Very useful. This was actually very apparent to me here in the US when I recently did a road trip from Philly (about 35 deg) down to Florida (70 deg). Actual, real world range on 100% went from about 270 to 300. Temperature makes definite, immediate impact.

 

Thanks for sharing this Information. I tried the so called “WAG” in confort mode and seems to be more aligned to your mapping… I also experienced that if you change a lot of time your driving mode, WAG starts to be a nonsense figure generator….

 

This post is an effort to address the fears and concerns many have expressed over the range variation seen on the "range" reading on the instrument cluster. It has become colloquial to call this range display the GOM or "guess-o-meter" based on its notoriously poor estimates.

So, in an effort to allay your concerns, here are a few thoughts on understanding the range of your i4:

1. The range estimate you see on your dash is a WAG (wild guess) and quite useless for anything other than entertaining friends and family
2. Since the i4 battery capacity is >80kWh, the easiest way to determine range is to multiply current average consumption in mi/kWh by 80, then multiply by SOC (the current % state of charge). So, if your consumption is 3 kWh/mi and you are at 62%, your estimated range is: 3 * 80 (240miles at 100%) * 62% = 148.8 miles left. See the attachments for mapping.
3. Consumption is impacted by both driver choices and environmental factors, including both those familiar from ICE and those which are new and unique to EV, especially cold temperatures. If you think of battery use as consumption, like miles per kWh or kWh/100 (miles or km), it's really no different from internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. For them, you have a quantity of fuel in your tank and how far you can travel on it will depend upon similar variables (city vs. highway, heavy right foot, aerodynamic drag) with the addition of heating the cabin in cold weather costing more battery since there isn’t any combustion from which to pull heat to use for that purpose.
4. The SoC estimate shown on the iDrive 8 navigation for destination or charging stops is quite accurate and reliable

Very well explained and true, but even though cabin heat is "free" in an ICE, even an ICE uses more petrol when it is cold, wet, snowy, windy, dark and so on. The only thing is that we never really thought about that before we started driving electric. But sure, in an EV, if you keep high cabin temperatures the heating needed is huge due to very "poor" heat loss from the electric motor or the battery. The higher the cabin temperature the more battery energy is used due to the poor cabin insulation, especially in the i4 which can't even have thicker, laminated windows due to the frameless doors, so the heat loss is huge. I don't know if we get back some of this during the summer, maybe not having that enormous heat generator in front of us all the time is reducing the cooling needs also, but I think that regarding cabin temperature, an ICE has it's obvious advantage here even with the possible summer benefits of an EV.

Anyway, personally I think that the range anxiety is mostly caused by the slow charging. Even 20 minutes is too slow, especially since you have no idea how fast you will be able to charge when you plug in the car, since even if the car allows very fast charging, maybe the station does not. If we could charge from zero to 100% in 3-6 minutes every time and anywhere, like we can fill up the tank of an ICE, then nobody would bother or worry about the GOM figures, especially if every petrol station had an equal number of chargers as they have pumps today. So the problem is not the range or the GOM, but the slow charging and finding a charger.

 

The power usage to heat the car is infinitesimal by comparison to the power usage to move it.

 

I agree. I gave up paying attention to the miles range estimator. It goes all over the places. It's particularly annoying when you charge the battery up to 85% and then you see an estimated range of 210 miles only. It should be at least 250. There are then times it drops way faster than it should, and other times where I drive about 40 miles and the range drops by 10 miles only. I now pay attention to the SOC only. When I behave I manage to average 3.7-3.8 miles per KWh. I have a handy laminated 4 x 4" "card" which is nothing more than an excel file with miles range estimate in 5% increments of the SOC. It works great.

 

I'm lazier than you: I multiply the SOC by 2 and figure that's "close enough for jazz."

 

1. The SoC estimate shown on the iDrive 8 navigation for destination or charging stops is quite accurate and reliable

Edit: Changed out attachments to PDFs for both metric and imperial with thanks to @cruzer666

Why is the car able to correctly estimate SOC if you map but unable to do the same with GOM? I'm guessing the map SOC estimate has more information (estimated speed per mile and maybe elevation change) - where as the GOM is just basing its estimate on recent driving consumption???

 

We don't know anything about these algorithms, but your hypothesis seems reasonable.

 

This post is an effort to address the fears and concerns many have expressed over the range variation seen on the "range" reading on the instrument cluster. It has become colloquial to call this range display the GOM or "guess-o-meter" based on its notoriously poor estimates.

