I didn't keep good track of state of charge going down, but I did noticed that for some of the more steep downhills, I did gain a percent or two of charge, and I used a percent or two on some of the flatter sections. It's probably safe to say that by the time I got to the Asheville city limits, which is right off the parkway, the state of charge was basically net neutral from when I left the top of the mountain. So, that part of the drive was basically free.
Wow! I really appreciate the upload, but I am extra curious why you didn't let the car's navigational system plan your route and let it find chargers for you? How many miles per kwh were you averaging? Did you drive in Eco Pro Mode the entire time? I find that the REx does a much better job of holding the battery at speeds not exceeding 65mph in Eco Pro or Eco Pro Plus and with the aircon off..
Thanks for the kind words. I think the i3's built-in navigation is fine for point-to-point, and I like that it shows you a "bubble" around your estimated range. However, I don't find it very intuitive for trip planning, and I haven't found a way to make it find chargers near your route, unless you already know where they are and add them manually as intermediate destinations. (If anyone knows how to make it do route planning like on Teslas or the newer EVs, I'd love to learn.) We've got the car coded to start in Eco Pro mode, and I did leave it in that mode for most of the trip, except the parts where the speed limit was 70mph--then I switched into Comfort, so I could go 5mph above the speed limit without the car scolding me. What you do is definitely better for range, but I was trying to drive more like the average driver on the road for this trip.
Love it.
Thanks for sharing, I'm looking to pick up a i3, so this video was very helpful. Question how much more charge did you gain by going down hill?
I didn't keep good track of state of charge going down, but I did noticed that for some of the more steep downhills, I did gain a percent or two of charge, and I used a percent or two on some of the flatter sections. It's probably safe to say that by the time I got to the Asheville city limits, which is right off the parkway, the state of charge was basically net neutral from when I left the top of the mountain. So, that part of the drive was basically free.
Wow! I really appreciate the upload, but I am extra curious why you didn't let the car's navigational system plan your route and let it find chargers for you? How many miles per kwh were you averaging?
Did you drive in Eco Pro Mode the entire time? I find that the REx does a much better job of holding the battery at speeds not exceeding 65mph in Eco Pro or Eco Pro Plus and with the aircon off..
Thanks for the kind words.
I think the i3's built-in navigation is fine for point-to-point, and I like that it shows you a "bubble" around your estimated range. However, I don't find it very intuitive for trip planning, and I haven't found a way to make it find chargers near your route, unless you already know where they are and add them manually as intermediate destinations. (If anyone knows how to make it do route planning like on Teslas or the newer EVs, I'd love to learn.)
We've got the car coded to start in Eco Pro mode, and I did leave it in that mode for most of the trip, except the parts where the speed limit was 70mph--then I switched into Comfort, so I could go 5mph above the speed limit without the car scolding me. What you do is definitely better for range, but I was trying to drive more like the average driver on the road for this trip.
I just put a 5 gal gas in the fronk....
What year i3 is this ?
It's a 2019 i3s Rex. My wife still loves it, and it is fun to drive anywhere, except long trips. ;)