[Mobeam]

Like a number of people I am patiently waiting delivery of a new IX3 hopefully April and to this end wondered if through this excellent forum, we [me and others] could ask current owners of their experience and problems to hopefully make it helpful for us.....soon to be IX3 owners and maybe our first dip into the EV mode of transport.

So.........to start......my main concern and worry is charging. I have booked and ordered fitment of a 7kw wall charger next month in anticipation and sure that over time this will be more than adequate for day to day needs. However right now when I research the national charging systems for doing long trips I am not so sure. They seems to be a vast amount of different providers all with different ways of accessing their respective systems. I understand that part of the purchase of a IX3 is the issue of a free subscription BMW charger card that gives access to BP Pulse /Ionity etc which is fine assuming one can find one en route.How does one pay for the charge on this card?.
Then there are Pod Point, Osprey,Geniepoint etc etc ......would it be best to load up ALL of the apps and put some funds into each so that I am covered. Do some of these chargers except contactless payment at the point of charge? ...or again do I need the app first.
Any comments or guidance would be helpful and hopefully put my mind at rest

[DaveCV]

A good starter for ‘10’:

https://electricjuice.octopus.energy/

Most EV owners have a preferred network based on where they live and their various destinations (some areas are better served than others by a particular company). I like InstaVolt because they just work.

Rule 1 of EV ownership. Always have a back up charging plan. The rapid charger that you choose may be in use; broken or the slot occupied by an ICE.

[hollpe]

Attachment 2811104The wait is the hard bit

To answer a couple of your questions:

- When you register your BMW charge account (using your VIN number) it stores a payment method. This is then billed monthly. My first invoice landed a couple of days ago. The invoice is for the full amount, BMW then pay the discounted part, leaving the balance remaining to come off your payment method (see screen shot attached).

- I have found that most of the other chargers just take a contactless payment, so it's tap and go. Being fairly new to the whole EV world I haven't used many, but it would appear the app is needed to for the subscription discounts.

- Zap-map is worth downloading. It gives real time availability of chargers and prices, route planning etc.

Originally Posted by DaveCV

Rule 1 of EV ownership. Always have a back up charging plan. The rapid charger that you choose may be in use; broken or the slot occupied by an ICE.

^^^^^^^ this

[Mobeam]

Thanks again Hollpe that was very helpful.

I won't get much diesel right now for £11.21

[R_Soul]

I would say have 2 backup options and if you are travelling, start thinking about changing around the 40 mile range mark.

The range displayed in the car can fluctuate wildly, so don’t panic if it only says 120 miles for a full charge; a good drive will bump that figure up.

I think the charger situation is going to get much better very quickly.

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by R_Soul

The range displayed in the car can fluctuate wildly, so don’t panic if it only says 120 miles for a full charge; a good drive will bump that figure up.

I have found the range to be pretty stable. I've done 3000 miles now. Every full charge says 200 miles +/- 10 miles.

It varies slightly with journey type, but my Audi S3 did the same. As with ICE cars, range is just an estimate based on the last x miles of driving. If you have been driving hard, the range will drop, and vice versa.

[LocalMaestro]

pasdw

[EVFan]

While I am "patiently" waiting for my iX3 I thought I would ask a question of existing owners:
As I understand it, the preset buttons on the infotainment can be set as quick links to menu items other than just radio channels, so, what do you have set up on your presets?

[ggla]

Mostly locations for the sat nav on mine and a couple of phone numbers I dial often

[DaveCV]

Originally Posted by EVFan

While I am "patiently" waiting for my iX3 I thought I would ask a question of existing owners:
As I understand it, the preset buttons on the infotainment can be set as quick links to menu items other than just radio channels, so, what do you have set up on your presets?

‘Stop navigation’ is a pre-set on my car to avoid the annoying navigation chatter when entering car parks etc.

[hollpe]

Originally Posted by LocalMaestro

pasdw

Mine are some radio stations, tyre pressure monitor, auxillary climate control, charging menu and a couple are free at the moment. I'll probably add to them / swap some around once I've spent a bit more time in the car.

[Mobeam]

Do you use your VOID ?
After just looking at a recent video review it makes mention of the somewhat wasted space under the bonnet. Not quite sure how much space there is.
Just wondered if anybody has made use of this 'void' to store maybe the cables, tyre repair kit.... or the odd coat etc in a plastic bag of course !!

[EVFan]

Another question: can (does) the individual trip automatically reset after each charge?

[hollpe]

Originally Posted by EVFan

Another question: can (does) the individual trip automatically reset after each charge?

Originally Posted by EVFan

Another question: can (does) the individual trip automatically reset after each charge?

I need to check, but from memory it gives 4 values: from last charge, for that day, ex works and custom. You select which one and that value is then displayed on the dash.

[EVFan]

Originally Posted by hollpe

I need to check, but from memory it gives 4 values: from last charge, for that day, ex works and custom. You select which one and that value is then displayed on the dash.

Perfect, thanks

[hollpe]

Originally Posted by EVFan

Perfect, thanks

Just nipped out a took a pic for you (attached).

[GDEvans]

Originally Posted by LocalMaestro

pasdw

What is "pasdw"?

[Mobeam]

Someone playing games I wonder ...