Range of electric BMW i3s [TEST] depending on speed

At www.elektrowoz.pl we have tested the BMW i3s – the sporty version of the BMW i3 – in terms of range depending on speed. The purpose of the test was to test how the i3s performs when a normal person drives it normally. Here are the results.

Let's start at the end, i.e. from results:

• at a cruise control speed of 95 km / h we consumed 16,4 kWh / 100 km
• at a cruise control speed of 120 km / h we consumed 21,3 kWh / 100 km
• at a cruise control speed of 135 km / h we consumed 25,9 kWh / 100 km

Cruise speed control this is what we wanted to keep, so we installed cruise control. However, as usual, cruise control speeds resulted in lower average speeds. And this is the approach:

• “I keep the speed 90-100 km / h”, ie cruise control at 95 km / h gave an average speed of 90,3 km / h,
• "I keep the speed of 110-120 km / h", i.e. cruise control 120 km / h gave an average speed of 113,2 km / h,
• “I maintain a speed of 135-140 km / h,” which means the cruise control of 135 km / h raised to 140+ km / h during overtaking resulted in an average speed of just 123,6 km / h.

How does this compare with the recommended speeds on national roads and highways so as not to lose too much of your range? Here's a diagram. Looking at him remember they average speed, that is, the speeds at which you must hold the speedometer 10-20 km / h higher on the speedometer:

But why can average speed be confusing? Here is the complete record of the experiment with all conditions:

Experiment assumptions

As part of the experiment, we decided to check what it would be like to travel in such a car in Poland if someone decided to ride on a sunny day. The driving conditions were as follows:

• beautiful sunny day: temperature from 24 to 21 degrees (in the cabin in the sun: about 30),
• light southwest wind (here: only from the side),
• the air conditioner is set to 21 degrees Celsius,
• 2 passengers (adult men).

For the test, we used a section of the A2 motorway between the Greenway charging station at the Stare Jabłonki restaurant and the Ciechocinek junction. We calculated that we should get pretty good results from a loop at least 25-30 kilometers long, while our test section, according to Google, was 66,8 kilometers, so we consider the results close to real:

Car: Electric BMW i3s, Powerful Joker

The experiment involved a version of the BMW i3s with top-end equipment and red and black paint. Compared to the regular BMW i3, the car has a lower, stiffer suspension, wider tires and an 184-horsepower electric motor with slightly different specs: more emphasis on performance than economy.

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Nominal, the actual range of the BMW i3s is 172 km. on one charge. The total battery capacity (full) is 33 kWh, of which about 27 kWh is available to the user with a small margin. We carried out all tests in the mode Comfortthis is the default after starting the car - and the least economical.

BMW speedometer and real driving speed

Unlike most cars on the market, the BMW i3s does not distort or increase the speed shown. When our GPS showed 111-112 km / h, BMW odometers showed 112-114 km / h and so on.

Thus, when we were driving at exactly 120 km / h, a person driving parallel to us in another car could see almost 130 km / h on their odometer (about 125–129 km / h, depending on the brand). When we set ourselves the task "to drive in the range of 90-100 km / h", the driver of an internal combustion vehicle will have to adapt to driving in the 95-110 km / h range.to keep the pace (= real average speed) similar to ours.

Test 1a and 1b: driving at a speed of 90–100 km / h.

Replace: normal driving on a national road (no highway or expressway)

For an internal combustion vehicle:

operating range of the meter 95-108 km / h (why? read above)

Option 1a:

• cruise control: 92 km / h,
• average: 84,7 km / h.

Option 1b:

• cruise control: 95 km / h,
• average: 90,3 km / h.

We originally planned to drive at 90 km / h, but with the cruise control set to 90 km / h, the average increased very slowly from about 81 km / h. We quickly increased the cruise control speed to 92 km / h. , which after passing part of the circle (43 km) gave us an average of only 84,7 km / h. We were stuck, we were overtaken by trucks, which then drove into our lane and pulled into their air tunnel. This reduced energy consumption and disrupted measurements.

We decided that it was time to change the conditions of the experiment.

We decided to increase the cruise control speed to 95 km / h and assumed that we would overtake trucks (and thus temporarily accelerate to 100-110 km / h), so that the average value was as close as possible to 90 km / h. reach an average speed of 90,3 km / h.

Fun fact: After a few harsh maneuvers (hard braking and acceleration), the BMW i3s' active cruise control refused to obey, claiming that the sensors could be dirty. After a few kilometers, the situation returned to normal (c) www.elektrowoz.pl

results:

• range up to 175,5 km on a single charge for option 1a, where:
  • average: 84,7 km / h,
  • cruise control: 92 km / h,
  • we slow down when trucks overtake us.
• up to 165,9 km on a single charge for option 1b, where:
  • average: 90,3 km / h,
  • cruise control: 95 km / h
  • we overtake trucks and slowly run away from them.

