http://ecomento.com/2015/04/13/bmw-i3-news-new-york-auto-show/ BMW i3 news from the New York Auto Show April 13, 2015 |
[image http://cdn.ecomento.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/BMW-i3-battery-upgrade.jpg (i3 EV) ] Blogger Tom Moloughney is a BMW i3 owner and beta tester for the company. We have featured his work here at ecomento in the past, most recently for his efforts to fully understand how to “pre-condition” an i3 for cold weather driving. His close affiliation with BMW earned him 30 minutes with Jose Guerrero, product planning and strategy manager for BMW’s i division. Here’s the latest BMW i3 news directly from Guerrero’s lips. On future i3 battery upgrades Recently, BMW R&D chief Klaus Froehlich was quoted as saying that BMW is not expecting to upgrade the battery pack in the i3 for more range because “replacing the batteries is very complex because they are integrated and bonded into the chassis.” But Guerrero told Moloughney that statement was undoubtedly a mis-translation of what Froehlich actually said. “The strategy of BMW i has always been focusing on sustainability, recycling and really maximizing the usage life of the car. I mean, first of all the car won’t rust. It’s made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic and aluminum so we are looking at how do we maximize the car for long usage. “He didn’t say it’s not upgradable, but rather that at this point it doesn’t seem to make sense. A BMW i dealer can do a complete battery replacement in 3 to 5 hours so from a technical perspective it’s clearly possible. We would just need to make sure it also makes financial sense.” In other words, better batteries can be retrofitted when they become available, but doing so would have to be cost effective for customers and the company. Clearly, new battery technology is emerging quickly and BMW will be ready to provide its customers with the best battery at the best price at the right time. Hill Climb Assist Many BMW i3 owners have complained that their cars can suddenly lose power while going uphill if their battery state of charge is low. This often happens with no warning, which can be disconcerting if you have a faster vehicle closing in on your back bumper. When asked about what was being done to address the issue, Guerrero told Moloughney, “This is something we are still working on. We’ve corrected that (via a software update on March 15) with a warning which comes on before the vehicle enters reduced power mode to warn the driver to alter his driving to hopefully prevent reduced power. “As for the Hill Climb Assist feature, we’re still perfecting it. For the past four months we had a group of i3 REx owners beta testing Hill Climb Assist software and the feedback we got caused us to go back and redevelop it, creating an even more robust version. We are committed to getting this right and feedback from actual i3 owners is critical.” The updated Hill Climb Assist feature is expected to be ready later in 2015. The Circuit BMW has created an online forum it calls The Circuit which will allow i3 owners to ask questions directly of BMW technical personnel. “There is an entire section called ‘Ask BMW’ where customers can ask questions and get answers much faster than would have ever been possible before. It’s direct access to BMW i personnel that was not previously possible. We’ll post information regarding technical updates, upcoming events, and all official BMW i news. It’s our goal to use the forum to improve the BMW i ownership experience.” Jose Guerrero’s remarks show that the company is dedicated to addressing any and all issues involving the technical capabilities of its ground breaking electric cars. Since the cars are designed to last virtually forever, that’s very good news. [© ecomento.com] ... http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2015/04/q-with-bmws-jose-guerrero-at-new-york.html Q&A with BMW's Jose Guerrero at the New York Auto Show April 6, 2015 ... http://ecomento.com/2015/04/15/electric-bmw-i3-city-car-is-not-city-friendly/ Is the BMW i3 city car city friendly? Apr 15, 2015 Even though BMW thinks of the i3 as a city car (its ads always show the car in urban settings) ... For EVLN posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ http://phys.org/news/2015-04-german-team-efficient-air-conditioning.html Passenger-focused air conditioning for EVs http://cdn.phys.org/newman/csz/news/800/2015/passengerfoc.jpg http://missoulian.com/news/local/missoula-dealer-selling-electric-motorcycles/article_e4a8a900-e6e0-51ba-b5ba-ffd30374424f.html Missoula MT mavmotorsports.com selling zeromotorcycles.com r:80mi http://ecomento.com/2015/04/09/understanding-electric-car-tax-credits-rebates/ Understanding electric car tax credits & rebates http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/04/04/youll-never-guess-which-states-are-offering-the-hi.aspx http://www.torquenews.com/2250/hang-there-affordable-electric-cars-are-way Yearly advocates preached: when EV prices=ice; patience 4affordablity http://patch.com/georgia/eastcobb/electric-car-charging-station-opening-marietta-week 1 old Blink/ccg L3 CHAdeMO-only EVSE installed @Marietta, GA http://www.fox19.com/story/28738574/five-new-electric-car-chargers-installed-around-city 5 abb.com Terra53 Multi-Stnd L3/2 EVSE installed around Cincinnati OH http://www09.abb.com/global/scot/scot344.nsf/veritydisplay/67fec26aa8fea552c1257d690039af2d/$file/4EVC204305-LFEN_Terra53C-CT-CJ-CJG.pdf + EVLN: Venturi Antarctica 5seat EV for clean samples r:20km@20kph {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-i3-pack-upgrade-no-rex-hill-climb-improved-BMW-listening-tp4675019.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
