[fishermn]

Hi all,
just wondering what is your experience - how many e-miles does your 530e display shows after the full charge?
I own the car for 2 months already and have ever seen displayed 12-14 miles after the full charge (home power socket 110v or public EV charging stations).
I've read a lot of reviews and found that many users have their 19-23 miles displayed, as well as European drivers have around 45 kms (around 28 miles).
Am I doing something wrong?)
Despite that I have around 20-25 e-miles driven on a full charge in Comfort mode (Avto).

[amus3d]

The most range I've seen is 17 miles on my car. By the time I roll out of my garage I lose 1 mile already. Depending on the weather, I typically see between 12-16 miles range. My current power efficiency is 2.7 mi/KWh which will technically equate to 24.84 miles with our 9.2KW battery. However, I think BMW puts 2 KW on reserve so we can't really use all 9.2KW. But even if they put some juice aside, my efficiency should equate to 19.44 miles which I have yet to see.

[Jdmfreak811]

13 miles on odemeter
looses 1 mile backup lol like dchuck84 said

[SteveinArizona]

After a full charge mine shows anywhere from 14-18 miles. The estimate is impacted by the type of driving that is done and the weather. Right now, e.g., we are getting 100+ temperature and I have mostly been getting 14 miles.

But remember, this is merely the car giving you an estimate of what it thinks you will do. How many miles you drive will be governed by the temperature, your driving methods, the car settings (e.g., sport vs. eco).

I do a lot of local driving on pure electric and do almost all of my driving enthusiastically. I got the 530e for the environmental impact and for the ability to drive in the car pool lanes. I care less about mpg except to the extent that it can serve as an environmental proxy. So with my driving style on one hand and a lot of local driving with the ability to recharge on the other hand, I have been getting between 700 and 900 miles on a 12.4 gallon gas tank.

The other value to me of the estimate is that I like to use the precondition phone app feature to start the AC in the car when I have been playing golf for five hours in Arizona heat. So I make sure I have enough capacity left to let the car run the AC off the hybrid battery. I just came off the golf course and did exactly that. When I got to my car it was extremely comfortable.

[MontyP]

The highest range I have ever seen after a full charge on a JuiceBox in warm weather is 25 kms (or about 15.5 miles). I have also read reviews that speak of much longer ranges but have concluded the reviewers are mistaken.

I have a copy of BMW's 5 Series Sedan 2018 My Product Guide which lists the ranges for all 2018 5 Series. It lists the electric range for the 530e as 24 kms.

[StuW530e]

[MontyP]

That's impressive Stu. I've never seen more than 25 kms of range.

I have no doubt that people who actually own/lease the cars and report their electric range on forums are reporting correctly - there is little incentive not to. However, my comment was referring to all the online reviews (and there were a lot of them) that talked about electric range of 29 miles, 31 miles, 30 miles, 46 kms, 50 kms, etc.). I read a lot of these in late 2017, before deciding to order my 530e, and in early 2018 after taking delivery. At the time BMW itself was claiming an electric range of 46 kms (although the reported EPA range was less). Furthermore, the salespeople at the dealerships all talked about a 50 km range. Accordingly, after taking delivery of my car in January of last year I was disappointed with the much lower actual range. I was told to expect a lower range in the winter but even in the summer months I have never seen anything above 25 kms. When I asked the dealership whether this was an issue with my car they sent me the aforementioned product guide which states the range as 24 kms. When I completed my customer satisfaction survey (both through BMW Canada and with the dealership) my only complaint with the car was that the electric only range was less than I had expected. Caveat emptor I suppose.

Subsequently I have found more online reviews that suggest the actual range is closer to 25 kms or 15.5 miles. 25 kms is the most mine has ever displayed but I have never come close to 25 kms of actual electric only driving range and I am still very skeptical that anyone gets 30 miles of electric range even hypermiling.

I am curious how you and others get 30+ kms of range. What settings do you use? What type of charger? Do you turn off things inside the car. Is there a certain iDrive setting. Seeing your location I am assuming the weather there is not that much warmer than here.