Test 2: driving at a speed of "110-120 km / h"

Replace: for many drivers normal driving on expressways and highways (see video)

For an internal combustion vehicle:

range of a meter 115-128 km / h

Test No. 1 turned out to be difficult: we got stuck in a traffic jam, trucks were overtaking us, buses were overtaking us, everyone was overtaking us (hence 1a -> 1b). It was an unpleasant situation. because in test 2 we increased the cruise control speed to 120 km / hso that the average speed reaches 115 km / h.

We found out very quickly that this is a very good solution: a large group of drivers supports 120 km / h on the highway. (i.e. about 112 km / h in real terms), which means that for many drivers this is the typical speed on the motorway. At a speed of 120 km / h, we slowly overtook these cars:

Effect? The cabin got louder – read: increased air resistance – and energy consumption exceeded 21 kWh. With a battery capacity of about 30 kWh, this means that a warning light comes on in your head: "Your range has fallen below 150 kilometers."

Here are the results:

• on average: 113,2 km / h along the entire route (without end, i.e. exit to a restaurant),
• energy consumption: 21,3 kWh / 100 km,
• range up to 127,7 km on a single charge.

Test 3: driving at a speed of "135-140 km / h"

Replace: maximum permissible speed on the highway

For an internal combustion vehicle: range of a meter 140-150 km / h

This test was the most interesting for us. We wanted to see how much we can travel on a single charge when only speed matters. At the same time, this distance should have shown us how densely the charging stations of electric vehicles must be located in order to satisfy the needs of such madness.

The effect? We managed to accelerate an average of only 123,6 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, the speed of 135-140 on this section of the road turned out to be unnatural, and although the traffic was not very intense, we had to slow down and accelerate due to other road users.

Here are the results:

• average: 123,6 km / h,
• energy consumption: 25,9 kWh / 100 km,
• range up to 105 km on a single charge.

Summation

To sum up:

• at a speed of 90-100 km / h – about 16 kWh / 100 km and about 165-180 km on battery (96-105 percent of the real EPA range provided by www.elektrowoz.pl),
• at a speed of 110-120 km / h Approx. 21 kWh / 100 km and approx. 130 km battery charge (76 percent)
• at a speed of 135-140 km / h – about 26 kWh / 100 km and about 100-110 km on battery (61 percent).

Our test results may seem like a blow to electric vehicles. Skeptics interpret them this way and ... let them do it of their own free will. 🙂 The most important thing for us was to check how much we can afford.

What is very important: even for a moment, we did not feel anxiety about the range, that the car would fly off the beaten track... We drove from Warsaw beyond Wloclawek without any problems, and also drove to Plock to check out the new Orlen charging station:

That's not all: "we've arrived" is a very polite term, because we wanted to test the capabilities of the machine. We always drove with traffic jams - whoever drives on the route Warsaw -> Gdansk knows how "traffic" relates to the current traffic regulations - check the acceleration of the car in various modes.

However, this is not a car for dealers who MUST drive 700 kilometers a day at 150 km/h - not to mention the current rather sparse network of charging stations in Poland. For this speed of travel to make sense, chargers would need to be stationed every 50 to 70 kilometers, but even so, the total driving and charging time would add significantly to the trip.

BMW i3s - ideal for trips up to 350 km (on a single charge)

From our point of view, the BMW i3s is the ideal car for driving to the city or to the city and its surroundings, within 100 kilometers from the base or for a trip of up to 350 kilometers with a single charge on the road. However, the car's high horsepower and impressive performance mean people put their common sense on the shelf, and that doesn't translate well into the range.

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For longer trips we recommend speeds between 70 and 105 km/h (average values, i.e. between "I'm trying to keep 80 km/h" and "I'm trying to keep at 110-120 km/h") . They should be enough for a trip to the sea with one stop. Up to two.

Fortunately, the car charges up to 50 kW and the battery does not overheat, so every half-hour stop will add almost 20 kWh of energy to the battery.

> How fast charging works on the BMW i3 60 Ah (22 kWh) and 94 Ah (33 kWh)

How to increase the range of BMW i3s?

1. Release

The higher the speed, the more we get from deceleration. If we decide to drive on the 90 km / h highway and let the trucks catch up with us, we can jump into the air tunnel they create. As a result 90 km / h in active cruise control – which can stick to the car in front – we will reach with an energy consumption of about 14-14,5 kWh per 100 km.!

For comparison: at 140 km / h, even when going downhill, the energy consumption was 15-17 kWh / 100 km!

2. Activate Eco Pro or Eco Pro + mode.

Testing was carried out in a comfortable mode. If we were to switch to Eco Pro or Eco Pro +, the car would lower its top speed (130 or 90 km / h), instantly consume energy and reduce the power of the air conditioner.

From our point of view, Eco Pro seems to be optimal for driving and we would like it to remain constant by default. Moreover, it allows you to increase the range by 5-10 percent without noticeably affecting driving comfort.

3. Fold up the mirrors (not recommended).

At speeds above 100 km / h, the air begins to buzz quite strongly in the mirrors of the car. This means that they offer a lot of resistance while driving. We haven't tested this, but we think folding the mirrors back can increase a car's range by 3-7 percent on a single charge.

However, we do not recommend this method.

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