Should you buy a used BMW i3 60 Ah in Germany? What should you pay attention to? [ANSWER] • CARS

Many of our readers love the BMW i3. One of them asked us to find out the reason for buying a BMW i3 in Germany, especially in the first, oldest version with 60 Ah batteries. Let's try to deal with the issue, taking into account the most important aspects of this model.

BMW i3 60 Ah – worth it or not?

Table of contents

• BMW i3 60 Ah – worth it or not?
  • Battery and range
  • Appearance
  • Key point: battery degradation
  • Is it worth buying: BMW i3 60 Ah – review by the editors of www.elektrowoz.pl
  • At a glance: the advantages and disadvantages of the BMW i3 60 Ah

Battery and range

The new BMW i3 60 Ah battery was Total power 21,6 kWh i 18,8-19,4 kW net power. The last value may differ depending on the measurement method and the time elapsed since purchase, because the first weeks / months in each Li-ion battery is the passivation layer building period. The drop in power during this short initial period is more dramatic - but it's normal..

When we have around 19 kWh of batteries, it's hard to expect a giant range. And indeed, new BMW i3 traveled about 130 kilometers on a single charge in mixed mode... Assuming the battery is used in the 20-80 percent range to limit battery degradation, 130 kilometers translates to roughly 78 kilometers. Just in time to drive around town and to work, but remember that the car will need to be charged at least once every 2-3 days.

We'll come back to this topic later.

Appearance

All generations of cars are very similar inside and out. You can easily verify this by watching the model presentations prepared during the premiere of the BMW i3s 94 Ah model year (2018). The most striking change is the modification of the shape of the fog lamps on the front bumper, which has changed from round to narrow and oblong:

Comparison of BMW i3 before and after facelift. The model described as "Predecessor" is actually a 94 Ah version, but in terms of design it is not completely different from BMW's 60 Ah (c).

Key point: battery degradation

Considering that the appearance of the models has not changed so much, and these cars, due to their short mileage, now have a mileage of up to 100-150 thousand kilometers, Battery degradation should be a key consideration when buying a used model.

And here we are helped by Bjorn Nyland, who had a chance to test a BMW i3 60 Ah with a range of about 103 kilometers. The car is 6 years old, charged about once a week at a fast charging station.

In the Bjorn Nyland test, it turned out that in Eco Pro + mode in good weather, but only 5 degrees Celsius and 93 km / h on the meter (real speed: 90 km / h), the car consumes 15,3 kWh / 100 km. (153 Wh / km) and still able to travel almost 110 kilometers without recharging.

When charging, Nyland calculated that with a run of 103 kilometers a battery with a capacity of 16,8 kWh is installed in the car. If we take 19,4 kWh as the basis, then the power loss is 2,6 kWh / 13,4 percent. If 18,8 kWh - Nyland did - the degradation was 2 kWh / 10,6 percent.

> BMW i3. How to check the capacity of a car battery? [WE WILL ANSWER]

Thus, in a pessimistic version, i.e. decrease by 2,6 kWh every 100 kilometers, we will have:

• 16,8 kWh after 100 thousand km of run,
• 14,2 kWh after 200 thousand km of run,
• 11,6 kWh after 300 km.

11,6 kWh is about 60 percent of the original usable capacity and is the threshold at which a driver might consider replacing traction batteries.. More than 40 percent degradation means that the total range of a car with a full battery is less than 78 kilometers, and when driving in the 20-80 percent range, less than 47 kilometers. The lower battery capacity also limits the car's maximum power.

If we drive 30 kilometers a day, we will reach 300 kilometers in 27 years of driving.... The BMW tested by Nyland has covered 103 6 kilometers in 12 years, so it needs another 300 to cover the XNUMX XNUMX kilometers.

Is it worth buying: BMW i3 60 Ah – review by the editors of www.elektrowoz.pl

The new BMW i3 is too expensive for its value for money. Okay, we have a composite carbon body, a high driving position, a spacious interior and a really lively car - but the price of 170-180 thousand zlotys for a new copy is hard to swallow. So let's be glad that someone else decided to pay it 🙂

If, however, we were given the opportunity to buy a used BMW i3 60 Ah at a price comparable to a Nissan Leaf 24 kWh, it would be difficult for us to crack. The Leaf is a larger car (C-segment) and five-seater, but it's fair to say that a car with a range of 100-130 km is not suitable for long family trips. The BMW i3 keeps up with its range, it also offers a higher driving position and quite a lot of room in the cabin, although there are only 2 seats in the back seat.

So, if we were only talking about the car to the city and the surrounding area, we would probably choose the BMW i3.not on Leaf. Of course, as long as the car is serviceable, any i3 repair can be 2-3 times more expensive than a Nissan. On the other hand, replacing the battery with a larger model costs, say, tolerably:

> How much does it cost to replace the battery in the BMW i3 60 Ah? 7 euros in Germany to jump to 000 Ah

At a glance: the advantages and disadvantages of the BMW i3 60 Ah

Disadvantages:

• poor power reserve compared to modern electricians,
• expensive repairs and unusual, more expensive tires,
• a back door that opens in a certain way (when the front door is opened),
• only 4 seats in the cabin.

advantages:

• poor battery degradation,
• a large buffer that allows you to recover strength even with a fully charged battery,
• excellent driving dynamics,
• spacious, modern interior,
• small size,
• avant-garde look,
• On-board charger 11 kW,
• composite-carbon (no problem with rust),
• quite a lot of backseat space and easy access to it.

And here is the film by Bjorn Nyland mentioned in the content. It's worth looking at because there is a higher speed test out there that we didn't cover:

Editor's note www.elektrowoz.pl: we compared the car with the Leaf because the car is mentioned as the first choice. The reader who suggested the topic directly asked: Leaf from the States or BMW i3 from Germany. In theory, a comparison to the Zoe would be better, but in this price segment we will not find a Renault Zoe with a purchased battery. And we strongly advise against buying an imported car with an unclear battery condition.

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