[Fluid15]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

After a few weeks of eDrive40 ownership we took the i4 on a (short) trip from Phx metro to Tucson, est. RT ~ 250 mi. Destination was son’s soccer game so we had a hard arrival time and only budgeted about an hour excess for the unexpected. Someone not-to-be named forgot to charge the car, thus we needed to charge on the way there. I was curious if the car could make it without stopping, if starting with 100% battery. I was unsure how consumption would be affected by highway speeds since my only EV experience was with my Tesla Model 3 (single motor, 200 mi range) and it appeared to drastically consume energy when above the 70-75mph range. I never did it long enough for solid data but during trips from Phx to San Diego I noticed that range almost 'halved' from 2mi per 1% to 1 mi per 1% by observing it over a 10-15 min span (flat hwy).

There is an Electrify America about 40 miles from our start so I decided to charge to 100% and monitor usage from that point forward. Our first experience with Public Charging stations (non-Tesla) was Horrible. I’d read input from other users so maybe no surprise, but this just sucked.

Stop #1: Electrify America: Total 4 stations, 2 unavailable, 1 in-use.
This was the first time I used EA and it stopped a few minutes after starting (2kW added) with a “Charging session error.” I unplugged thinking I needed to reset it and the screen then showed Unavailable. Unsure why it stopped – we tried waiting in the car with the A/C on, could that have affected use?? It was ~ 100 deg F so A/C needed. Edit: A/C works fine during charging; that was not the issue. So now the only station is already in use. I searched for next closest charger and found one about 4 mi away.

Stop #2: EVgo: Total 1 station, 1 available. (Currently at 38%)
The station had a credit card slot but it didn’t work so I needed to download their App and setup an account. Family unsure if the A/C had anything to do with the first issue so they waited under a tree, pretty unhappy at this point (I wish I had taken a picture). We felt our schedule was now at risk so my wife calls the coach hoping he hasn’t passed us yet and can stop and pickup our son, which he did. An Audi E-Tron pulled up next to me and seemed a bit frustrated there was only 1 station. They leave. After 15 min I noticed it’s only charging at 47 kW and decided to abort; I explained to my family it’s too slow and we’d miss the game. I made decision to continue on the highway toward Tucson and gamble/stop at another EA about 60 miles closer to destination.

Stop #3: Electrify America: Total 10 stations, 7 unavailable, 3 in-use. (Currently at 30%)
Same Lady in E-tron is there at one of the stations and is signaling to me it doesn’t appear to be working for her. A guy in Porsche Taycan appears like he’s about done charging so I ask him status and he says he’s having trouble and tells me only two stations work; including the station with E-tron. He hasn’t started yet, gets frustrated and leaves … his station now states Unavailable. Lady in E-tron isn’t able to get hers to work, moves her car and looks for another station even though the remaining say Unavailable. I decide to give her station a try … after a few minutes my wife bolts into the Outlet Mall (it’s hot outside) and it appears to be charging! Lady in E-tron is out of luck trying other stations and leaves again. EA App doesn’t show my car is charging but MyBMW App shows its charging and I can see % going up so looks good to me .. I go into Mall area looking for wife. 52 minutes later I’m at 99% (61.2 kWh delivered @ $0.43/kWh). TRIP DATA RESET

TRIP SUMMARY:
Starting with 99% Charge I drove to destination and back home, almost all highway miles. I had A/C on, kept steady speed around 80 mph (75 mph speed limit), Eco Pro and Drive mode ‘B’ (and tire pressure at target +/- 1 psi)

• Total Miles driven = 133.6 mi
• Total Battery usage = 40% (started at 99%, ended at 59%)
• Avg 4.0 mi/kWh

I understand consumption isn’t linear across the range, however I can use this info to estimate highway range available: 133.6 mi per 40% = 3.34 mi / %
--> Total Estimated Highway Range = 334 miles

Next road trip opportunity I’ll increase speed a bit and hold at 85 mph to see how/if that impacts efficiency.

[mlanes01]

That's awesome 4mi/kwh at 80. I've been driving 72mph and no faster . Guess it's time to step on the gas a bit. For the most part I've had good luck with ea chargers around me. But just today I had one that was throttling at 30kw.... And two other chargers there wouldn't recognize my car

[mlanes01]

What size wheels?

[spool twice]

Wow! Incredible results!

[unfoundnemo]

Originally Posted by Fluid15

Our first experience with Public Charging stations (non-Tesla) was Horrible. I’d read input from other users so maybe no surprise, but this just sucked.

FWIW, EA has seemed to be having network issues the last week or so (at least at 3 different stations in PA I have been to). I have had 5 charging sessions with them that aren't showing on my EA account at all, yet I had a successful charge. Yesterday, I noticed a couple of the chargers saying "Thanks for your loyalty, enjoy a free charge on us" while there, so likely related. In those 5 cases, both the EA charger and app stated there was an issue, but the car was still showing that it was charging. The charger even went back to cycling through the payment options while I was charging. Basically, take what EA apps or devices say with a grain of salt, if your car says it's charging, just let it go.

