I'm testing your recommendation Relion RB20-LT at the moment. But I'm having problems. Maybe you have some ideas. It happened 4 times so far, that the battery just shuts off. Meaning it disconnects due to the battery management board inside. The way I get it back up is by parallelizing it with a 12V lead battery. Takes a few seconds and it is back connected. The shutdown of the battery happens only when I lock the car. Of course not always, about 1 out of 10 times so far. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the battery itself (bad protection module) or if there is a huge current consumption during locking? Unfortunately I don't have a DC current measure instrument. But I would appreciate if you have any insights to what could be the problem. I spoke to another fellow who used a cheap $70 Aliexpress LiFePO4 battery and it works without a hitch.
Sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, I ended up not persuing use of the Relion battery due to the feedback from Relion- especially regarding the battery shutting down completely when running the internal heater. The relion has a max amp draw of 40amps ( 520watts for ~7.5 seconds) which should be enough unless REX cooling fan is on, headlights are on or other current draws plus the spike draw of locking the door is more than this. When you get out of the car, the DC to DC inverter will still be powering the car for up to 15 minutes after shutting it off, so the current draw should not be an issue in this case. I measured the current draw off the battery when locking the car (off) & I got between 10-15 amps draw only (the DC to DC inverter was off). I would suggest checking the terminals to make sure they are not loose (intermittent connections), check the battery voltage when it fails/i.e what is causing it to go into protection mode ( was it shut off for an overvoltage protection or overcurrent protection event prior to the locking issue). It could be a bad BMS too, Possibly Relion can help you with suggestions or a replacement.
@@bmwi3diy782 Indeed. Just making sure that everybody knows, that battery is not working in the i3. I'll be testing a Chinese FlyPower very soon. Will let you know.
I just bought an 2020 i3S and am wondering how your continued testing of the Region RB20-LT 12V lithium battery has gone? I know your mention of this battery in your Part 2 presentation was last year so I don't know if you are still looking for funding participants at this time but I'll gladly do so if you desire.
Thanks for the inquiry. I am still looking, as the Relion turned out to not be the best option. One owner has been using the Ohmmu Rivian battery for several months (mostly working, but in a tropical climate, not cold weather) and I just got some feedback from LithiumMoto rep that their battery may work as well. One of the biggest issues is the high (>15V) cold weather charging voltage from the DC-DC inverter & disconnection of the battery from the electrical system. I still haven't found /tested an ideal battery, but the two companies above may be next in line for evaluation. I'm not looking for any funding at this time, as I have less time to dedicate to this task for the near term.
Usually a 'battery discharge' alert will appear, but several owners have mentioned that the 12V battery died shortly after the warning. I also have a voltage meter plugged into the 12V socket under the dash as a way to check if the battery voltage (before the DC to DC converter kicks in as the voltage could go up to 14.4-15.2 volts) is near or below 12 volts versus 12.6V or higher if the battery is in good condition. If your car sits overnight and when you first open the door you hear the contactor engage, the car recognizes the battery voltage is low (trying to charge it)- this may also be a sign that the battery may be getting old. I hope that helps!
Unrelated, but have you ever swapped the KLE charging unit? Does it need to be programmed? Im having an issue where my i3 wont chaege when its hot out after depleting the battery. If i let it cool overnight itll charge again. Its a 2014 dont think the KLE was ever replaced when they were first having issues.
Sorry, I think I do not have sufficient information to diagnose your problem. Here are some ideas to check: Is it possible that the battery temperature could be too high, if the KLE will not even start running, especially if the KLE is functioning correctly at night? Is there an error code that specifically says the KLE is faulting? Does it charge on the 110V charger and not the level 2 charger? If it starts charging, then KLE stops from overheating, did you check your coolant level reservoir in the frunk? Is the AIr conditioner is working okay? (cools battery- you could check battery temperature in the secret menu). If you have a REX in a CARB state, it may be covered for repair. The original recall was for faulty capacitors (to my recollection) and the cars would still charge at a reduced rate. Service repair manuals say ISTA is required for installation of the KLE, so it will likely need to be programmed. It sounds suspicious that it is just the KLE if it only has a problem if the car won't charge immediately 'after' fully depleting the battery AND it is hot outside but works fine afterwards... I hope this is helpful for you, good luck!
@@bmwi3diy782 My ac works fantastic. I checked both reservoirs for coolant up front and they are full. After I come home from work after depleting the battery and the rex has been running for a few miles I'll plug in. The port turns blue and I can hear a clicking type relay from the rear of the car every 30 seconds or so and then a error comes up "unable to charge". In the winter it charges with no issues. I took it to the dealer and they said there was a code for the KLE. They also uploaded new software. If I let the car sit for a few hours and retry plugging it in it'll start charging, sometimes. Sometimes it does not and I'll have to wait till the next morning to try again. Very frustrating. I'll pull the codes that I see and report back.