Thanks.

[StuW530e]

Hi Monty,
I agree, I was led to believe 30mile range was possible when choosing the car and the reality is very disappointing. Thankfully it doesn’t effect me much, I only have to drive 3 miles to work. But it’s a boring 3 miles in traffic so some days I try and make it more interesting by hypermiling, even though I don’t need to. I have learnt a whole new driving style with this car, they can coast for ages!
I use eco pro, max edrive and cruise control as much as possible, adjusting speed with the rocker switch on the steering wheel for gentle acceleration. For a long drive I use edrive and the sat nav. If I really need to save power I turn off the air con. Just turning it on drops 2-3 mile range! That’s a shame, and I bet for all the tests it wasn’t used either.
I precondition it whenever it is plugged in at work before going out / home. In the winter I also precondition it in the morning, getting into a warm car on a cold morning is a game changer and one of the highlights of this car for me!
I charge at work with a 16/32amp 3.6/7.2kw wall charger and that gets me home and back, local work and personal trips for free. Just the occasional charge at home with an extension lead at the wknd. I only use fuel when I go somewhere out of the ordinary.
In the winter the range was more around 19miles, summer here seems to help!
Cheers

[enigma01]

BMW is reserving quite a bit out of the official 9.2kWh battery capacity advertised.

When I am pretty close to 0% (as reported by the OBC or BMW Connected App), the most I've seen used for a full recharge is about 7.3 kWh from the wall. If we apply roughly 10% efficiency loss, it really took in about 6.5 kWh. It would mean close to 30% in reserve capacity, which is pretty conservative as compared to Tesla and other EVs.

This is also confirmed by the fact that when the OBC shows 3mi/kWh, I can go roughly 18 miles with a single digit % battery left.

Why does BMW do this? My theory is to prolong the battery life (and more importantly, to reduce costly warranty repairs due to premature battery failures). Lithium-ion batteries don't like to be drained all the way, and also don't like to be stay fully charged without inducing premature wear. So, BMW is probably leaving a good amount of reserve and not allowing the battery to be fully charged (e.g. when OBC reads 0%, it may actually be around 20%, and when OBC reads 100%, it may actually be around 90%). When the battery actually loses charging capacity over time, BMW can also mask it by charging it fuller, giving the impression that the capacity hasn't degraded.

So, why does BMW reserve more capacity than Tesla? I think the answer is that because the 530e has such a small battery that it needs to be charged a lot more frequently (2x per day isn't probably uncommon) than a Tesla with 75-100kWh capacity, it needs to be more conservative to prevent early battery failures.

This is all a speculation on my part, so take it with a large gain of salt.

[SteveinArizona]

Driving style is a key determinant. If one drives in EcoMode (whatever that is) and hypermiles, I would expect that one could reach those numbers. But why one would buy a BMW and then drive that way escapes me.

I think most of the members on forums like this drive like I do...enthusiastically. So we are not going to get very good electric only gas mileage. But we will have a lot more fun.

[Krash7172]

Why doesn't it show % of battery remaining rather than a crystal ball guess as to how many miles you can drive? Pointless IMO.

[MontyP]

I agree with SteveinArizona's comment about driving style and, like him, prefer to drive enthusiastically. However I still don't understand why my electric range never shows more than 25 kms (and usually shows less) even when plugged in to the JuiceBox and whether or not pre-conditioning is used. Stu's displayed range in the picture above is 21 miles (almost 34 kms.). This is more than 50% higher than I have ever seen.

[fishermn]

MontyP, I totally agree with you, I also do not see more then 14 miles on my display after the full charge. While another guy posted his picture of display with 42 km!!! it's almost 26 miles, twice more than others

[enigma01]

Originally Posted by MontyP

I agree with SteveinArizona's comment about driving style and, like him, prefer to drive enthusiastically. However I still don't understand why my electric range never shows more than 25 kms (and usually shows less) even when plugged in to the JuiceBox and whether or not pre-conditioning is used. Stu's displayed range in the picture above is 21 miles (almost 34 kms.). This is more than 50% higher than I have ever seen.

