I'm (hopefully) not anywhere near the need to have the battery replaced on my 2023 i4, but has anyone done so, and if so, how expensive was it to replace the battery?
Replacement Battery
zoomiq
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If there is a will and money, there is a way. I'm sure there will be options, but like putting a bigger engine in your gas car, it can be done, but most do not.
Some of us do, sometimes with great effect. Here are the ones I and my wife owned over the years.
1. 1979 BMW 733i - I replaced the engine with a Chevy 350, and it towed a large caravan effortlessly, but NOT inexpensively. Rebadged as a 758. Unfortunately overheated much of the time.
2. 1982 Rover SD1 owned by my wife. Bought with a Chevy 350 motor already installed, and out accelerated my BMW 758.
3. 1988? Ford Sapphire with a Ford fitted 5.0 L Mustang engine. Quick, but not a good tow vehicle. Destroyed 3 flex plates and 2 gearboxes. the conversion retained those components from the 3.0 litre donor car. Bad decision.
4. 1992 Volkswagen 2.1 Kombi automatic, to which I fitted a Chevy 350 with a Oldsmobile Toronado/Buick Riviera gearbox/differential combo and serious additional radiators. Best towing vehicle for a double axel caravan i ever owned.
I spent lots of money learning how to do this, and was forced into creating good towing vehicles, because of the fact that V8 vehicles became non-U after the fuel crises in the late 20th century.
These days I drive a BMW i4M50 and my wife drives a BMW iX xDrive50. We do NOT miss the old days! Thank heavens!
Germans tow with regular cars all the time. I have a full sized pickup truck for towing. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. A truck has stiffer suppension and steel frame that is designed for towing, it just a lot safer if your pulling something heavy (over 2000 Kg). I assume your iX is your main tow vehicle now. Either case an EV even with a larger battery has limited range when towing.
No, we have never towed with the iX50. But when there are eventually sufficient public charging stations near the Kruger National Park, where we have time-share, we may consider towing our 6ft trailer, as my wife's walker takes up quite a bit of luggage space in the iX50.
2023 i4 e40 M Sport & Premium Package in San Remo Green Metallic
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After reading through this thread, which have some interesting takes. The ICE vs EV battery replacement is a compelling argument when it comes down to the wear and tear of other parts of the car. The argument I would make against this being somewhat of a poor comparison is that it seems to me that the complexity of rebuilding or replacing an ICE engine with a remanufactured one would never be considered new, because the support for ICE is waning, manufacturers aren't making as many parts anymore for older cars. The fact that an ICE engine has roughly 2000 moving parts vs 20 for EV's has to be a consideration, so much more to go wrong on an old ICE car, like 15-20 years old. Also the time it takes to rebuild and source the engine could put out of a car for weeks, maybe more.
On the EV side, while a complex system on the engineering side for the battery. If the body and interior of the car holds up, and the battery is the only thing that's needed to be replaced. I would think given that things should become more relevant to out aging EV's, there will be not only better options, but cheaper batteries that could be swapped into our chassis. I'm not an engineer or pretend to know more than anyone discussing this topic. I can only see this scenario play out if your battery is damaged or is bricked, which apparently has a low percentage thus far. I am more inclined to believe the battery will outlast the car is cared for properly, but I also believe battery swaps will become more common as the technology advances, and most importantly there is support from any manufacturer to continue helping customers keep their EV's on the road.
If they don't, then I'd have to hope the third party market will have the opportunity for the right to repair, we should start seeing more EV garages opening up exponentially as the market rises.
On the EV side, while a complex system on the engineering side for the battery. If the body and interior of the car holds up, and the battery is the only thing that's needed to be replaced. I would think given that things should become more relevant to out aging EV's, there will be not only better options, but cheaper batteries that could be swapped into our chassis. I'm not an engineer or pretend to know more than anyone discussing this topic. I can only see this scenario play out if your battery is damaged or is bricked, which apparently has a low percentage thus far. I am more inclined to believe the battery will outlast the car is cared for properly, but I also believe battery swaps will become more common as the technology advances, and most importantly there is support from any manufacturer to continue helping customers keep their EV's on the road.
If they don't, then I'd have to hope the third party market will have the opportunity for the right to repair, we should start seeing more EV garages opening up exponentially as the market rises.
2023 i4M50 Brooklyn Grey, Red V Leather, DAPP, PAP, LaserLights, 19"
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I recall commenting (not here) on a post about the occasional very high mileage Tesla. When I ran the numbers of motors it had replaced, it seemed the the average motor replacement was just under 100,000 miles. Most replies indicated that at least one of the early Model S motors suffered from a design deficiency (since corrected), improvements had been made, and that kind of failure rate was no longer expected.
