BMW – Page 2 – My ActiveE Made Me Accidentally Environmental

I finally got to drive and ride the BMWi i3 last week…

I’m happy with it. To REX or not to REX that is the question. To i3 or not to i3 is another question and it all depends on what BMWi will do for ActiveE participants financially. Having provided two years of real world testing on the technology AND paying BMW for the right to do so should be worth something.

The i3 is a city car. There are those on the Teslamotorsclub.com forum on the i3 that keep harping on the range and having to refill the REX that are looking at the i3 as an either i3 or a Model S debate and I am not one of those. It will depend on what my day and drive will be like. It’s range will make it ideal for most commutes and the size makes it great to zip in and out of traffic. As much as I really enjoy the Model S, it’s a difficult vehicle for day to day commutes. Those that are used to commuting with vehicles in its size should have no problems. Unfortunately, prior to driving my Active E, I have been using a Honda Civic Hybrid and a 2000 BMW 323CiC prior to that for my daily commute. As a result, I am used to driving vehicles of a certain size. Now, it has been less than a month that I’ve been driving a Model S and I may very well adjust to its size and this will be a non-issue. However, the Model S remains to be a larger vehicle than what I have been used to.

Before making it into the event, I went to park in downtown Los Angeles and had a BMW ActiveE sighting. So, for kicks, I decided to park back-to-back with it.

I will miss seeing these cars on the roads of Southern California. Many of the earlier ones will start to head back to BMW starting in January, unless the Electronut chooses to bridge the Active E’s service until their i3 is delivered.

So… What about the i3?

We’ll take this one…

The interior dash is stunning

The natural wood married with technology is reminiscent of the failed Fisker Karma. It was noted later in the Electronaut event that the wood will darken and richen with age.

Additionally, the i3 is built on a skateboard, akin to the Model S and there is a spot for ladies to put a purse between the driver and passenger.

I tried playing with the infotainment system on the i3, but the ones provided to us did not seem to be working so well. I am sure this is an issue with these specific cars. I will have to check it out at the dealership again.

So, how does it handle?

The course provided to us took us to the parking lot for the LA Coliseum where we took turns making figure eights with the i3. It is fun, quick, and has a nice tight turning radius. Forwards and backwards.

There is space for things in this vehicle.

What is interesting is the cheesy covers for the charging ports…

Covered

J1772 open, SAE Quick charge covered

Both open

One of the benefits that the i3 has over the Model S, rear seat cup-holders.

However, the Model S is bigger… Just like its Frunk

So, what is glaring? Apparently the BMW i folks decided that their gussometer is so accurate (taking traffic, changes in elevation, etc.) that they have decided to remove the SOC that has been so prominent in the Active E. I believe that this is a glaring error on their part. This algorithm is very good at predicting using past data that it does not take into account multiple driver families. As often as I am the driver of a particular vehicle, I share all our vehicles with my better half and she drives differently than I do. I use the SOC to calculate for myself whether my aggressive driving style will need to be adjusted during my commute. The guessometer does not take that into consideration. Put the SOC back in and that should fix it. Additionally, use the keys to determine which driver is using the vehicle. The Guessometer should log my driving style for MY keys and log my wife’s driving style for HER key. Just a thought.

Here’s a great panoramic of the i3s in a row.

Hopefully the East Coast Electronaut contingent can get the point across to our BMW i folks.

Aside from the i3 Test Drive fun, it was great to have caught up with the Electronauts and Mini E Pioneers at the event.

After almost two years of being in this program, it is always a pleasant time to hang with these folks. Especially since I don’t spend time with them on Facebook. The top three West Coast mileage leaders were all in the photo and we were missing Mariel Knoll for the top four. Also in the picture is Active E mileage leader Tom Moloughney.

Leviton EVSEs and BMW Active E

Regular readers may note that I reported a video many months ago regarding some weird grinding noises when I plug my Active E to a Ford branded Leviton charger at a dealership. It would start the charge, but this really unnerving grinding sound occurs. The first time this happened, I unplugged my Active E and left the dealership without much of a fuss.

