'S no problem. I live on the English south coast. My i3 has never been in snow. We had a slight overnight flurry a few years back, but it didn't disrupt anything. But to own one in Scandinavia would be like owning ski's in the Sahara dessert. Horses for courses.
Thanks for the thorough introduction how to drive with I3 in snow. I think your channel makes very good and inspiring videos! In Norway, the BMW I3 is a very popular car. We have 2 units, one produced at the beginning of 2014 and a facelifted version from 2019 with the larger battery. I can confirm that both cars are good in snow!, but the new version has changed the stability control which makes the car more stable when the engine is braked. We often drive in the mountains with the I3 between Oslo and the west Norway and we have never experienced problems in the winter, even in quite difficult conditions! The cars are absolutely brilliant for Norwegian conditions. Easy to drive on narrow Norwegian roads, fantastic city car, construction that does not rust and much more. It seems that there is minimal degradation of the batteries even after long time at use (check Bjørn Nyland test). Solid cars throughout, except for brakes that rust.
"... a bit less of a wuss..." 🤣 Brilliant... Ooooo.... I hadn't realised this video is on your own You Tube channel - I've therefore subscribed so looking forward to seeing more i3 content, too. Thanks as always for your amazing information videos, Martin - the i3 community thanks you 😎
But then BMW realized that the complexity of this setup was not worth it, and last generation of i3 (120Ah) was only offered as BEV. It's really funny to see how other vendors like Mazda are trying same ideas that BMW had over 10 years ago and has discarded by now... :(
I have driven 2 different i3s with winter tires on snow covered slippery roads and never had any sort of control or traction issue. If all vehicles were this good in snow, we would have a lot fewer collisions on the roads.
Well done. Greetings from scandinavia - Haha 😂 I think the earlier models had the regen flipping the car around. We have had no winter issues but one: Snow slush triggers a driveline high voltage insulation resistance error that we do not get just from driving in rain.
I "re-learned" something! That the mirrors can be folded by Touch&hold of the exterior door handles... no need to take gloves off to reach into my pocket to hit the round lock button. Thanks! I was without use of my 2015 i3 BEV for almost a year, while accumulating the funds, buying the parts and finding a shop to replace the drive motor... bearings failed @ 94k miles. I found a "used" 2018 motor with the upgraded bearings, with under 100 miles on it... it was a test vehicle - but no damage. Also replaced the transmission knowing that the input shaft bearing could have been damaged by the slop in the motor rotor... it was also on ebay, but had zero miles... someone purchased the wrong p/n for his Rex... and could not return it. I also converted it to all 2018+ motor mounts and brackets... not cheap. My next concern is the aircon compressor... whether to replace it as preventative maintenance when I have the 94Ah battery installed that I got for it. (if I understand it correctly, this 60Ah to 94Ah upgrade is a simple "retrofit" coding process... ??) Martin, have you seen many aircon compressor failures in the UK? I'm in the US, in Missouri, so our weather isn't terribly hot like they have in Arizona or South Texas... but it's a big risk item.
Haven't really seen frequent AC compressor issues. If you feel like it may give out it's of course good to have the money ready for it, but I personally wouldn't replace it prematurely. (Once / if it fails though, it's important to get it sorted ASAP because it cools the battery as well.)
@@MartinKarel Thanks, Martin. Yes, I'm aware of the aircon being used to cool the battery pack... that's part of reason for my concern. It originally came from a warmer area of the US, where it likely had "Comfort" mode in-use, and the compressor likely ran at full power... therefore more wear & tear. I've had it 5 years, but have always used it in Eco Pro mode (99.9% of the time).
Try roller mode next time! I sometimes have a frozen gas cap after driving rain and then freezing (or carwash). The vent doesn't work and the REX stops. If I take the cap out and tap it, or let it melt I'm good! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👍
Thanks Martin. In 40+ years of driving in Britain, I've never used Winter tyres. Driving an EV makes me think about doing it. That said, we've had two days with light snow in this part of England this Winter, and we didn't need to use the car on either of them. So are they worth the expense?
I must say, is hard to drive the I3 in the snow mostly when you are over 70km/h, in Norway in same places the snow stay on the roads for days and the B- Brake don't help at all, it's kind a dangerous.
