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      07-01-2014, 09:58 PM   #1
Rapcat
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Long drive home tomorrow

I'm picking up my i3 (BEV) tomorrow morning at Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA. It is 264 miles from my house. I plan on stopping at a Level 3 charging station in Hermosa Beach, then at Valencia BMW for a 4 hour charge up and then finally stopping at Bakersfield BMW where I'll have a tow truck meet me to take me home. I didn't want to charge for another 4 hours in Bakersfield and then have to charge again before getting home late at night, so it'll be quite the adventure. It will take a lot of luck, some good planning and hopefully this heat wave won't be so bad because I'll need to do ECO Pro for the portion of the grapevine. I guess I'll see how it does up hills/mountains.

Wish me luck!
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      07-02-2014, 04:08 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Rapcat View Post
I'm picking up my i3 (BEV) tomorrow morning at Crevier BMW in Santa Ana, CA. It is 264 miles from my house. I plan on stopping at a Level 3 charging station in Hermosa Beach, then at Valencia BMW for a 4 hour charge up and then finally stopping at Bakersfield BMW where I'll have a tow truck meet me to take me home. I didn't want to charge for another 4 hours in Bakersfield and then have to charge again before getting home late at night, so it'll be quite the adventure. It will take a lot of luck, some good planning and hopefully this heat wave won't be so bad because I'll need to do ECO Pro for the portion of the grapevine. I guess I'll see how it does up hills/mountains.

Wish me luck!
The charging stations at any public charging station or BMW center will be level 2, so that will give you a 85% state of charge (SOC) within ~3 hours from a almost 0% level. You should be able to charge it up a pretty good amount and be able to get home. How far are the distances between these charging points?
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      07-02-2014, 05:08 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Kevin_Genius@BMWMtLaurel View Post
The charging stations at any public charging station or BMW center will be level 2, so that will give you a 85% state of charge (SOC) within ~3 hours from a almost 0% level. You should be able to charge it up a pretty good amount and be able to get home. How far are the distances between these charging points?
It's about 60 miles between charge points. I'm charging in Valencia now, pretty nice here, and have about 71% or 55 miles. My next hop is 52 miles but I have to go uphill through the grapevine. Getting a little nervous.
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      07-02-2014, 06:50 PM   #4
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This thread is worthless without pics and metrics..
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      07-02-2014, 08:10 PM   #5
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This thread is worthless without pics and metrics..
Once I get home I'll upload some pics. Still on my way back from the dealership
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      07-07-2014, 11:46 AM   #6
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Buy a brand new car and you need a flatbed to get it home…………………. I get that this car isn't made for long trips, but surely there is a better way. Everyone that thinks the Rex goes against the car's intended purpose still feel that way?

In any event, looking forward to your updates on how the ride went and how you like the car so far.

Last edited by chrisny; 07-07-2014 at 11:56 AM..
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      07-07-2014, 12:38 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisny View Post
Buy a brand new car and you need a flatbed to get it home…………………. I get that this car isn't made for long trips, but surely there is a better way. Everyone that thinks the Rex goes against the car's intended purpose still feel that way?

In any event, looking forward to your updates on how the ride went and how you like the car so far.
You only buy the car once! My dealer traded another to get the options I wanted, and they took a flatbed to pick it up...it just seemed like the right thing to do. Why spend an extra (nearly) $4k with oil changes, antifreeze, muffler, spark plugs, etc. that need maintenance for what may be a one-time use? The BEV really only has one service at 2-years to change the brake fluid and replace the cabin air filter.
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      07-07-2014, 12:53 PM   #8
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You only buy the car once! My dealer traded another to get the options I wanted, and they took a flatbed to pick it up...it just seemed like the right thing to do. Why spend an extra (nearly) $4k with oil changes, antifreeze, muffler, spark plugs, etc. that need maintenance for what may be a one-time use? The BEV really only has one service at 2-years to change the brake fluid and replace the cabin air filter.
I hear you, but going from dealer to dealer is different. They wouldn't drive your car from one dealer to another and put miles on your brand new car to transport it, just like they don't drive X5's up from South Carolina to deliver them to NY or CA (or SC for that matter!)…. My point was really, not just for the initial delivery (though the thought of picking up a new car and needing a flatbed once you're almost home does bug me, even if he did have other options), but just seems logical to me that if you're spending this much on a car, the extra $4k to double your distance even if you only need it occasionally is worth it, IMHO. Obviously that's subjective, but I'm just responding to those that have said the Rex goes against the 'city car' principle the car was designed for… just because you only use it in the city/around town 90% of the time, why not add an available feature that lets you take longer trips on occasion as well, if for no other reason than giving you piece of mind during those trips.

It's a fun little car, why wouldn't you want to take it on the occasional day or weekend trip to grandma's or whatever, or even short vacations (that don't require a ton of gear, of course ).. That's all I really meant.
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      07-07-2014, 01:33 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by chrisny View Post
. . . . just seems logical to me that if you're spending this much on a car, the extra $4k to double your distance even if you only need it occasionally is worth it, IMHO. Obviously that's subjective, but I'm just responding to those that have said the Rex goes against the 'city car' principle the car was designed for… just because you only use it in the city/around town 90% of the time, why not add an available feature that lets you take longer trips on occasion as well, if for no other reason than giving you piece of mind during those trips.

It's a fun little car, why wouldn't you want to take it on the occasional day or weekend trip to grandma's or whatever, or even short vacations (that don't require a ton of gear, of course ).. That's all I really meant.
You and I are in the same choir, however the USA rex currently falls short of your range. Given the extra gear the (electric) rex range is around 70 miles vs 83 for the bev. The gas assist is apparently required to offer less range than battery mode so it seems 50-60 miles is about what one can add.

For 95% of my driving the 70 mile range would be fine, it is just the occasional longer weekend travel where additional range would be a real asset. Most here have read Tom Moloughney's well documented exploits. He seems to be getting along fine with his rex and managing trips by stopping for gas every hour. He is a better sport than I, though he does demonstrate what can be done.

If the USA rex could be directed to kick in the assist with 25% SOC as they can across the pond then you could run to the end of the tank and still trundle on to the next gas station. That and the extra half gallon would make this proposition a great deal more palatable for me.

I hope others chime in and join this chorus and that BMW USA will take heed.
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