I experienced the same grinding sounds months later at ANOTHER Ford dealership. This time, it was during the process of assisting my mother look for her first EV. Which resulted in her choice of the 2013 Nissan Leaf SV in Ocean Blue. This time, I needed the charge, so I left it in while we did our test drive and negotiations. Apart from the grinding noise, the car did take a charge and that was that.

In preparation for the pending removal of access to BMW’s EVSE when the i3 is launched, I have started looking at several “transportable” EVSEs and decided on purchasing a Leviton EVB40-PST. This is a 40Amp 9.6kw EVSE that uses a NEMA 6-50 plug to deliver 40 Amps and was a good way to future protect from chargers that are up to 9.6kw and greater than the 6.6kw chargers out there. The Active E was rated at 7.2kw and I wanted to make use of that and the i3 is supposed to be at 7.4kw and I wanted to be ready. So, I had my electrician wire up another EVSE location a few days ago.

Well, it looks like there is an incompatibility between the Leviton and ActiveE. The symptoms are similar to the ones found at Ford. However, this time right after the grinding sound starts, the fault light comes on and the EVSE stops charging.

So, I guess I’m returning this one to Amazon.

Just lucky, I guess…

In some cultures, the number 8 is very lucky…

So, I feel fortunate to come closest to 88,888 on my Active E by posting 38,888 miles…

Went furniture shopping this weekend and used our inverse Active E (known as a BMW X5) and that’s up to 123,456 miles. Considering I recently killed its battery, I have to remind myself to drive some ICE. Used to drive this car all the time and after 12 years, it’s finally becoming a fairly “low-mileage” 123,456 mile vehicle. Used to average approximately 15-20,000 miles a year, and it’s really been relegated to occasional use (up to the mountains to ski or to Costco/haul large items) since then.

On the Active E front… Got really lucky getting home with 2 miles left.

I normally back up to park, however, thought I could head in and charge… That didn’t help, so nervously backed up and re-parked (and lost one more percentage point on the state of charge and mile)

It is better to be lucky than good…

The dangers of high mileage EV use… Battery replacement!

One of the folks that I like to read often is Tom Moloughney’s blog (Aka Electronaut One) and he’s been writing about Battery Capacity loss and giving some hints on how to help mitigate it. As many readers know, it would seem that I am one of the higher mileage Active E drivers. I’m currently a little over 30,000 miles in a little over 14 months. And I find it hard to follow some of his advice as I tend to have to drive the mileage that I do and can’t really get to where I’m going comfortably if I decide to only charge to 80% SOC, so… I don’t. Regardless, the dangers of high mileage EV use is Battery Replacement! So at a little over 30,000 miles these past 14 months and change on the EV portion of my hybrid garage.

Some of the things to consider as we’re nearing the second month of samples of my Volt inspired sample of my hybrid garage. In my initial month, I did approximately 85% Electric vs. 15% Gasoline. This past month so far, I’m closer to 70% Electric vs. 30% Gasoline and a lot of that was because I decided to be a little more Rage Sane than Range Insane to my drive to Morro Bay.

Regardless. If folks decide to look deeper into my samples, they would notice that I haven’t driven my approximately $0.20 to $0.25 per mile BMW X5. This was originally because of choice than anything else. I didn’t really need to haul anything larger, pick anyone up at the airport with lots of luggage, or just feel “bigger” than the rest of traffic. So, the car sat at the garage. Well. It’s a nearly 12 year old car. A couple of weeks ago, I figured to start it… And Lo and Behold, it wouldn’t start. The battery was dead. The last time I bought a battery was less than six years ago, but one of the dangers of running a hybrid garage is IGNORING your ICE vehicles. Granted, this was the same challenge when my HOV capable vehicle was a Honda Hybrid Civic. But that car was not nearly as fun to drive as ANY of my BMWs. So, I drove the X5 a little more than we do now.

The Morro Bay drive went convertible top because the weather was ideal for it. We could have easily spent more money and gone with the X5 because we were headed into Santa Barbara and Central Coast Wine Country and could’ve opted to have space for a few cases, comfortably.

Regardless, the battery died. It had to be replaced. Luckily, the last replacement still had nine months left on its warranty and we got a 9/72 partial refund on the older battery to make our replacement approximately $120 after taxes. Basically the refund covered $17 of a totally brand new battery.

