BMW i3 120Ah battery upgrade - How to?
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- čas přidán 5. 07. 2024
- You asked for it, here it is. All the details on why the BMW i3 120Ah upgrade is so hard to pull off. Massive thanks to Havrla for supplying so much information and video material! Need an i3 upgrade? Get in touch with Havrla here:
www.i3upgrade.cz/
i3upgrade(a)i3upgrade.cz
This video was brought to you by Patreon supporters. Like what you see? Consider becoming a supporter: / dala - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Thanks Dala for mentioning Havrla. He recently performed the upgrade of my 60 aH Rex to a 120 aH (still with Rex..). He picked up the car at my place, drove it 1000km to his home to do the job and delivered it back 3 days later in front of my door. Naturally, this has a price). It is difficult to explain how happy this made me as I have now the best of both worlds. Driving moderate, I got 350km from 1 charge (no a/c, no highway, warm weather). That’s much more than I expected. Off course, winter or highway will be a different story. Havlra is a very competent person and on top of it he’s a nice and very reliable guy with lots of interesting stories to tell.
Amazing, so happy to hear that the upgrade went so smoothly! Hats off to Havrla!
What was the rough price of the upgrade with the battery at Havrla? I am finding 2015 REX models now in price range of 15 000 EUR in Europe. I am just wondering if buying one and changing to the 120Ah battery is worth it. It would be a neat long range package.
@@rollojoel1686 Always better to buy the correct battery size from the start.
@@rollojoel1686 That’s exactly the thing to do. If willing to wait, 7900 + 1000 installation. I paid 12 to get on top of waiting list, have it picked up and dropped back in front of my door. It’s well worth the price..
@@rollojoel1686 I bought a 94Ah Navi/leather/sunroof 16500km in May for 22.000, got 2000subsidy and some part ex. Prices have probably gone up due to the chip shortage.
I am so looking forward to a 180Ah upgrade down the road.
That will never happend because they stop manufacture them 2022.
Amazing video. Really helpful and highlights all the pitfalls before entering blind into a complicated and expensive project. Many thanks!
Wow Dala! Thanks for the info. I’ll share with my BMWi friends.
Thanks Sal!
@@DalasEVRepair As with all modifications ` research research research ` before embarking down the rabbit hole of modifying :):)
Good to know its possible and where to go to get it done !
Depends on costs and reliability risks .. it is probably more preferable to just get a 120Ah in a good deal.
Although, if it is possible to upgrade a Rex to 120Ah (which is not available), then that would be something.
Very informative video! Thanks.
I’m waiting for an aftermarket upgrade of battery modules that would add to the 120AH highest bmw pack level
Thanks very much for this video. I,m a owner of a I3 bmw, and now i know that i don,t work at my car by myself in that kind.
Thanks a lot for your video and nice explanations.
There should be law in EU that requires car companies to provide replacement batteries and possible software to do the replacement. It would be environmentally friendlier when people can repair their cars cheaper. And that would make more sensible for car companies to use same batteries as rival companies when battery is not source of control and money. They would have to compete making the rest of the car better than the next company.
Thank you for the infomative video and research.
Greetings from Oulu. :)
Absolutely agree! Thanks 😁
Like a "Right to Repair" law
Exactly !!!! its fuking rediculas,, you buying this EV and than you having too many problems and cost too much
Woow! You are a genius!👍👍👍
I think of myself more as an engineer, but thanks 😅
Really interesting video. I have noticed our 94Ah restricts re-gen when soc is 100% or when it is very cold ambient.
Yeah it seems to only be the 60Ah that doesn't restrict regen at high SOC. Both 94 and 120Ah charge to higher voltages, so that explains it!