So, in an effort to allay your concerns, here are a few thoughts on understanding the range of your i4:

1. The range estimate you see on your dash is a WAG (wild guess) and quite useless for anything other than entertaining friends and family
2. Since the i4 battery capacity is >80kWh, the easiest way to determine range is to multiply current average consumption in mi/kWh by 80, then multiply by SOC (the current % state of charge). So, if your consumption is 3 kWh/mi and you are at 62%, your estimated range is: 3 * 80 (240miles at 100%) * 62% = 148.8 miles left. See the attachments for mapping.
3. Consumption is impacted by both driver choices and environmental factors, including both those familiar from ICE and those which are new and unique to EV, especially cold temperatures. If you think of battery use as consumption, like miles per kWh or kWh/100 (miles or km), it's really no different from internal combustion engine (ICE) cars. For them, you have a quantity of fuel in your tank and how far you can travel on it will depend upon similar variables (city vs. highway, heavy right foot, aerodynamic drag) with the addition of heating the cabin in cold weather costing more battery since there isn’t any combustion from which to pull heat to use for that purpose.
4. The SoC estimate shown on the iDrive 8 navigation for destination or charging stops is quite accurate and reliable

Edit: Changed out attachments to PDFs for both metric and imperial with thanks to @cruzer666

@ssh - Thanks for the attachments, but I'm not understanding the kWh/100 km numbers on the top line, shouldn't they be decreasing when reading from left to right ?

 

@ssh - Thanks for the attachments, but I'm not understanding the kWh/100 km numbers on the top line, shouldn't they be decreasing when reading from left to right ?

Thanks for pointing that out, we'll get the updated version on the original post

 

@cruzer666, what do you think?

 

Thanks, @cruzer666! OP updated.

 

Sometimes it goes down for no obvious reason. Up, too. That's the evidence.

 

Once I saw the the GOM drop from ~180 miles to ~100 miles from one second to another. It’s not good and should be ignored.

 

Whilst I have been a big critic of the GOM, I have found it to be accurate and, dare I say, usefull on long journeys of 100 plus miles when it can predict more accurately the range left. Having said that, only if the journey is predictable I suppose. If you start off on the flat and then end up going up the mountains then it will probably be crap? Don't have that in England!

 

I will wait to see how range estimates work when I get my i4 next week as it’s landed in the UK now. However, I am slightly confused. I have had two Kia e-Niros over the last 3 + years, the newest is still with us. I find the mileage estimates available on the battery are highly reliable. It I believe it uses driving style and history to do this and it really seems to have it nailed. I don’t notice the kinds of differences forum members experience with their i4s. Should this be the case between two different EVs, particularly from two brands that have better electric experience than other manufacturers.
I have to be honest one of the reasons for going i4 was the extra range given the larger battery size compared to my Kia. Some of the mileages being quoted on this forum will leave me a little deflated if that is what I get. However, I know in the Kia I typically get over 4 miles per kW (I drive modestly) so I am hoping that translates into the i4. Time will tell over the coming weeks and months. I will be posting my experience here.

 

As the OP notes: focus on consumption, not the range estimate in the GOM. I'm getting around 3mi/kWh in the cold right now, for example, which is about 240mi/100%

 

Ok. Thanks for posting the pdfs - V helpful. When I get the data is it obvious where I get the data points to get my miles / kWh?

 

Useful sheet, thanks!

The remaining range for EVs is a mess, my Kona EV also made a guestimate based on the last x km driven. I learned quickly enough to look at remaining SoC to know whether a charge is necessary depending on the trip ahead. The i4 is no different, it also takes into account whether I used the preconditioning with no charge cable connected. Range drops quickly with several short trips with preconditioning (without charge cable connected) in colder weather. After a longer trip, with preconditioning while connected, it is perfectly happy again. At mentioned several times, SoC is the one thing that matters. And the SoC values when planning a route in the app or BMW nav are quite good from my experience.

 

I’m now getting a bit concerned reading through these consumption rates that people are getting. I have had an m50 on 19s since October. I have done almost 6000 miles in it, mostly alone with no heavy loads. I guess 80% of the time has been spent in eco pro, 20% in sport boost. Apart from the odd play, it has been mostly driven at the same speeds as surrounding traffic. Probably half of the miles are on the motorway at say 80mph. My average consumption since factory is 2.6mi/kwh and this hasn’t changed since I got the car. Per trip is always between say 2.5 and 2.8 at the end. I tried to have an “eco” drive after reading others figures and managed 2.9 for the trip. That was really trying too. The climate is left alone at 18 degrees on auto and I think in eco pro it even reduces the heating efforts etc. Why is my long term average of 2.6 so much lower than others ? Honestly, I don’t race everywhere as most miles are work related. I also have a fast bike for that Could there be a problem ? Car is only ever charged at DC chargers of 50-175kw. Could this be affecting the consumption maybe ??. Also the guessometor is fairly accurate for me - 100% would equal around 200 miles of range and that is about what I get 2.6 x 80. I’m not new to ev, had a polestar 2 before this. Strange !

 

I'm in California, 60-80 deg weather. Mostly drive in Comfort. 2.9 since I got it 1700 miles. I think you are in family with me.

 

I just got an eDrive 40 on 18s and a big part of purchase was battery and range uplift on the eNiro we have. Only done low miles so early days but I am a very moderate driver and the numbers look worrying low. A big reason for joining this forum was user insights and the research I did having reserved suggested range was very able to be 300 plus. One of the reasons I made this post.
Early days for me so will monitor it over the coming weeks and months. Will be back shortly on some of my own experiences with range.