Now, if your car doesn't say it's charging... I spoke with EA during one of my sessions and they admitted their cables are much heavier than most because they have some coolant running through them. They recommended putting some upward pressure on the cable until the connection with the car is made (when it goes from yellow to blue on the i4). This has actually been helping quite a bit to get a "fast" connection at spots others have pulled away from. It still takes a good 30 seconds or so, so I feel a bit silly sitting there holding the cable, but it recognizes on the first attempt and keeps me moving so it is what it is.

I had a similar experience to yours at EVgo on my first stop there. I had already created an account, but didn't receive my RFID card in the mail yet. I tried to initiate through the app, but was getting "database errors" with a message to call, paying with a credit card wasn't getting me anywhere either. When I did call, they stressed the RFID is the way to go, but were able to start my charge remotely without an issue. I don't know if there are just issues with new accounts, or something else. I did note I wasn't able to select the i4 from the drop down when I was setting up the account... so maybe the database issue was that I was charging with a car it didn't recognize?

I would say that customer support for both EVgo and EA were useful at least. They answered quickly, were able to restart their chargers remotely, were able to see some more specific errors on their end, were able to start my charges remotely, etc. Only two instances of calling, but both seemed very focused on doing whatever it would take to get me charging successfully.

[note46]

Best thing to do when EA stations show unavailable is to call them and ask them to reset the station(s). Last week I was trying to charge at a station with 6 chargers. 2 were turned off (screen black), 3 showed unavailable and 1 was being used. I call EA gave them the information and they were able to remotely reset the unavailable stations and all 3 came back. This all only took about 10mins (might have been shorter).

Also I've posted this before a while back but with EA stations. Once you pull into a charger spot, open your app, choose the charger number (it's the last -#) and start charging from the app, exit the car, plug in the cable and as stated above apply a slight upward pressure until you hear/feel the cable lock engage. Shortly after that (about 15-20seconds) the chargers contactors should click and charger should start.

[Fluid15]

Originally Posted by mlanes01

What size wheels?

18" Bridgestone Turanza 225/50

[mlanes01]

Same as me .. the 18's get great miles wondering what people are getting on the 19s that was a big reason I didn't get msport package

[CaboM4]

Originally Posted by mlanes01

Same as me .. the 18's get great miles wondering what people are getting on the 19s that was a big reason I didn't get msport package

My mother came to pickup her car from me last week and drove from NJ to SC making 3 charging stops at EA DC chargers. She averaged 75 mph and 340 miles per 100% charge on 2x. 100% highway driving

19" wheel option i4 e40 M-Sport

[OUGrad05]

so many unavailable stations? That's weird, EA can't monitor these remotely? Very weird.

[cruzer666]

Originally Posted by OUGrad05

so many unavailable stations? That's weird, EA can't monitor these remotely? Very weird.

They monitor these stations and unavailable stations show up in the EA app. Majority of people (including myself) have very good experience with EA, but your mileage may vary.

Having an EV requires some planning coming from an ICE, there will be a learning curve and it will be bumpy at times. If you've never had an EV, going on the first long trip might not be as fun as you'd hope

[mlanes01]

Honestly that's the worst part. All the different charging networks, stupid RFID cards etc..... Especially if you are like me and live in one of the states where they charge per min instead of by the kwh. We are in much better shape than when I got my Tesla in 2017, but it's a long way to go when chargers are as simple as a gas station. Plus, if you don't pay attention some of the chargers cost you like 5 times gas. I don't know the economics of it all, but if it were me and I owned a big Cumberland farms I would pop in 4 DC fast chargers and solar panels above my gas pumps. EV drivers are stuck there for 30mins drinking your coffee and eating your food. Also Tesla was really good about getting stations at interstate service stations. Ea is at Walmarts and sad malls near a closed sears or Kmart. Fortunately most of the time you charge at home. I'm hoping Tesla gets some stations converted near me by the time the 2 year free ea is up.

[cotmfk]

Thanks for the detailed, realistic write up. I think the real world experience that you had is something that needs to be addressed asap if the electric adoption is going to take place at the rate it's currently scheduled to (meaning the govt bans on ICE cars after "x" date and the manufacturers saying they won't produce ICE vehicles after "y" date).

I just wish all of the manufacturers and charging networks all agreed on one standard plug, and other uniformity (i.e., what is considered "fast charge" in one network may be completely different than what is "fast charge" in another).

A lot of work needs to be done to make this user friendly in a short amount of time. I am reminded of that forest ranger's quote about the difficulty of making trash cans that are easy to use and keep bears out at the same time: "There is considerable overlap between the intelligence of the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists." If everyone is to be on electric cars, they need to work for those dumbest tourists.

[JK479]

Originally Posted by note46

Best thing to do when EA stations show unavailable is to call them and ask them to reset the station(s). Last week I was trying to charge at a station with 6 chargers. 2 were turned off (screen black), 3 showed unavailable and 1 was being used. I call EA gave them the information and they were able to remotely reset the unavailable stations and all 3 came back. This all only took about 10mins (might have been shorter).