Awesome awesome video!!! 👏👏👏
Hello Dala, thanks for your work here on yt! I'm wondering if it makes any sense to buy a cheap i3 (60ah) and do an upgrade to 120. I have no idea about the approximate costs and the range you could get with an 120 ah upgrade. I saw a claim from Lion Light Batteries and a PoC for an own developed 100kWh battery with a 700km range. Sick. After some research it looks like the battery is not yet available and maybe will never see day of light since BMW is one of their customers. Anyway, let me know, I'm looking forward to get some advise! Thank you
If you are buying a car then go right for the battery size you need. This is more for dedicated owners!
See my latest input above..
Note pag oil: If you release/drain the refrigerant and disconnect the lines at the battery pack you will not find any oil and should not have to refill. Pag oil is SP-2A and most resides in the compressor. Pumping down vacuum, allowing water to boil off, and refilling with R1234YF is very simple.
The oil is soluble in coolant.
If the coolant is drained from the system, some of the oil will leave with the coolant.
The oil must therefore be topped up. And this is the reason why these things should not be done by people who do not know what they are doing.
Would it be worth to buy Samsung SDI cells and make allt that myself? Im not in hurry to buy an i3 but in 10 years , the old battery prob be dead or weak so its just to replace cells. Im sure well see some hack on the locked battery :D ISTA D+ is hacked and flows freely on internet lol
Hi Dala i leave between Malmo ( Sweden) and Milan ( Italy) im looking hard for to get a last series ( 2018 ) of i3 94 REX with still BMW certificate warranty and low miles.....can u please tell me the cost of the up grade to 120 and especially the risks in such a job. Thanks Ciao Lorenzo
Great Video! Maybe I will order an upgrade from you :)
So did you replace sme or use eos tester to get battery working with car?
Interested in the coding part that was carried out any more details on what had to be done?
first plug play was on the 120?
It does make sense why it was plug and play and just needed coding but you need an understanding of these cars/battery units
What is the range with a 42kwh battery + Rex ?
Where can i get a replacement battery pack for a 2013 i3
What alloys do you have on your i3?
Greta job. Wondering if would be possible just to change the inside battery packs individual and make it stronger. The size are the same aren't they?
Not possible, the BMS will limit the cells to max 21kWh.
@@DalasEVRepair Why? The BMS usually only care about Voltage and Delta-Voltage. As the pack ages, the capacity decreases, so it won't keep trying to reach "21kWh" (18.8kWh usable)... no, it will just limit charge until the peak Voltage is reached... then the Charge Current decreases to the appropriate level. Substituting the 94Ah modules in place of the 60Ah modules should work... but I would also keep the all of the original 60Ah BMS modules that were in the 60A pack... so that everybody already knows everybody... and they should be able to play together nicely... just longer-per-charge.
I have to believe someone out there has tried this... but I just found a locked 90Ah pack for cheap... and it might be worth the try.
Excellent video. Really well presented.
Thanks Sean!
btw, have you been looking at the cooling system of i3 in-depth? For me it seems to be quite simple, so maybe it would be possible to implement something like aftermarket for Nissan Leaf?
Adding active cooling to the Leaf batteries is a bit too much work. Ofcourse I could make some one-off solution, but to industrialize the solution is too much for a one person job (that usually works at nights :D )
Havrla: Best man!
Yes, Havrla is awesome!
Thankyou
Great video! I’ve heard that you could use the batteries from an i3 on a Fiat 500e, thus extending the range of the Fiat...is this true?
Probably not possible. That is a bruteforce upgrade, and most BMSes limit the input kWh to match what the cells should be.
I doubt it will ever be cost-effective to overcome the software & hardware challenges in a 500e. I would love to have 40% more range, I hope to hang on to it long enough to see if it's going to be a possibility. Hard to say what price would be acceptable.
Hi ... for Mini Countryman prev are there more information to change pack battery?
No idea!
Nice!
How to match new inverter for bmw i3?
Hi Daniel where is the link to Havrla ? We ll definitely consider upgrading with them once we ship our i3 back to EU
Nvm found it in description and emailed them already thanks ..are you based in Finland in case anypne there needs help ?
Good you found it, and yes, I'm based in Finland!