This may be a long shot, but I've read of an owner that had a LIM replaced, but an intermittent charging issue still persisted- 10 seconds of blue light then red at the port. Then he had the charging port replaced ( misaligned charging pins causing charging when it was warm but not when it was cold) and it resolved the problem. I wonder if this could be your issue, but opposite temp response? You could try other chargers to see if it makes any difference. Might be worth checking.
I tried this battery (still have it sitting on my desk now), didn't work for me. Felt like maybe the self-heating thing would trigger pretty early (-5C ish) and when it starts, the car freaks out and triggers the alarm and all that.
@@nster3 wow that a horrible design. Why would purposely have it disconnect load while heating. Did u contact manufacturer to confirm that is not a defect in the battery you have?
I am trying to contact the technical support to discuss. The website said that the heater was powered by the charging circuit, so I would expect it would not activate unless the system voltage was above the nominal battery voltage by some threshold (indicating charging was occurring). Great information to investigate though! Thanks all for the feedback.
I was able to confirm with the technical staff at Relion that the battery does indeed shut off when it is warming up. That won't work for our application (obviously). I will do some additional research into other options. Thanks for your patience on this.
4 years is not true. Mine latest seven years until the car behaved strangely and I had to exchange it. But there are also 2014 model drivers in our i3 group that still run the first one. If I have to change mine again in 2030, it’s very reasonable.
That's good to know- I am still trying to find a replacement that works (this one does not after more information from viewers & manufacturer). Buying a cheap battery tester to monitor the older 12V battery may be a reasonable stop gap measure. Thanks for the feedback!
4 years is 'true, for its 'average' lifespan. If someone gets 7 years they should consider themselves lucky. . And on the TFL EV channel a OE, BMW i3 12 volt battery, leaked. Which is owned by one of the staff and is part of a long-term test. By the way the wife of the owner loves the car, but the sulfur smell coming from the leak scared the crap out of her. Since she thought it was a NG leak. So it's good you're keeping track of that 12 volt battery.
Mine OEM battery lasted till 2023 (BEV 2014) with NO issues (~65-70% of battery acc. to BimmerLink), just replaced with EXIDE AGM 12-23 for safety reasons to avoid any of issues.
Thank you for continuing to investigate this! Really looking forward to the results. I'll throw some money your way to help fund.
I am glad u liked my battery suggestion. I thought it looked like it fit the requirements you previously laid out.
I'm testing your recommendation Relion RB20-LT at the moment. But I'm having problems. Maybe you have some ideas. It happened 4 times so far, that the battery just shuts off. Meaning it disconnects due to the battery management board inside. The way I get it back up is by parallelizing it with a 12V lead battery. Takes a few seconds and it is back connected. The shutdown of the battery happens only when I lock the car. Of course not always, about 1 out of 10 times so far. I'm wondering if there is something wrong with the battery itself (bad protection module) or if there is a huge current consumption during locking? Unfortunately I don't have a DC current measure instrument. But I would appreciate if you have any insights to what could be the problem. I spoke to another fellow who used a cheap $70 Aliexpress LiFePO4 battery and it works without a hitch.
Sorry to hear this. Unfortunately, I ended up not persuing use of the Relion battery due to the feedback from Relion- especially regarding the battery shutting down completely when running the internal heater. The relion has a max amp draw of 40amps ( 520watts for ~7.5 seconds) which should be enough unless REX cooling fan is on, headlights are on or other current draws plus the spike draw of locking the door is more than this. When you get out of the car, the DC to DC inverter will still be powering the car for up to 15 minutes after shutting it off, so the current draw should not be an issue in this case. I measured the current draw off the battery when locking the car (off) & I got between 10-15 amps draw only (the DC to DC inverter was off). I would suggest checking the terminals to make sure they are not loose (intermittent connections), check the battery voltage when it fails/i.e what is causing it to go into protection mode ( was it shut off for an overvoltage protection or overcurrent protection event prior to the locking issue). It could be a bad BMS too, Possibly Relion can help you with suggestions or a replacement.
@@bmwi3diy782 Indeed. Just making sure that everybody knows, that battery is not working in the i3. I'll be testing a Chinese FlyPower very soon. Will let you know.
I just bought an 2020 i3S and am wondering how your continued testing of the Region RB20-LT 12V lithium battery has gone? I know your mention of this battery in your Part 2 presentation was last year so I don't know if you are still looking for funding participants at this time but I'll gladly do so if you desire.
Thanks for the inquiry. I am still looking, as the Relion turned out to not be the best option. One owner has been using the Ohmmu Rivian battery for several months (mostly working, but in a tropical climate, not cold weather) and I just got some feedback from LithiumMoto rep that their battery may work as well. One of the biggest issues is the high (>15V) cold weather charging voltage from the DC-DC inverter & disconnection of the battery from the electrical system. I still haven't found /tested an ideal battery, but the two companies above may be next in line for evaluation. I'm not looking for any funding at this time, as I have less time to dedicate to this task for the near term.
@@bmwi3diy782lithiummoto says they are coming out with a sodium 12v for i3 in cold weather. Should be out within month
@@tommyboy7589 that's cool! looking forward to it~
Does it have any warning that it needs to be replace?
