gasoline budget now goes to my 60 year-old Chris-Craft Continental.  |
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BMW i Owner Moderator
BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 214000
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Post by tommoloughney on Feb 24, 2016 18:56:38 GMT -5
During the summer, I routinely drive back and forth to my boat on Lake George (65 miles north into the Adirondacks at 70mph) a couple of times per week. On my way back--about 10 miles south--on I-87 the Rex kicks in and I use that to get back home. There is an L2 charger in LG Village that's not convenient to my marina, but I have recharged there when I needed to go further north or stay overnight, etc. What I am reallly looking forward to is traveling on the NYS Thruway, now that they have begun installing L3 DC chargers at certain rest/fuel stops. They are still sporadic (often in the other direction...) without 2-way access. I have not used one of these high-power stations but am ready to be impressed. (Any suggestions/tips?) Once these are in place, I'll feel much more comfortable, especailly being on Interstates. I'll note, after two upstate NY winters, I am convinced that BMW didn't consider cold-climate ranges enough when they cut their limited gasoline-capacity deal with the sunheads at CARB. My winter max range is routinely in the mid-50s during <50F weather and beware strong headwinds toll on range. On the other hand, at 15K miles, I have relied on a borrowed car only once--to get to Mt. Desert, ME (650 miles); but otherwise, I have not resorted to a rented vehicle--that, at the outset, I presumed I would need to do. Admittedly, I don't do day-long casual cruises (and have also sold my motorcycles) any more, but those were never "necessary" ventures. Bottom line: I'm anxiety free and satisfied, and all that old gasoline budget now goes to my 60 year-old Chris-Craft Continental. My dad sold his Chris-Craft when he got married and 50 years later he still talks about how he misses that boat. He had a summer house in Lake Hopatcong, NJ since he was a kid which is where he kept it. This isn't a Chris-Craft, but an electric barrel-back boat made from Mahogany looks pretty cool to me: www.wired.com/2009/01/edison-marine-p/ |
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Electric Miles: 19000
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Post by OCULUS on Mar 2, 2016 10:43:46 GMT -5
I think they have been unplugged Tom. I went to the Wired article then tried the Edison Boat corporate link and got that "This Domain name available" message. FWIW, a Princeton EE friend who is devleoping electric boats said this was not a very efficient motor setup and for the price, should be higher tech...maybe that's what they are out doing.
Oh, and FYI I stumbled upon and bought this boat two years ago, as it was identical to my Dad's that I sported around LG in 50 years ago as a teenager! But with a 502 CID V8, it's more like my old 545i than an eco cruiser!
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BMW i Owner Moderator
BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 214000
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Post by tommoloughney on Mar 7, 2016 18:13:37 GMT -5
I think they have been unplugged Tom. I went to the Wired article then tried the Edison Boat corporate link and got that "This Domain name available" message. FWIW, a Princeton EE friend who is devleoping electric boats said this was not a very efficient motor setup and for the price, should be higher tech...maybe that's what they are out doing. Oh, and FYI I stumbled upon and bought this boat two years ago, as it was identical to my Dad's that I sported around LG in 50 years ago as a teenager! But with a 502 CID V8, it's more like my old 545i than an eco cruiser! Doesn't surprise me. So many of these ventures go belly-up before they ever really make it to market. For years I was searching the internet to see if I could buy a highway capable electric car before I stumbled upon BMW's MINI-E program application and applied. I was following so many electric car startups like Myers Motors, Phoenix Automotive, Coda and Aptera, just hoping one of them would bring EV to market. But they all pretty much failed and the major OEM's (and Tesla) were the one's to bring us electric drive after all. Oh and BTW, congratulations on being our first "Mega Contributor" (100 posts) here. We really appreciate your contributions.  |
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Mega Contributor
BMW i3 REx Owner
Electric Miles: 19000
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Post by OCULUS on Mar 8, 2016 8:13:33 GMT -5
Thanks for noticing my (surprising number of) Contributions; hope they are helpful. I am well aware of startups and fizzles; for the past 15 years, I was head of R&D Communicaitons for the NYS Energy Research and Development Authority where we played with big and small--supported them all, but few ever matriculated. I was able to view and even drive some real exotics--even including ELCO electric boats which are local. A123, Ford (fuel cell, no less), GE all have darkened our doors. I was driving converted plug-in Priuses (Priusi?) 10 years ago. Local PlugPower has reinvented itself again and is now in the fuel cell-powered forklift business. On the downside, GE's huge new battery operation here has closed as fast as it opened. I never thought I'd own an elecdtric vehicle, but I have been doing BMWs (high-performance 2- and 4-wheeled versions) for 40+ years and this package really appealed to me; so my dealer got me the first one in the Albany area. And I am still waiting for an i5! |
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