Are Electric Vehicles Useless in the Cold? - BMW i3 Winter Range

My wife recommends you buy this shirt:
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Driving in the winter is almost never fun if you actually have to get somewhere, but with an EV, it can be even more complicated as you have to worry about a few extra things. The range being the main issue with electric cars as the high voltage battery is what is used to heat up the inside of the car most of the time. Sure, there are cars that have heat pumps and that helps reduce the usage for the resistant heater, but it still takes a lot of energy to warm up a vehicle. Cold temperatures can also effect how the car is charging and how much charge it can take in a given time. Cold batteries are not happy batteries and will reduce charging speed to pre-condition and save wear and tear. This is a good thing, but it also slows down your recharges if you go on a trip. Performance can also be effected for the same reason, a cold HV battery will not be able to give full power to the motor.
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[@SimpleCarGuy]

To be clear, I love this car and I drive it daily. Yes, not all points apply to absolutely every single EV, but as a general rule it should help make a better decision if you’re buying an EV.

[@hassenfepher]

Never noticed cold performance issues in our 2017. Maybe because we live in Florida. But! Our AC compressor went out! And because "active battery cooling" it was a critical repair. Braman BMW on Okeechobee Blvd in west palm wanted 17,000$ to fix it. Foreign affairs on military trail did it for 5,000$ and have us a three year warranty.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Oh yeah, Florida winters are a nice summer’s day for us! Today it’s 14F out and I didn’t pre condition the car, I’d be going fairly slowly and freezing to work. AC compressor is a huge job, so I’m glad you found someone to do it for ‘only’ $5000. Thanks for watching!

[@CandycaneBeyond]

I have yad my Rex for 8 months now and fixed the rex so it will turn on earlier at 70% instead of 4%. Game changer for this car. This will be my first winter 🥶. I hope it goes well. I can't afford winter tires but i did just get new tires so i hope it is ok

[@tomystark5606]

How can i turn on rex at 70 proc of battery? Please type the instruction

[@CandycaneBeyond]

He has a video for it. You need the v-peek OBD adapter ​@@tomystark5606

[@CandycaneBeyond]

Would love to see a video when you hit 100k on the i3.

[@lucianpheonix4721]

Driving this car all the way down to -20 degrees is no problem. Even with the 60 Ah you have enough range to do 90% of your daily stuff. Charge it at home, 1 hour gives you 100km of range, and heat it up,and use it in eco pro+.

[@mikimiki195]

Windchill for next three days in Iowa -34 pretty sure you dealing with same weather in Chicago god help us. 😅

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Hopefully it's not another polar vortex! I can't wait for summer, already.

[@BillACK]

Good thing cars don't care about windchill.

[@alphadevyat]

3.91kW to precondition is quite a bit. But consider also that there are some charger losses as well. Love the shirt as well.

[@Pajune]

Was it preconditioned for 1h 30min or did I see wrong? Does it really need that long preconditioning?

[@gediminassumskas]

I was not able to find Rex economy in winter. In summer it is about 6l/100 km and max speed about 110km/h. Is it much worse in winter?

[@kwenger7088]

All bevs made before 2019 had a heat pump in the USA. Optional after 2019

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Thanks for the info, that's good to know!

[@mmetti]

Thanks for the helpful video. I use to live in San Diego and winter weather was never a factor. Nowe I live in upstate New York and weather is a big factor. The car will be outdoors, so I bought a car cover and I was going to keep it plugged into the 220V charger. Is that a workable idea?

[@TheSWoo]

Love the shirt😂😂

[@crazyhandshands9028]

I'll never get one the technology isn't their to expensive for a battery nuts. Get a flashlight use it regularly k then see how long it last 😢

[@bimmerfan6538]

Awesome video, learned a lot!

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Glad to hear it!

[@Iryna1123]

Lots of good info, thanks!

[@jimmiewilliams5972]

Thanks for the information, I was wondering my my i3 range decrease.

[@bobsteel4727]

Excellent info. I have the same year Rex and love having the backup range. Luckily we still have 3G up here in the Great White North until 2025! Will preconditioning the battery on 110V work if the battery is already charged?

[@crazyhandshands9028]

Garbage the 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 🔋 don't last 35.000 and a cheap one.😂

[@sbflyer20]

What are your thoughts on the reliability of the REX vs the BEV? I hear many people having drivetrain faults with the REX. I only need about 100 miles of range and I like the idea of the REX but I don't want expensive repair invoices from the BMW dealer so I'm thinking the BEV might be the less problematic option when it comes to fewer problems and visits to the dealer?

[@trucuriousity]

I have a 2015 i3 Rex in Minnesota. Summer range fully charged is 76-83 not including the Rex. Winter ranges from 33-56 or so. You will be filling the tank a lot if you go Rex. Idk what the BEV with heat pump is like, but if you have a sheltered storage space and dedicated fast charger, I'd go Bev. With the Rex I get a power loss at 6% battery when the Rex switches on. In cold weather it needs time to catch up. You have to turn off the heat and stay under 70 mph until it catches up and the percentage starts to climb again. It gets pretty cold in the cabin that way. Your windows will start to fog up. You WILL need winter tires too.

[@QUiNTiNBANKS]

Love the info

[@tperry5839]

Love this channel

[@amyvalencia7918]

Super helpful!

[@harryrjones5975]

Love the shirt!! Especially those wives who allow their husbands to tinker with their toys!!!

[@janhaugen6034]

american dont got cold winters

[@r.a.monigold9789]

I just bought an expensive pair of shoes via the WEB. They are a bad fit. So every pair of shoes from the WEB will be a bad fit. BMW EVs are the wrong cars in cold areas. Teslas use water PRESSURE for heating, not battery electricity. Teslas are the most popular CARS in NORWAY (including I.C.E. cars) - and Norway gets COLD AF.

[@edgardmata6834]

Haha where do I get that shirt?!

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Link in the description, sir!

[@Iryna1123]

Great shirt lol

[@Livefreewhileucan]

You couldnt give me one for free

[@porvoonosho]

49 miles is a joke.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

Just trying to show realistic expectations on older EVs

[@porvoonosho]

@@SimpleCarGuy True that. I remember how I got under 100 km with a brand new 94 Ah model in Finnish winter (-25° C). It didn't even have fast charging, so I was constantly filling up the REx tank. It really was a nightmare.

[@Pignapper123]

You bought the wrong car, you have the smallest battery available for that car and you need to put petrol in the tank for your rex.

[@SimpleCarGuy]

I like the car, it’s great in the summer and I’m happy with the range. I just wanted to show the difference between summer and winter so that people expectation are realistic. It’s about the percentages of range drop.