Usually a 'battery discharge' alert will appear, but several owners have mentioned that the 12V battery died shortly after the warning. I also have a voltage meter plugged into the 12V socket under the dash as a way to check if the battery voltage (before the DC to DC converter kicks in as the voltage could go up to 14.4-15.2 volts) is near or below 12 volts versus 12.6V or higher if the battery is in good condition. If your car sits overnight and when you first open the door you hear the contactor engage, the car recognizes the battery voltage is low (trying to charge it)- this may also be a sign that the battery may be getting old. I hope that helps!
@bmwi3diy782 Is 12.2V on the brink already? (2017 REx 62kKm 1st owner)
Unrelated, but have you ever swapped the KLE charging unit? Does it need to be programmed? Im having an issue where my i3 wont chaege when its hot out after depleting the battery. If i let it cool overnight itll charge again. Its a 2014 dont think the KLE was ever replaced when they were first having issues.
Sorry, I think I do not have sufficient information to diagnose your problem. Here are some ideas to check: Is it possible that the battery temperature could be too high, if the KLE will not even start running, especially if the KLE is functioning correctly at night? Is there an error code that specifically says the KLE is faulting? Does it charge on the 110V charger and not the level 2 charger? If it starts charging, then KLE stops from overheating, did you check your coolant level reservoir in the frunk? Is the AIr conditioner is working okay? (cools battery- you could check battery temperature in the secret menu). If you have a REX in a CARB state, it may be covered for repair. The original recall was for faulty capacitors (to my recollection) and the cars would still charge at a reduced rate. Service repair manuals say ISTA is required for installation of the KLE, so it will likely need to be programmed. It sounds suspicious that it is just the KLE if it only has a problem if the car won't charge immediately 'after' fully depleting the battery AND it is hot outside but works fine afterwards... I hope this is helpful for you, good luck!
@@bmwi3diy782 My ac works fantastic. I checked both reservoirs for coolant up front and they are full. After I come home from work after depleting the battery and the rex has been running for a few miles I'll plug in. The port turns blue and I can hear a clicking type relay from the rear of the car every 30 seconds or so and then a error comes up "unable to charge". In the winter it charges with no issues. I took it to the dealer and they said there was a code for the KLE. They also uploaded new software. If I let the car sit for a few hours and retry plugging it in it'll start charging, sometimes. Sometimes it does not and I'll have to wait till the next morning to try again. Very frustrating. I'll pull the codes that I see and report back.
@@bmwi3diy782 the car has 77k miles btw and a 2014
This may be a long shot, but I've read of an owner that had a LIM replaced, but an intermittent charging issue still persisted- 10 seconds of blue light then red at the port. Then he had the charging port replaced ( misaligned charging pins causing charging when it was warm but not when it was cold) and it resolved the problem. I wonder if this could be your issue, but opposite temp response? You could try other chargers to see if it makes any difference. Might be worth checking.
I tried this battery (still have it sitting on my desk now), didn't work for me. Felt like maybe the self-heating thing would trigger pretty early (-5C ish) and when it starts, the car freaks out and triggers the alarm and all that.
What alarm did I trigger? This happened when the heater for the battery kick on?
@@shortwires The car alarm. Yea the heater for the ReLiON battery, when it kicks in it doesn't provide any power to the car
@@nster3 wow that a horrible design. Why would purposely have it disconnect load while heating. Did u contact manufacturer to confirm that is not a defect in the battery you have?
I am trying to contact the technical support to discuss. The website said that the heater was powered by the charging circuit, so I would expect it would not activate unless the system voltage was above the nominal battery voltage by some threshold (indicating charging was occurring). Great information to investigate though! Thanks all for the feedback.
I was able to confirm with the technical staff at Relion that the battery does indeed shut off when it is warming up. That won't work for our application (obviously). I will do some additional research into other options. Thanks for your patience on this.
4 years is not true. Mine latest seven years until the car behaved strangely and I had to exchange it. But there are also 2014 model drivers in our i3 group that still run the first one. If I have to change mine again in 2030, it’s very reasonable.
That's good to know- I am still trying to find a replacement that works (this one does not after more information from viewers & manufacturer). Buying a cheap battery tester to monitor the older 12V battery may be a reasonable stop gap measure. Thanks for the feedback!
4 years is 'true, for its 'average' lifespan. If someone gets 7 years they should consider themselves lucky. .
And on the TFL EV channel a OE, BMW i3 12 volt battery, leaked. Which is owned by one of the staff and is part of a long-term test.
By the way the wife of the owner loves the car, but the sulfur smell coming from the leak scared the crap out of her. Since she thought it was a NG leak. So it's good you're keeping track of that 12 volt battery.
Mine OEM battery lasted till 2023 (BEV 2014) with NO issues (~65-70% of battery acc. to BimmerLink), just replaced with EXIDE AGM 12-23 for safety reasons to avoid any of issues.