This experience has gotten me thinking of Tom’s write up and battery replacement in general. Tesla has just released an enhancement to its service and repair program that includes an enhancement to the coverage of the battery pack. They’ve already spelled out the cost for the 60 KwH and the 85 KwH battery packs ($8,000 and $12,000 respectively, I believe.) The Nissan Leaf’s battery capacity warranty has been spelled out in terms of what to expect over time and mileage I believe. i.e. 80% SOC on year 5 or something like that.

BMW i needs to do the same thing for the battery packs for the i3 and i8 when the cars are released or even slightly before the release of the car. As Tom champions, I second the motion. Potential purchasers of the i3 (of which I continue to hold on to hope that our second EV will be, though that Fiat 500e sure looks aesthetically pleasing to me… even though the Fiat does remind me of a gumdrop, but I digress,) will need to be able to compare EVs to each other. However as the aforementioned Tom Moloughney wrote, the Fiat 500e and the i3’s battery systems are identical, so I don’t really need to compare these specific cars (unless there’s a change in how each company regulates the temperature of each vehicle.) for what the expected battery loss figures would be. It’s not just EVs that lose capacity/capability as it ages, ICE cars also lose power as the cars age. That’s just entropy in action. It’s just front and center to EVs. I don’t necessarily like to lease my cars, regardless of what fuel motivates it. I would much rather own it outright and just pay for the things that keep it moving.

So, barring such information on battery replacement from most manufacturers, it would just be the responsible thing to do to put away some of the “gasoline savings” aside into a fund for a rainy day. Whether one save approximately $10,000 (the figure between the two Model S published numbers) or less is entirely dependent on the EV owner’s resources and ability to save. I think that it is prudent to put aside half of what a future EV buyer saves on gasoline toward purchasing a replacement battery pack in the future. I didn’t come to this number through ANY analytical means, just a guess, if you will.

Minimizing gas use…

So, about a month ago I was inspired by an article, on Plugincars.com regarding BMW’s plan to allow i3 drivers the ability to rent a traditional gas (internal combustion engine/ICE) BMW when they need it, to figure out how often my family uses ICE vs. EV.

Seeing that there are two of us who use vehicles in the family, I figured to count the FAMILY’s usage of Gas vs. Electric.

So, I decided to log my mileage of use for the period between March 6 and April 5, 2013. It was a rather interesting log. We travelled a total of 2,948 miles in this period of which we did 2,499 miles Electric vs. 449 miles on gasoline. I anticipated a heavier gasoline use this past month as we were going to help our nephew move. Ended up not using the X5 for this and he only needed a few items which fit our ActiveE, so, score 1 for the EV use.

However, as things do tend to go to the mean, the 328i ended up with a recall. Of all things, in the electric wiring of the vehicle. As a result, had to do almost 100 of those miles gasoline and 22 of the approximately 100 miles was using a 5 series loaner.

Good thing the BMW ActiveE folks were not planning on the Morro Bay FB meetup until tomorrow, otherwise, I would be adding another 460 miles on gas as I’m not crazy enough to wait the hours needed to charge the Active E on the drive north and south to the meet.

Hats off to some of my fellow electronauts who live a fully electric life, I’m not sure if I can quite do that yet.

These brave souls all live fully electric, or at least nearly so – check out the blogs of Todd Crook, Peter Norby, and Pamela Thwaite

Todd is impressive because the whole family uses the ActiveE, solely! Peter has both an ActiveE and a Honda Fit EV, and Pamela Thwaite‘s family has 3 Electric cars. A Tesla (roadster, I believe), Active E, and a Mitsubishi iMiev for the kids.

Still, at 85% electric vs. 15% gasoline. I think I’m doing well… Saving a lot of money and enjoying the ride! Figuring that my 2499 electric miles is closer to $21.64 and my 449 miles of gasoline is closer to $85 (using an inflated approximate $0.19 per mile as I do not have the cost per mile for the 5 series vs. my $0.17 per mile calculated convertible 328i cost.) If I were to extend $0.17 per mile to the 2499 electric miles, I’m saving about $400 on not buying gas. (not even factoring in $100/hour per the currently controversial articles on Tesla’s leasing program.)

