How Much Battery Capacity does a 9 Year Old BMW i3 EV have?
In this video I take a look at our 2014 BMW i3 60Ah battery maximum capacity with the EV now that it is just over 9 years old.
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Hi Dan, the i3 is a car that still feels modern and is more agile than many current and overweight EVs. It was, in my opinion, something of a masterclass in sustainability, quality and over engineering and thus made to last a very long time: e.g. a 100% charge was not really that because they had made the capacity greater than that stated, this was to reduce over charging and the subsequent degradation. We used to have a standard 120Ah model, summer range was 190 and winter about 150 -160. Had the car been equipped with a heat recovery pump (an optional extra) there would not have been little difference between the two figures. I only changed the car out of necessity because we were having to make regular non-stop long trips and therefore purchased a used, long range Tesla model 3 so that we could cover our 250 mile return trips without needing to use a charger (or a supercharger) and hence recharge on low priced night rates. Pleased to see that you are proud of your i3, I would be too, it was one of my all time favourite cars.
My 2014 i3 drives like new. Won’t be considering getting rid of it until catastrophic failure. Absolutely superb vehicles.
what'd you do in couple years when you want to sell it but batt is gone really down? is it gonna depreciate?
ive been looking to buy this car but im really worried if I get it after 1 or 2 years is going to be useless
i3 is nice car when you have it like 2 car... I have 2 cars and we use I3 for daily driving... and Cayenne when we need to pull trailer, go on trip ++ .. i3 is very cheap to drive.. and we save gas money and i service my cars.. Then it is necessary to have 2pice 😊.. Then you save money... I3 is easy to park, funny to drive, perfect in city... On full charge in summer range is 140km.. and in winter 85-95km .. in -12c and -25c ... And we need max 60km to drive in single day...
I drive the I3 90Ah, 155.000km (96.000mls), no degradation at all, still 28kWh max capacity... and still love the car... best buy ever, no repairs whatsoever except my brakes had to replaced not because of wear and tear, but because of corrosion / lack of usage, a real nuisance.
It’s good to hear about the i3 and its battery in the longer term. The range effects are due to seasonal temperature variation rather than long term degradation. Good to know, thank you.
Thanks for the video. I've not checked that menu yet in my i3 but will have a look. Will be interesting to see what it says after 20,000 miles (car is just over three years old) 👍
Awesome I've got a ampera and I'm still very happy as to range
My 2019 530e does not give the battery menu after unlocking in the service screen. 😢 its really frustrating.
Suspect battery max is allowable battery capacity to the consumer, not actual battery which is likely to be higher. Car manufacturers always leave a buffer to allow for degradation and minimum charge (to prevent damage)
My car is from 2015 with 134k km and 16.2 kWh left, can vary. That’s not bad at all.
My 2016 i3 90Ah model have 94% capacity still (62tKm ODO)
If you see that a car with this small battery has to be charged about 800 - 900 times for 60.000 miles, it is clear that a battery double the size (with the same consumption) only has to be charged 400-450 times. And even with so many charging cycles, you have no big degredation. If I am right, the i3 has no big heat management for the battery. Newer cars are so much better there, so the battery is even less stressed in newer cars.
I think it's not that simple. In newer cars, the batterie cells are more optimized towards energy density and cost. So even with better thermal management, they may not have lower degradation compared to these older cells like the ones used in the i3. E.g. the battery cell for the i3 94Ah version has a cycle life of 5200 cycles when charged at 0.5C and a calendar life of 26 years. That's much more than you'll find on most modern cells.
You are not right. The i3 has one of the best thermal management in any electric car, still up to this day.
@@kmusicmagazine No, the first ones had no heat pump and the range extender heat could not been used. When driving with the range extender and using the heater, the car was slower uphills than most trucks. Turning the heater off gave you about 10 kmh extra.
@@philherb3843 Heat pump and REX have nothing to do with the thermal battery management at all. It has been with the very first i3 and is closely connected to the regular AC system.
@philherb3843 The REX, power output, has nothing to do with its thermal management. and it has one of the best thermal management systems, of any EV created over a decade ago. Have fun pretending you know what you're talking about.
How anyone can be happy with 70 miles before a charge needed compared with a full tank of petrol beats me.
Depends on the use of that car. Obviously not suitable for long journeys, but in the city it’s great.
Well i have a 2015 Bmw i3 that gets 70 miles and in 3 months have not spent a cent on gas.3,000 miles....beat that..
@@gregmccarter3243 So maybe your cents have been spent on electricity instead?
It’s perfect for me and my husband. I’m disabled and drive approx 35 miles a week just to my sons house or maybe for a grocery pick up. We keep this in the garage for me and he drives a larger SUV that runs on gasoline and is also our primary vehicle when we go places together.
@@firstlast5350 I charge the electric car during the off peak night rate and the cost is less than 2p per mile. The petrol for our other car costs more than 13p per mile. Also maintenance cost for the electric is almost zero