In general, it's to early too have data about long term life expectancy, but I give BMW a lot of credit for a more robust product design process. That said, BMW motors do utilize (sealed) brushes. There are technical advantages to this approach, including high speed operation, coasting and reduction of rare earth metals with a potential downside of needing to replace the brushes. BMW documents the replacement procedure and it doesn't look cheap. Just gotta hope it's a very high mileage item.
Someday I want to see a company that will give me the option to replace my degraded battery in my car - And let me keep the old one that they will also install in my home/garage with the necessary hookup and mgmt system to my home power!
How cool would that be.
How cool would that be.
i4m50, 18inch 245/255 summer 18 inch 245/245 winter, order aug 21 - iDrive8
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Many people doing it today with the old i3 - Upgradable from 20KWW to 30 and 40 KW batteries from BMW, and third part batteries with "insane" capacity.
However BMW, at least in Europe tries to get the batteries back. In the Munich factory, there are self-driving Mini-busses, running on the old i3 technology. Like this one :
Anyone seen this old add ?
"Even a Mercedes can deliver Drivers Satisfaction"
Yes, that would be very cool, but probably a total overkill for your house. And remember to make it a good economic proposition you would still have to install solar panels and inverters.
2023 i4M50 Brooklyn Grey, Red V Leather, DAPP, PAP, LaserLights, 19"
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My alternative approach to a home backup generator was to install batteries. An inverter, sure, but no solar. With my relatively low cost of power, available mounting area and a wooded lot, solar, as a cost saving measure, didn't really work for me. A repurposed EV battery was an option, but posed technical challenges I just didn't want to solve. My battery bank is 29kWh and runs critical circuits for about two or three days. No maintenance, no fuss, cheaper than a generator and (at that time) a tax credit to boot. No solar required.
2023 i4M50 Brooklyn Grey, Red V Leather, DAPP, PAP, LaserLights, 19"
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Yes. Outages are not frequent,.but tend to happen at inopportune times. With a well for domestic water, I lose more than just lighting. Most approaches simply use a backup generator. I pulled the (for me) critical systems to a sub panel and normally use grid power. When the grid drops out, transfer is immediate and those systems run on batteries longer than any outage we have experienced. An EV battery would have more than enough capacity, but I preferred the LiFePo4 cell solution. V2H technology for cars would perform a similar function, but probably without the automated transfer.
i4m50, 18inch 245/255 summer 18 inch 245/245 winter, order aug 21 - iDrive8
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Another reason why the Neue Klasse is a good idea.
2023 i4M50 Brooklyn Grey, Red V Leather, DAPP, PAP, LaserLights, 19"
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Yes, the Neue Klasse will support bidirectional charging. The specifics of implementation are unclear (at least.to me, as of this writing). To be code, safety (grid disconnect) compliant and automated, I suspect I would need significant changes to my existing setup (EV charging is not on my critical circuits list) .and probably a new wall box. I can do the work, but need to evaluate the methods, costs and advantages of the technology change.
The only reason BMW would not be in that business is that they want to sell new cars. However, I think that is short sighted. I imagine there will be a 3rd party market that will supply it if it can be properly engineered at a reasonable price
Does this not already exist for old Teslas?
2023 i4M50 Brooklyn Grey, Red V Leather, DAPP, PAP, LaserLights, 19"
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Maybe. Certainly any grid tie arrangement like V2G would require approval by the utility. For non-grid tied back up systems like V2H, batteries or generators, proper isolation is a matter of local jurisdiction and, where required, the electrical inspection agency. If your source doesn't feed the grid, it's not usually in the Utility's jurisdiction. In my town, electrical permits and inspections are only required for modifications when penetrating structural members.
Seems unlikely that any jurisdiction would only trigger electrical permits on a structural penetration?
In general, most states mandate that all jurisdictions use IBC/IEC/IFC, and only allow modifications that make requirements more strict, not less. It's one of the (many) factors driving up costs.
I'm in an unincorporated area, and permitted at the county level. My Level 2 charger has zero structural penetrations, (run in conduits) yet required permits to be pulled.
In general, most states mandate that all jurisdictions use IBC/IEC/IFC, and only allow modifications that make requirements more strict, not less. It's one of the (many) factors driving up costs.
I'm in an unincorporated area, and permitted at the county level. My Level 2 charger has zero structural penetrations, (run in conduits) yet required permits to be pulled.
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