When we get a Tesla Model S (unless BMW comes out with a more aesthetically pleasing i3 or cheaper i8 BEV, not hybrid) and with that range, we would probably not need to drive as much gas as we do now.

One Year of EV Driving… Pure Joy… The ActiveE and me!

So…

Yesterday was “hump day”… Not really sure which day to count as I picked up the car on the evening of February 23, 2012 and I have to return it back to BMW on February 24, 2014… The Leap Year throws me off, so I guess a post on the 25th would be the best I can do to celebrate the first year of EV Driving.

As always, I like to post my mileage pictures, and I don’t know whether to count the day I parked the car at LAX this weekend (the 23rd) at 26,064 miles…

Or when I got back home on Sunday night, the 24th at 26,090 miles…

Either way, I’ve done a lot of driving over the past year. Surprisingly, the weekend that I celebrate one year with my car, I’m away from it and it’s soaking in the last few days of subsidized LAX parking on my quick weekend away to Napa and Sonoma.

This post was going to be a little funnier than it has ended up to be as I planned on taking advantage of BMW and Sixt’s JV in the Bay Area and “cheat” on my ActiveE with a car rental. However, the timing of my arrival into San Francisco airport on Satuday morning and my lunch appointment at the French Laundry forced me to abandon those plans and opt with a traditional ICE rental (Ford Focus) from Dollar Rental Car. I will follow up with a post on my attempt to pick a car on my day back from the Wine Country.

So, what do I have to share with the world that I have not already done (nor someone else more eloquently wrote…)

RANGE ANXIETY

Let me start with some tips that I like to give to others as they drive EV. Top of my list as a high mileage individual is Range Anxiety and how to cope with it.

All vehicles have a range problem. It’s just whether or not you’ll make it to the next fueling station and whether or not you would be willing to pay that price for the fuel during the time spent at the fueling station. I’ve mitigated my anxiety by arming myself with knowledge about my vehicle and what my options are around me. Some of the things I do to be more comfortable are:

1) After each FULL charge that I complete, I reset my Miles per kWh reading and odometer so that I can have visual feedback on how I am driving and how far I have gone. Armed with the M/kWh figure I can figure out how much range I have to go in my 27 usable kWh battery pack. Coupled with BMW’s guesstimator I know how I need to drive and where I can drive to.

This was after starting at freeway speeds from home…

And after a short (for me) commute of approx 38 miles

So, I went from a 2.7 miles per kwh to 3.7 miles per kwh average.

2) I always have at least two devices that have the following Apps – Chargepoint, Plugshare, Recargo, and Blink. In that order. In a pinch I will pay for charging, but for the most part I try to find subsidized charging. If you can get your electrons for free, why not? I carry a BlackBerry for my primary telephone, but also have iOs devices so that I can run the apps. I use a MiFi for Internet access for those devices so it works for me.

3) I almost always set the car to precondition. It’s not that big a deal in Southern California as we don’t really have the swings in temperature, but it makes me feel better. In order to ensure that I come back to a car at 100% SOC vs. 98% SOC I set the preconditioning close to the projected end of the charge time.

The picture below would have a time to full charge when the car is plugged in and charging. You can then set the delayed preconditioning setting to 15-20 minutes before the end of the cycle to force the car to precondition WHILE it is still charging so that it will complete charging and preconditioning at 100%. Otherwise, if you do it from a cold battery (which is what I do on overnight charges) you may start your drive at 98%.

So. Armed with information and experience, I can pretty much get around town, and often do. I have my 70 mile days and I have my 102 mile days with a few greater than 120 mile days and some parked and not going anywhere days thrown in between.

FUN TO DRIVE

Almost all EVs are fun to drive. So, if you’re not in an ActiveE, go out there and get a different one and have fun – JOIN the rEVolution!. I’m just lucky enough to be in a BMW ActiveE. This car really drives like a BMW. I remember the first time I drove my BMW X5. After test driving the Benz ML320 several times, it took one test drive of the X5 for my wife and I to decide that the advertisements for the “Ultimate Driving Machine” rings true.

I have test driven several other EVs this past year and I have only considered the Tesla Model S to be the only other one that I would like to “own”. I would prefer to keep within the BMW family, however, BMW’s refusal to provide a longer range pure BEV as opposed to a REX enabled i3 will be the cause of my movement to a Tesla. I prefer the size of the ActiveE and i3 after it to the Tesla, however, the design is really the issue. The i3 is just too different from the styling that attracted us to BMW. It also helps that the Tesla has the larger range.

