BMW Facing Lawsuit Over I3 REx Power Loss

by Mark Stevenson

Published: May 22nd, 2016

bmw facing lawsuit over i3 rex power loss

Owners of BMW i3s equipped with optional range extenders — read: two-cylinder engine that generates electricity — are suing the automaker for an issue that could leave those drivers going slow in the fast lane.

According to Green Car Reports, the BMW i3 REx will drop down to 45 miles per hour under certain conditions, which some owners believe is a safety issue.

The class-action lawsuit alleges the small range extender isn’t strong enough keep up with motivational demand at highway speeds when the battery is nearly depleted. Engine and battery management software steps in and reduces the BMW i3’s speed to 45 mph so that battery charge can catch up with demand.

“The BMW i3 Range Extender feature is a dangerous instrumentality to the owners of the vehicles and to other motorists on the road,” said Jonathan Michaels of MLG Automotive Law, the firm handling the class-action suit. “Having a sudden and unexpected loss of power in a motor vehicle can result in a catastrophic situation for all those on the road. These cars are dangerous and should not be driven.”

Green Car Reports notes three of its editors have experienced the issue in addition to its many owners.

The outlet spoke with electric-car advocate Tom Moloughney, who is also a BMW i3 owner. He stated the issue mostly comes down to a lack of knowledge of how the range extender works, and refrained from blaming the i3 for a quirk that doesn’t affect any other vehicle on sale today.

“The biggest problem is the lack of information on how the REx works at the dealership level. I think if people understood how the range-extender system works, then there would be fewer problems,” Moloughney said.

A representative for BMW said the company can’t comment on pending litigation.

The BMW i3 REx stickers, without options, for $47,245, including destination.

#BMW #BmwI3 #BmwI3Rex #ClassAction #ClassActionLawsuit #ElectricVehicle #EV #Lawsuit #Range-extender

Mark Stevenson

More by Mark Stevenson

Comments

Join the conversation

5 of 33 comments

ToddAtlasF1 on May 23, 2016

The sooner the weenies that rent these new give up on them, the sooner they can fall into the hands of shade tree mechanics who can find out if there is potential for repowering their hideous carbon fiber shells with Hayabusa or K-series engines and giving them a reason for existing.

Like Reply
- See 2 previous
- Big Oil on May 23, 2016
  
  Do you often have these fantasies about weenies and falling into the hands of a shade tree mechanic so you can have a reason for exiting?
  
  Like
- Old Man Pants on May 23, 2016
  
  @VoGo Diuretics give me all the reason I need for exiting.
  
  Like
- Redmondjp on May 23, 2016
  
  @Old Man Pants Well, they make "range extenders" for that problem too. Now where is that empty gatorade bottle?
  
  Like
SunnyvaleCA on May 23, 2016

The i3 is crippled to comply with California "electric vehicle" silliness to get taxpayer funding and get single-occupant use of the carpool lanes. Part of the crippling is that the engine won't charge the battery more than some very small amount. So, when you're headed to Lake Tahoe and know full well that you'll be putting considerable demands on the propulsion unit, you can't tell the i3 to charge the battery to, say 50% before you get to the mountain climb.

Like Reply

Recent Comments

Amwhalbi My 1972 Mercury Capri was my first stick shift car. God, I miss that thing. It was a blast to drive.
Vid169489471 The technology exists today to produce a variable color temperature (kelvin) LED lamp. It can vary from 2700k that soft orange look to 6500k the bright daylight with the bluish tint.Since everything in a late model car is computer controlled, it would be an easy task to write a few lines of code that enables your vehicle to not only dim down from hi to low beam but to shift color temp down to the 2700k range for oncoming traffic, then back up to 5000k once oncoming traffic has passed. For the operator it would be automatic and seamless. For older cars they could be retrofitted with LEDs that are 2700k on low beam and 5000k on hi beam. As far as standards, there could be a lumens max, and a minimum. Several States already have minimum lumen standards going back to the old incandescent bulbs. Why not update these to national standards.
Jam169859557 More regulation is needed for ALL vehicle lighting systems. [list=1][*]The lighting that is most blinding are the rapidly flashing red, blue and amber lights on emergency vehicles. The lights themselves are blinding, flashing so rapidly that it's impossible for even the sharpest eyes to adjust. What's worse, is the nature of the emergency requires a careful view of the area surrounding the emergency vehicle. There is something going on that needs to be seen. More flashing lights is not the solution.[/*][*]Brighter headlights need to be regulated. The tall riding vehicles do not need headlights positioned so high that they blind drivers in lower riding vehicles. And those heasdlights need to be aimed properly. When I first started driving my 2020 Subaru Outback, many drivers would flash their lights, hoping I would dim my lights. This stopped after I performed am easy adjustment that tilted the beam lower. Late model Subaru headlamps are designed with a sharp cutoff that project less glare above the hood line. When the headlights are properly aimed, other drivers are not blinded by the beam.[/*][*]Customized light assemblies make it more difficult to see the marker lights (tail lamps, turn signals and side marker lamps) that have been tinted. There are many municiple codes that prohibit this tinting, but these laws are seldom enforced.[/*][/list=1]Solutions: Tight controls on emergency vehicle lighting. In trying to make these vehicles more visible, a dangerous side effect is reducing the ability of drivers to see the surrounding perils.Headlight design regulations that reduce the height of the headlight assemblies. Just because a pickup truck has a hood that sits 4 feet abouve the pavement, it does not mean the headlights need to be so high. Owneres should maintain proper adjustments to their vehicle headlights.Establish and enforce regulation requiring a illumination standard be followed.
Stl170698708 as someone who hates big government, and their interference;but you can add me to the list of people that are blinded by the lights.unfortunately "the poop is out of the horse and no way is it going back in"They have had 5 years to make lights bigger, badder and brighter because in the vehicle work it is go big or go home!Trucks are the worst because so many people use them to express their dominance and that is big, big, big $$ both at the Original Purchase and in the Aftermarket world.If, we are so lucky to get some good government regulation on this it will also take some very good Court enforcement to get the aftermarket people with fines and lawsuits.Much like the EPA did with the Diesel Tuner Industry that felt emission regulations didn't apply to them.This is from someone that owns said pickup truck with the same bright headlights,but i only use the truck when I have too and always turn off the Fog lights when driving in traffic.
Art65765977 I saw a porsche 911 with the most amazing headlights from behind approaching the Sunshine skyway in Florida. The pattern was 108 degrees across sweeping the road like a broom. My brother and I were amazed. I don't know what it looked like from the front but i am sure it was better than American cars