Also I've posted this before a while back but with EA stations. Once you pull into a charger spot, open your app, choose the charger number (it's the last -#) and start charging from the app, exit the car, plug in the cable and as stated above apply a slight upward pressure until you hear/feel the cable lock engage. Shortly after that (about 15-20seconds) the chargers contactors should click and charger should start.

Does someone really answer that owns an EV station?

[bmwdrive]

It's not really the range that concerns me with EVs. It's the charging network. With Tesla it's super easy and they have a dozen chargers at every supercharger station. I never have range anxiety. Worst case I might be delayed by 30 minutes to charge. EA seems to have 2 or 3 chargers per station and maybe even those don't work. The manufacturers are bringing out some really nice EVs. The charging infrastructure needs to catch up.

[Fluid15]

Originally Posted by danf72

It's not really the range that concerns me with EVs. It's the charging network. With Tesla it's super easy and they have a dozen chargers at every supercharger station. I never have range anxiety. Worst case I might be delayed by 30 minutes to charge. EA seems to have 2 or 3 chargers per station and maybe even those don't work. The manufacturers are bringing out some really nice EVs. The charging infrastructure needs to catch up.

The charging network/infrastructure is a legitimate concern- how much concern is dependent on how often, and far, is expected. I will add Range is important since it dictates how often you need a charger while traveling. Our first EV was a 200 mi Model 3 since we didn't expect many road trips with it (we have other ICE cars) and it was painful to take a 400 mi trip with several charging stops - even though the Tesla network was simple/trouble-free. But we wanted to use it for road trips thus deciding 300 mi range was minimum for our requirement. In 20 yrs we'll be scoffing at measly 300 mi range and 45 min charging sessions like do when remembering downloading data on dial up modems … that's ridiculous by today's standards!

[335togo]

Nothing personal everybody's got their reasons I guess what's the fascination with these electric cars. I rode in a twin motor model three and acceleration is there but it's like Taking a shower with your clothes on. Part of motorsporting is actually hearing the car which is exciting and its own right.

Just wait til cities start soaking you for your electricity use at these plug-ins stations and you lucky California people that already are having brownouts sounds like a blast I think I'll wait till they Waterboard and run me dry of gas before I'm on. 🤣🤣🤣

[Numark318i]

Originally Posted by 335togo

Nothing personal everybody's got their reasons I guess what's the fascination with these electric cars. I rode in a twin motor model three and acceleration is there but it's like Taking a shower with your clothes on. Part of motorsporting is actually hearing the car which is exciting and its own right.

Just wait til cities start soaking you for your electricity use at these plug-ins stations and you lucky California people that already are having brownouts sounds like a blast I think I'll wait till they Waterboard and run me dry of gas before I'm on. 🤣🤣🤣

Living in CA, electricity is expensive. Without solar I'm paying $.39 a kw at home on a flat rate plan. If we want a full electric car you're forced to get solar unless you want to pay more than the per mile cost of gas.

I just bought a 530e, loving it, but I didn't buy it to save money, just wanted to dip my foot into what we are being told the future will be. Maybe we will get a full EV for my wife, but it still doesn't feel like the right time.

[scLA]

Originally Posted by Numark318i

Living in CA, electricity is expensive. Without solar I'm paying $.39 a kw at home on a flat rate plan. If we want a full electric car you're forced to get solar unless you want to pay more than the per mile cost of gas.

I just bought a 530e, loving it, but I didn't buy it to save money, just wanted to dip my foot into what we are being told the future will be. Maybe we will get a full EV for my wife, but it still doesn't feel like the right time.

That's a high rate. If you're in SoCal you get on a "Prime" plan with a plug in hybrid or EV. That puts my off peak rate at $0.21 / kWH.

My X5 45e has 17kwh of usable battery so filling up the battery costs $3.57 and gets me around 30 miles of all-battery range.

It would take over a gallon of gas at over $5/gallon to get me the same range on gas power.

[Numark318i]

Originally Posted by scLA

That's a high rate. If you're in SoCal you get on a "Prime" plan with a plug in hybrid or EV. That puts my off peak rate at $0.21 / kWH.

My X5 45e has 17kwh of usable battery so filling up the battery costs $3.57 and gets me around 30 miles of all-battery range.

It would take over a gallon of gas at over $5/gallon to get me the same range on gas power.

Yea, I can put us on the variable rate plan, that will get us the lower rate at night like you said. We don't need A/C, so we don't use much electricity in the afternoon.

Probably what I will do soon

[lawgone]

Man, this makes me really not want to go full electric. Hybrid sounds much better.

For all the money the government has put into electric it's amazing that it works so poorly. And Cali wants everyone to switch to electric?

[bmwdrive]

Originally Posted by lawgone

Man, this makes me really not want to go full electric. Hybrid sounds much better.

For all the money the government has put into electric it's amazing that it works so poorly. And Cali wants everyone to switch to electric?

It depends where you live and what your situation is. If you can charge at home and you get solar it can be really, really cheap and convenient. If your commute is beyond your car's range, electric would be a PIA. But otherwise you will charge at home 99% of the time and never have to go to a gas station. On longer trips the Tesla supercharger network is fine. I'm not so sure about EA though and that is where I am hesitant as well.