Hi Martin, I’ve got an i3S and am wondering if I can use an OBD to access data in kWhours instead of percentages. Is this feasible? If so, can I acquire one through you? Geoff
I remember when cars used to be RWD, and when FWD came they were advertised as way safer to drive than RWD. Now we bring a lot high powered EV's with only RWD out on the streets. Does not make sense lol. edit: I pressed send way too fast, I was going to say I always loved the design of the i3. It looks futuristic still.
True! There are some differences obviously, back in the day a typical rwd had the engine up front and less weight sitting on the back wheels, as far as going in a straight line (uphill and such) this combination was less than ideal. A fwd has the engine on top of the driven wheels and therefore has more traction in winter, again in a straight line. Much has changed with the introduction of traction and stability control, these nanny’s come as standard and in some cases cannot be turned off. An EV has a much different weight distribution and an motor sitting on top of the driven axle.. in combination with all the electronics and the ability to manage the power output of an electric motor (much quicker), you don’t get the same issues like 20 years ago. Many EV’s designed from scratch will simply have a rear motor as standard and an optional motor up front. I saw a Harry’s garage video where he drove a Porsche Taycan mildly offroad and it had traction for days like it was a Range Rover, very much due to its ability to control the power output. Not like it used to be, indeed. Cheers!
My son had one the quality of build was amazing ,as the first ever EV from BMW it was a hit .
'S no problem. I live on the English south coast. My i3 has never been in snow. We had a slight overnight flurry a few years back, but it didn't disrupt anything.
But to own one in Scandinavia would be like owning ski's in the Sahara dessert. Horses for courses.
Never had a problem driving in snow in the UK. Just take it easy and do loads of wheelspins.
Thanks for the thorough introduction how to drive with I3 in snow. I think your channel makes very good and inspiring videos!
In Norway, the BMW I3 is a very popular car. We have 2 units, one produced at the beginning of 2014 and a facelifted version from 2019 with the larger battery.
I can confirm that both cars are good in snow!, but the new version has changed the stability control which makes the car more stable when the engine is braked.
We often drive in the mountains with the I3 between Oslo and the west Norway and we have never experienced problems in the winter, even in quite difficult conditions!
The cars are absolutely brilliant for Norwegian conditions. Easy to drive on narrow Norwegian roads, fantastic city car, construction that does not rust and much more. It seems that there is minimal degradation of the batteries even after long time at use (check Bjørn Nyland test).
Solid cars throughout, except for brakes that rust.
Thanks.
I believe if you take the older car into BMW to have the firmware updated, it should behave very close to the newer cars.
BMW i3 content, that's an automatic like! Thanks for the informative clip.
"... a bit less of a wuss..." 🤣
Brilliant...
Ooooo.... I hadn't realised this video is on your own You Tube channel - I've therefore subscribed so looking forward to seeing more i3 content, too.
Thanks as always for your amazing information videos, Martin - the i3 community thanks you 😎
7:32 i hit the like button because i appreciate the content 👍
Brilliant advice as always. I’m heading to the north of England at Christmas, so I was worried about how well my i3 would perform. So thank you!
Great knowledge about this car
Great in depth video Martin, keep them coming. Charging tips, optimization, etc. (y)
I3 range extender is an Ev all manufactures want some day far ahead it's time great Urban vehicle.
What?
@@KentBuchla Most plug in hybrids offered today has 40 to 60 miles battery only range i3 offered 110 almost 10years ago plus Extender.
But then BMW realized that the complexity of this setup was not worth it, and last generation of i3 (120Ah) was only offered as BEV. It's really funny to see how other vendors like Mazda are trying same ideas that BMW had over 10 years ago and has discarded by now... :(
I have driven 2 different i3s with winter tires on snow covered slippery roads and never had any sort of control or traction issue. If all vehicles were this good in snow, we would have a lot fewer collisions on the roads.
thank you for the detailed video!
thank you. liked and subscribed
TY for such great info....learned alot......
Cool Video Martin, thank you!
Well done. Greetings from scandinavia - Haha 😂
I think the earlier models had the regen flipping the car around.
We have had no winter issues but one:
Snow slush triggers a driveline high voltage insulation resistance error that we do not get just from driving in rain.
Top vid, again!
Excited to see you branching out and doing more in-depth videos. Good luck with it! 👍
I "re-learned" something! That the mirrors can be folded by Touch&hold of the exterior door handles... no need to take gloves off to reach into my pocket to hit the round lock button. Thanks!
I was without use of my 2015 i3 BEV for almost a year, while accumulating the funds, buying the parts and finding a shop to replace the drive motor... bearings failed @ 94k miles.