 

Almost 4,000 miles in Eco Pro and B, pretty solid at 3.4 Miles/kwh. I'm in South Florida so warm to moderate weather. Doing a 180 mile trip to Key West Saturday so will see what the real Miles/kwh will be. That is a rather long, slow drive, no where for high speed.

 

Yo bro- polestar was single motor version with standard battery (64kw I think). Full charge would get real world 200 miles. Don’t get me wrong, the m50 is a superior car and I am loving it. I’m just noticing that a lot of posts on here are getting better range than I am and I’m wondering why / how ?

 

The reason for asking is that I have had two dual motor p2s and I feel that I have a good idea of the range of both that a nd the m50. I used to get at best 210 in the p2 in winter and easily exceed 250 in the winter in the m50 ( haven't owned it in the summer yet).
I think 200 in your p2 is a but low for summer range but only by 10% so it suggests you are not a particularly inefficient driver (far from scientific I know!) Your figures for the m50 seem poor. I would see if you can get a loaner from your dealer and try a known run in that to compare figures with yours.
I don't get 3.5m/kW in mine at 80mph but 3.5 is very achievable on longer runs over mixed speeds up to 70mph. But as I said, haven't done summer driving yet.

 

The reason for asking is that I have had two dual motor p2s and I feel that I have a good idea of the range of both that a nd the m50. I used to get at best 210 in the p2 in winter and easily exceed 250 in the winter in the m50 ( haven't owned it in the summer yet).
I think 200 in your p2 is a but low for summer range but only by 10% so it suggests you are not a particularly inefficient driver (far from scientific I know!) Your figures for the m50 seem poor. I would see if you can get a loaner from your dealer and try a known run in that to compare figures with yours.
I don't get 3.5m/kW in mine at 80mph but 3.5 is very achievable on longer runs over mixed speeds up to 70mph. But as I said, haven't done summer driving yet.

Thanks for that. My m50 gets nowhere near 3.5, even on a run. Best journey I see is probably 2.9. It is getting some warranty work in Feb so I shall ask them.

 

I’m on 20’s in the UK. At a steady cruise on the motorway I’m getting 220 miles, which ties in with previous videos etc I’d seen specifically for those wheels.
It’s also been pretty cold and when it rains I can se e that dropping to 200 miles.
That is all actual miles of range - not what the guessometer is indicating

my assumption is this will improve marginally in the summer

 

My average for the month is 25.4 kWh/100 miles for the month of January. Mostly city/suburb driving, but I did make a 160 mile round trip. Some freeway, mostly surface streets with speed limits from 45-75. I did go to 80 mph for a little bit. So far, the range seems to be better than my previous Tesla MY. I drive in B-mode pretty much exclusively. Temperatures were in the 50s F.

 

Do you have an i4 with 18” wheels or 19”? That’s the equivalent of 3.9 miles / kWh.

 

Within Live View, there’s panel that shows your acceleration and anticipation. It would be nice if BMW did more to show power consumption in the car. However, the my BMW app shows averages by drive, month, etc.

 

Yeah, I've seen the consumption. I'll take a look at those in Live View today. I'd like to see trip versus average to see it I'm improve (when I choose to!).

 

The Ford F150 has a really nice feature for power consumption. It will tell you how much energy is being used for driving, climate control and accessories. I think that’s pretty cool.

 

So does the lowly Chevy Bolt

 

My December average was 28 kWh/100 miles or ~3.57 miles/kWh. I precondition on weekday mornings while not plugged in but usually do not precondition in the afternoon. Mostly city driving in during the weekday. A lot of highway driving a few weekends each month. Our average daily temperatures were around 40F with some cold spells. I drive in EcoPro and had not been using B mode, but may perhaps switch over.

 

The only difference between the various modes is how recuperative braking is applied, now how much recuperation you get. B mode applies it the moment you remove pressure from the motor control pedal, and it applies maximum recuperative braking with pressure removed. In D mode, you have up to 4 options for how it's applied:

Adaptive = 0 recuperative braking
Low
Medium
High

And High is less than is applied in B mode.

However, as you press the brake pedal in D mode, the car applies recuperative braking up to the maximum. If that's insufficient, it will blend in friction braking.

Regardless of the setting, you get the same recuperative braking for the same braking force applied in any of the modes.

 

Actually, adaptive can brake using regen. I prefer B mode but when I first got the car I tried D with adaptive. Adaptive estimates the amount of regen you need for the situation. It does a pretty good job. If you exit the highway, it will regen only a little. If you come up a traffic light and there is a car slowing down or already stopped, it will regen much more.

 

Adaptive does not use recuperative braking unless there is a reason to slow down that it senses (like that car you mention) or you press the brake pedal. I don't believe simply exiting a highway will cause recuperative braking.