A lot has been said about the ActiveE’s regenerative braking and I am a convert of this as well. Most of the other EVs have regen that is not quite as aggressive and therefore, I need to hit the brakes more than I do in my ActiveE. BMW “got it right” with how the ActiveE grabs hold of the brakes and lets me drive my ActiveE with a single pedal. Perhaps it has to do with BMW’s history with motorcycles. Most recently I had one of my most trusted colleagues drive the car in my stead and he commented that the single paddle experience was similar to how some motorcycles performed. (he rides a BMW motorcycle).

What can BMW do to keep me as a future BMW EV driver. Build EVs that look like a BMW! The aesthetic is IMPORTANT. Others have commented on how much they like the i3… I’m not one of them. I like the i8 (all of them), but I’m not spending that kind of money on any car. The reported prices are the price of a Model S and Model X combined. And that sort of commitment will drive me toward Tesla.

KEEP SURPRISING ME

Even after one year of EV driving under the belt, the experience still surprises me. I’ve done 5 scheduled maintenance trips and 2 unscheduled ones to the dealership. The most famous one was my first Drivetrain Malfunction from less than one week into the experience that was documented in the BMW ActiveE Forums.

My last service experience was a little over 250 miles ago at 25,750 and the car was in the shop for about a day. This is effectively the same experience I’ve had with my X5 and 3 series vehicles. As this process becomes more common, I expect to have the opportunity to drive my ActiveE more in the following year and hope to drive greater than the 26,090 that I did in my first year. But we’ll have to see.

The most recent thing I learned is a “new” BMW thing rather than a BMW EV thing, but it points to some of the things that make BMW a top notch company and why I am still hoping that the delay that I did (though it did force me into the $2,500 price increase for the Model S) to take delivery of the Model S next year would give BMW some time to come up with something aesthetically more pleasing (or at least give me and my better half the chance to get used to the i3 and go with that instead). Oh yeah, so what was it that I learned recently…

Do you see the change in tint on the picture below?

Or here

Apparently that is where you need to install your transponder

The newer BMWs have a coating that keeps out IR and this could inhibit the Toll Collection transponders from responding properly. In Southern California, there are these newer switchable transponders that one must use to self-report the number of passengers in the vehicle and the agency is unable to get an accurate count if the transponder is not in the clear glass section. What this means is that you either do not get the “discounted” or free rate to travel the toll roads with more people in the car.

So, those that are travelling on I-110 or I-10 Tollways in a newer BMW, take note if you keep getting charged for solo travel if you have multiple passengers in the vehicle.

The passion that folks have for their EVs is warranted. The numerous stories of the recent NYT vs. Tesla spat and the Tesla Owners who got together to recreate that drive is a several day long commitment to show the world that EVs are hopefully here to stay.

ACCIDENTALLY ENVIRONMENTAL INDEED

I just forwarded some of my family members a link to a contest that Solar City is doing to get people signed up for solar power. The prize is a 3 year lease of a Smart EV with a 1.5kW Solar Array to folks in certain markets who don’t currently have an EV in them. My goal was NOT environmental, it was purely economical. The more access that I have to PRIVATE chargers that I will have little contention for, the farther my range in my ActiveE for the next year. Sure, it will be cool to get them on the rEVolution. But, that’s secondary to me. I am PURPOSELY not linking the Solar City offer as I want to give them a better chance of winning this sweepstakes! (so there!)

Over the past year I have gone from getting the ActiveE to be able to drive the HOV lanes by myself to a vocal proponent of EVs in general. I don’t care about the environment, in the traditional sense. I care about saving money in the long run. Yes, it may seem that some of these things are costlier in the short run, but I expect to be around for a long time and I expect my next vehicle to be around for a long time as well. Too bad I have one year left on my ActiveE. But sure am glad in the journey that it and I have taken together.

Cheers from London! The permanent BMWi Store Park Lane, Mayfair, London

In London for a quick trip and decided to stop by the BMWi Store in Mayfair. Mayfair is a pretty glitzy part of London and the first location identified by BMW to present it’s BMWi sub-brand with a permanent and prominent location. Amidst walking by the Aston Martin dealership and others in the area, I have to admit that the strategy may just be the right one.