I found a "used" 2018 motor with the upgraded bearings, with under 100 miles on it... it was a test vehicle - but no damage.
Also replaced the transmission knowing that the input shaft bearing could have been damaged by the slop in the motor rotor... it was also on ebay, but had zero miles... someone purchased the wrong p/n for his Rex... and could not return it.
I also converted it to all 2018+ motor mounts and brackets... not cheap.
My next concern is the aircon compressor... whether to replace it as preventative maintenance when I have the 94Ah battery installed that I got for it.
(if I understand it correctly, this 60Ah to 94Ah upgrade is a simple "retrofit" coding process... ??)
Martin, have you seen many aircon compressor failures in the UK? I'm in the US, in Missouri, so our weather isn't terribly hot like they have in Arizona or South Texas... but it's a big risk item.
Haven't really seen frequent AC compressor issues. If you feel like it may give out it's of course good to have the money ready for it, but I personally wouldn't replace it prematurely.
(Once / if it fails though, it's important to get it sorted ASAP because it cools the battery as well.)
@@MartinKarel Thanks, Martin. Yes, I'm aware of the aircon being used to cool the battery pack... that's part of reason for my concern. It originally came from a warmer area of the US, where it likely had "Comfort" mode in-use, and the compressor likely ran at full power... therefore more wear & tear. I've had it 5 years, but have always used it in Eco Pro mode (99.9% of the time).
Try roller mode next time! I sometimes have a frozen gas cap after driving rain and then freezing (or carwash). The vent doesn't work and the REX stops. If I take the cap out and tap it, or let it melt I'm good! 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦👍
Great Video! So now I am even more sad that I sold my i3.
Please keep on going with this channel!
Jaguar i-Pace anyone? (Are they really that bad?)
The I-PACE is a lovely car! Nothing to be sad about...
Thanks Martin. In 40+ years of driving in Britain, I've never used Winter tyres. Driving an EV makes me think about doing it. That said, we've had two days with light snow in this part of England this Winter, and we didn't need to use the car on either of them. So are they worth the expense?
it finally snowed for me and I have 20 inch wheels I do not know if they are all season but i noticed slip near instantly nice video
Frankly, I don't think you should drive your car if and until you know what tyres are on it!
If you are on the 20" wheels you are on the summer tyres.
Definitely don't recommend driving in snow with those at all.
I must say, is hard to drive the I3 in the snow mostly when you are over 70km/h, in Norway in same places the snow stay on the roads for days and the B- Brake don't help at all, it's kind a dangerous.
Is this the version with the new acs?
Hi Martin, I’ve got an i3S and am wondering if I can use an OBD to access data in kWhours instead of percentages. Is this feasible? If so, can I acquire one through you? Geoff
I remember when cars used to be RWD, and when FWD came they were advertised as way safer to drive than RWD. Now we bring a lot high powered EV's with only RWD out on the streets. Does not make sense lol. edit: I pressed send way too fast, I was going to say I always loved the design of the i3. It looks futuristic still.
True! There are some differences obviously, back in the day a typical rwd had the engine up front and less weight sitting on the back wheels, as far as going in a straight line (uphill and such) this combination was less than ideal. A fwd has the engine on top of the driven wheels and therefore has more traction in winter, again in a straight line. Much has changed with the introduction of traction and stability control, these nanny’s come as standard and in some cases cannot be turned off. An EV has a much different weight distribution and an motor sitting on top of the driven axle.. in combination with all the electronics and the ability to manage the power output of an electric motor (much quicker), you don’t get the same issues like 20 years ago. Many EV’s designed from scratch will simply have a rear motor as standard and an optional motor up front. I saw a Harry’s garage video where he drove a Porsche Taycan mildly offroad and it had traction for days like it was a Range Rover, very much due to its ability to control the power output. Not like it used to be, indeed. Cheers!
100% this Bart!
@@BartSchrijvers but midengined cars or rear engined cars have been known for putting out the rear easily. Even on modern Porsches :)
Martin, which i3, years and models, are the better purchases? Any models and yard to avoid or prefer?
Simple question but no simple answer.
So I am afraid, this one will need to be discussed in depth in a future video.
is it possible to pre heat the seats as well?
I am afraid it's not on the i3.
Some newer cars allow it though.
tanks it is a I3s 2020@@MartinKarel
The first recent BMW that is embarrassing to be seen in
Luckily some of us don’t care about what others think. 🙃
Great!!!