1. That should not matter.
2. No, you don't need to discharge the battery. I will often drive only 5 miles then recharge it.
3. The included Level 1 EVSE is VERY slow. It can take up to 24 hours for a full charge of a depleted battery. How long have you let it charge? Do you get the notification that charging is complete (in the car or in the app)?

 

I will always let it charge at least until it says 100% in my app. It has currently been plugged in for over 24hrs and went from 18 miles to stating it is 100% charged with 24 miles of range.

 

The estimated range is a moving average...IOW, it is using the last about 18-miles of driving to decide on how far you can go based on your previous use - it assumes your next miles will be exactly the same, which may or may not be accurate. I've driven a few miles and had the estimate go up rather than down, or stay the same because the driving conditions were more efficient. Temperature also comes into play. Depending on where, the temperature, and how you drive, your EV range will change. Just like ICE mpg varies, your EV range does. LOts of shorter trips where it has to bring the cabin to temperature will be much worse than cruising on a longer trip. After a while, you'll see how your use affects the EV range. The days are getting longer, so you may not need your lights as often...everything in the vehicle is run electrically until the ICE comes on, so things like seat heaters, rear window defroster, lights, cabin heating, all will affect your range.

 

If the temperature where parked is at least 55 degrees, that doesn't sound right, although the factors mentioned above may come into play. You may find that if you give a month or two with more driving, the range displayed may improve.

You may want to download the Car Data Report from the BMW website. Go to: mygarage.bmw.com > View Vehicle Profile > Car Data > Request BMW Car Data Report When the report is available, download and unzip the file. Open the HTML file and look for Energy Content of HV Battery near the bottom. It should be about 17 kWh. If it's substantially lower, good chance you have a battery issue such as dead cell(s).

 

One time, my vehicle was parked in my fairly temperate garage...I moved it outside and left it there overnight so I could do some stuff in the garage...the estimated range decreased significantly just because of the temperature difference, even though it was only on for less than a minute while backing out of the garage then shutting it off.

Until you drive it a while, you won't know what YOUR range will be like. The value listed on the website is based on a VERY specific set of conditions that your use probably won't equal...IOW, your results may vary.

FWIW, many people can get more than the EPA listed value, many people never reach that level, and when it's cold out, most won't. And, being new, you're likely to be playing around more than you will once the novelty wears off. If you haven't read that section in the manual...you do need to abide by the break-in limitations.

 

Thank you! I have ordered the car data report, which I did not even know existed. The site says it will take 24 hours to generate. I will post once I receive the results.

 

Just got the data report. It says 16.96kwh for the battery...

 

That's the normal value for the U.S. Your estimated range displayed will probably come up once you get some more driving under your belt.

 

That number will vary with temperature, so appears to be normal.

As I've said before...everything in the vehicle runs off of electricity - the lights, heaters, radio, brakes, computers...everything. How you drive it will affect the EV range. Live at the top of a hill...when you get home, that climb up there will be using more power than when you leave...the value represented is a moving average, and assumes your next miles will be IDENTICAL in all conditions. The same thing applies to the ICE range calculations. For example, I'd just come off of a long highway trip...cruise control, almost no stops or speed variations...the total range (ICE plus EV) was about 525 miles when I filled up...after driving around at home for a few days, no gas use, but full battery, the range had dropped significantly, like nearly 100-miles combined, and the EV range had dropped as well.

Don't get hung up on the range displayed versus what the sticker says...the test is done under very strict conditions that you probably cannot duplicate. It's a relative comparison between vehicles...how you use it will differ.

You won't know YOUR typical range until you get over the newness, and just drive it while gaining some experience. Then, you can play with how you drive if you wish, to try to maximize the overall range. The iDrive display that shows power can be helpful to see what's happening while you're driving.

 

Hi there,
The mileage you can achieve depends entirely on your style of driving.If you accelerate a lot you wan’t make more than 25-30 miles on full charge.When you charge next time computer will show that based on your recent style of driving but despite what is showing you can still achieve around 50 miles range if you go easy on the pedal.You can also increase the range if you condition the battery before your drive by setting climate control timer , so the car is ready to drive not using power to heat up or cool the temperature inside.One more piece or advice.
Be careful when charging at public charging points.Full charge takes around 6 hours as the car battery can’t be fast charged but you will pay not only for kWh but for also for time spent .
It will cost around £28 to fully charge.Very,very expensive exercise ,don’t you think?
Hope this will help.
Michael