Outside –

Inside –

To view the entire set… My good friends at Flickr…

This location was originally set up prior to the BMWi World Tour that we visited in New York City and currently features older versions of the i3 and i8 Concept. What makes this location different than the World tour is the space is much smaller and the vehicles themselves are older versions of the i3 and i8.

The i8 at this location was the one featured in the film Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (AKA Mission Impossible 4) and was the first of the i series that I’ve ever seen in any media.

It’s still a beauty.

Another difference is that the carbon fiber shell in this display was of the i8 and not the i3 as was seen on the World Tour…

Front of the car –

Back of the car –

The young lady, Jess, who hosted our visit to the BMWi store explained that the biggest challenge that they have at the location was having to explain to interested parties that they would have to wait to take delivery of the i8. Some of the more affluent have tried to resort to offering more than BMW is asking for the car to get it delivered NOW. Alas, this writer does love the look of any of the BMW i8s, but will have to resort to considering the i3 or i3 Coupe if I were to stick with the BMW line.

With the location in Mayfair, I would think that BMW would be moving more of the i8s than the i3s… But, I guess time will tell.

Next time, I’ll have to try to get to BMW Headquarters and see the exhibit of 40 years of BMW Electrics that they tweet/G+ post from time to time.

Oh, and we’re ONE WEEK from my ONE YEAR Anniversary and the Active E is going in for “regular” service on Tuesday. Here’s to wishing for a quick turnaround!

ActiveE at 22,222 miles

ActiveE at 22,222 miles, a photo by dennis_p on Flickr.

Some things that I have learned these past 22,222 miles… 100 mile range is fine, but as more and more folks start getting plug-in cars, whether hybrid vehicles like the Fisker Karma or the Chevy Volt or pure EV like the Nissan Leaf, the infrastructure to support the EVs will need to grow FASTER to keep up with the demand to run electric. I find that many of the charging stations that I used to be able to rely on are now getting to be more crowded than before.

It’s great to see an uptick in demand, but that just means that the supply needs to increase as well, or the manufacturers will need to come up with something HIGHER ranged than 100 miles. A fact that is driving me toward a Tesla Model S for primary EV and may get me to an i3 with Range Extender.

By the way, the picture above is me braking to a stop (thus the regen indicator (the one on the right) as regenerating quite a bit of power back into the batteries). I make the comment on the need for more charging stations because you will note that the PLUG IN NOW Exclamation Point indicator is on (meaning my SOC is less than 30%) and I’ve only gone about 59 miles one way on this picture. Which is to say that my range is closer to 80 miles one way today and I would have to blame that on the distinctive LACK of traffic on the inbound route to work today which had traffic speeds decidedly HIGHER than the posted speed limit.

Oh, and a Happy New Year to you too!

Mea culpa

I did it…

I was hoping to wait until April, but this darn price increase forced me to commit earlier than I wanted to.

What was it that I did…

I put my deposit down for one of these –

What can I say? I really like BMWs, but the styling of the i3 leaves much to be desired.

The i3 4 door is ok, it just doesn’t look like other BMWs.

The newly unveiled i3 Coupe looks even better, but I do want the four door functionality!

I was hoping to put down the deposit by April to take delivery of the Model S by the time the ActiveE lease ends and I am forced to give back the car, but Tesla’s price increase and the inevitability of it all got me off the fence.

This isn’t to say that I won’t be getting an i3, but it does mean that the deal has to be that much better to get me to one as well. A deposit on a Model S at this time

Finally finishing up my 20k service…

, a photo by dennis_p on Flickr.

The car went into the shop on Monday, December 3rd to finalize the work from the 20,000 mile service. 21,021 miles… Not bad. Waited a few weeks for the part to (hopefully) fix the spline design issue that’s been reported.I’m hoping that the charging issue that folks have been reporting on Chargepoint/Coulomb chargers don’t affect this vehicle as I have a Coulomb charger at home. Fingers crossed. Still waiting on my dealership to tell me to pick up the car… Though it looks like Thursday, Dec. 6th… as of right now.