Just like the OBC trying to predict ICE engine range, the displayed electric range is a predicted guestimate based on your past driving habits, the current driving mode and the current battery charge level.

By the way, it's also worth noting that the battery charge level is fairly inaccurate. I can charge as much as 0.5 kW when the car tells me it's already at 100%, and the expected range keeps climbing up.

[MontyP]

Originally Posted by enigma01

Just like the OBC trying to predict ICE engine range, the displayed electric range is a predicted guestimate based on your past driving habits, the current driving mode and the current battery charge level.

By the way, it's also worth noting that the battery charge level is fairly inaccurate. I can charge as much as 0.5 kW when the car tells me it's already at 100%, and the expected range keeps climbing up.

Understood OBC. However, even after a week of commuting in the city on EcoPro mode and Max eDrive I never get close to the ranges others get. Short of pushing my car, I'm not sure how to get more range. I have never seen the level of disparity in the ICE ranges that I see in the electric ranges.

Not a big deal although my commute is a 22 km round trip and when I decided on the 530e I was reasonably certain I'd be able to commute on electricity alone. Alas it is not to be!

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by MontyP

Understood OBC. However, even after a week of commuting in the city on EcoPro mode and Max eDrive I never get close to the ranges others get. Short of pushing my car, I'm not sure how to get more range. I have never seen the level of disparity in the ICE ranges that I see in the electric ranges.

Not a big deal although my commute is a 22 km round trip and when I decided on the 530e I was reasonably certain I'd be able to commute on electricity alone. Alas it is not to be!

Other than hypermiling your trips, I think you are not going to get what you thought you were going to get.

[SteveinArizona]

It occurs to me that a better gauge might be how many miles you get on a tank of gas. For example, I have been getting between 700-900 miles on a tank. However, I work mostly from home, have a 240 charger in my garage, and often charge during the day as well as at night.

[Markw123]

over here in the Uk i get 20 miles from full charge but drops quite quickly.
i normally get 50mpg combined which is great, my 530d was doing 40mpg, obviously not as quick but not far away.. great car, cheap insurance, heated seats and steering wheel, heads up, harmon kardon awesome stereo

the only problem is the pre condition only seems to work when it wants and not when the battery is low.. more for heat than our hot summers..!

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Markw123

over here in the Uk i get 20 miles from full charge but drops quite quickly.
i normally get 50mpg combined which is great, my 530d was doing 40mpg, obviously not as quick but not far away.. great car, cheap insurance, heated seats and steering wheel, heads up, harmon kardon awesome stereo

the only problem is the pre condition only seems to work when it wants and not when the battery is low.. more for heat than our hot summers..!

I use battery control when I expect to let the car sit in the heat for an extended period of time. I like to save at leat 6 miles of charge for that purpose. It works great.

Today it was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I was playing golf. After the 17th green I took out my phone and turned on the AC. When I finished and got to the car it was nice and cool. Works great.

[Markw123]

Originally Posted by SteveinArizona

I use battery control when I expect to let the car sit in the heat for an extended period of time. I like to save at leat 6 miles of charge for that purpose. It works great.

Today it was well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. I was playing golf. After the 17th green I took out my phone and turned on the AC. When I finished and got to the car it was nice and cool. Works great.

good idea, i'll look up how to programme it, it never gets about 85 here so it quickly cools down

[SteveinArizona]

Originally Posted by Markw123

good idea, i'll look up how to programme it, it never gets about 85 here so it quickly cools down

There is no programming involved. Just make sure you have at least a five hours of battery capacity (could be less but your car will lose capacity as it sits in the sun) and use the phone app to "precondition" the car. It will show sending to car for a bit and then, hopefully, will say "success".

[Busatomppa]

I have noticed that when you put fan on (heating or cooling) it consumes quite much electric. Of course we must use ventilation when it's cold, hot or foggy but when exterior temperature is suitable shut down fan and open roof window for ventilation. That will increase your electric range.
Yesterday I get over 24ml and car was still charging.