BMW i3s overheats on Autobahn at TOP speed

And quickly too!

[@hawedehre]

The car also reduces power quickly going up-hill fast. I have some mountains here to verify, but overall I don’t care much. It is fast enough for me and it does a good job, also getting energy back on the way down and saving brakes.

[@super69ev]

It does! Overall I still love it very much.

[@thumper1747]

I don’t think BMW wanted or expected drivers to cruise at 99mph and that’s it’s programmed to throttle back. It seems to recover quickly after you relent on the speed. I intend to buy one once the price is right (for a 2021 car) but I drive at 66mph on road trips, so I assume I’ll be okay? Thanks for posting the vid

[@super69ev]

You will love it. I'm sure about that.

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi, greetings from the U.K. I’ve owned an i3 since 2019, quite possibly the best car I’ve ever owned, and I’m 58yo. I’ve not had any issues with mine, the only expense has been 4 new tyres at 36k miles, some screen wash and cleaning materials 😜. The official maximum speed here is 70mph, though in reality it is probably 85mph based on 20% of drivers. I am reassured by your findings here, it suggests to me that BMW have built protection of the drive train into their software, and that’s a good thing. If you need to drive crazy all day, then perhaps a Tesla Model 3 performance is a better choice?

[@super69ev]

A way better choice! But not as much fun as the i3.

[@jimf4748]

Like the new camera position. Looks like it's not the battery it appears more to be the motor.

[@mundoracer]

Thanks for testing this so i don't have to 👍

[@super69ev]

You are most welcome!

[@karelvanlangenaker2677]

What a bullshit, who will drive such a car in such a way ? You know anybody who bought this car just for driving at max speed on highways ? Its very clear that this way of driving was never the intention off its engineers who designed it. Then, it was a milestone and it still is today with its carbon structure and the advanced interiordesign for that period. Ours, runs very costeffective, most of the time just on our solarpanels, still makes me smile when driving it.

[@super69ev]

The car is marketed as the most sporty of the i3, therefore it would be perfectly understandable that the car could be used for spirited driving. However that is impossible because of the super quick overheating.

[@alessandro-on9zz]

every time i take the i3s i am always on full power, and after 2-3 accellerations it cuts power. so annoying

[@stefanwinkel7018]

so true☝

[@stefanwinkel7018]

@@alessandro-on9zz buy a Taycan ^^

It looks like overheating but I wouldn't put my hand on it if it really is. It could also be some kind of timer that only allows full acceleration for a certain period of time and then reduces the Sport mode to Eco-Pro acceleration for material safety reasons.

[@super69ev]

That could very wel be! Some other people have also suggested that and there should be some BMW document that says the car will shut down full power after 60 seconds. I could try a new film and as soon as the power drops get of the throttle and accelerate right after. That should do the trick.

[@entswaggles]

How are you measuring the battery temp?

[@super69ev]

With a car scanner app and obd plug.

[@entswaggles]

@@super69ev I wonder how reliable that is

[@super69ev]

@entswaggles I don’t know. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@kojoefante]

What year and specs ?

[@super69ev]

It's a BMW i3s from 2019

[@Erebusland]

Pues en un fin de semana en agosto en España a 34C, 1300km todo autopista y ningún problema 😅

[@super69ev]

But was that full gas?

[@_rhapsodist]

@@super69ev they have speed limits in Spain..

[@beforebefore]

The BMW i3 motor (and whole car) is about minimalism... the bearings are permanently sealed, the rotor gets zero cooling, and the stator only gets external housing cooling. Most worthwhile EV designs use at least front bearing "constant lubrication" by incorporating the entire drive motor, or at least the front of the motor into the transmission... and use its recirculating lubrication system... usually with cooling. Reputable EVs also use oil-spray or at least flow of oil directly over the stator windings (not the outer housing), and some even use a controlled flow of oil across the rotor... to protect the magnets from reaching the Curie point (permanent reduction of magnetic field strength) BMW puts a 30 second limit on the drive motor full HP rating, because of the inadequate cooling design. It's a city car, not an autobahn cruiser... that's their excuse. Sadly, some of what I've read about their newer EVs leads me to believe they have only partially improved their designs... after all, it is cheaper... and what... just because it's built in the home of the Autobahn, does that mean it should be able to run on it? It's just BMW after all... who used to have the slogan "Ultimate Driving Machine"... not any more.

[@super69ev]

Thanks for this great insight. I still love it but it would have been nice if I could rip on it for a bit longer. The battery seems to keep up easily.