@@DalasEVRepair yes already in email contact with them ..we have some followers in Finland Sweden Poland and Baltic states so we may send some biz your way ..you never know !
This video should be renamed “BMW i3 battery upgrade. “DONT DO IT, ITS NOT WORTH IT”
Why do you say that. I did it on mine 3 years ago it was one of the best decisions.
@@garyhoward4064 it all depends where your region is. Are you in the US? I'm sure if its in the EU, it is much easier as upgrades were offered from the dealer, and the fact that he keeps on mentioning "if your lucky" isnt too reassuring.
@@SkippyPB. I am in Switzerland and it took me 2 years to find someone to do it. All BMW dealers refused to do the upgrade. I finally located the specialist in Europe and he's 700 miles from my home. He flew in on a Monday drove to Czech republic and delivered the car back to me on the Friday. Now I have both the electric larger range and the backup engine in case I miscalculate. I owned many cars in my life but this is by far the best one for my needs and will never sell it.
@@garyhoward4064Helou.. how much do you pay for oppgrade ? And can you tell me name off company how oppgrade yours car?? I'm interested to check options to opgrade our i3..
@@shhs6127Search i3upgrade Havrla
Hi Dala. I want to convert a bmw i3 battery into a home solar battery. Do you have any technical adapter to recommend that will use the original bms instead of having to add an off the shelf bms on each block. Greatings from Luxemburg
Use the Battery-Emulator, it has support for i3 batteries plug'n'play. I have 2x BMW i3 packs that I am going to use! Video coming soon!
Excellent video witty and informative
do you have a video with changing only a module? or is it the same procedure?
For BMW i3? Best to contact Havrla, link in description!
What year is the i3?
Just a note, not all 2014 i3s used 1234yf refrigerant. In the USA it was still R134a. They didn't switch to 1234yf until I believe 2018 in the USA.
They did still use the Sanden special refrigerant oil in 2014 with R134a.
can you explain why that matters either way your having to drain a refrigerant before removing the battery as the a/c should be able to cool either battery he says nothing about the r134a a/c system being unable to cool a 120 amphour battery
@@raven4k998 he made special note about which refrigerant was in the car, and if you are DIYing this project you need to know which tools to have ready to do the work. R134a and R1234yf require different recover and charging machines and hoses.
@@tonyfoley9189 oh ok just wondering thats all
@@tonyfoley9189 how much does the 120 battery cost does anyone know the Canadian cost for one?
@@raven4k998 sorry, don't have that info.
How did you drain the air con/ refrigerant? Did you need a professional machine to do so? I suppose once drained the car should not be driven either.
Correct, professional (often licensed) equipment is needed. We drove the car 40meter once it was empty, but you really should try to minimize it!
@@DalasEVRepair Is it a job a regular professional air con guy could do? Or is there a particular machine / process required for the i3?
@@nickscarborough1028 Special oil needed, but otherwise the same!
Hey Dala, can you upgrade my 30kWh Leaf with CATL's LFP batteries (300 kg will approx. 60kWh)? :) Tnx a lot.
Can? Yes. Do? Not really, due to the legislation in Finland I am staying away from bruteforce upgrades.
Prices?
Great work! Do you know anything about upgrading vw e-golf and e-up? Is it easy, hard or not possible?
No experience with those (yet...)
What about the Mercedes B250e? Any plans wih this one? Thanks for your great work 👍
Man those Leafs are so cheap to get into , hard to stay away from them. One just showed up in the Atlanta north pull-a-part last weekend according to their automated text notifications system ... it’s like leafs grow on trees.
Thanks for the video. I think the biggest challenge is battery locking after crash. Is there any way to test that without connecting to car?
Something like that may be in the works... 😅
@@DalasEVRepair did anything ever come of finding out how to fix a locked out battery?
@@MiniLifeCrisis have not encountered one yet!
@@DalasEVRepair I have one which will be going in a Classic Mini, if you know of any more info it would be a massive help. Thanks
@@MiniLifeCrisis EoS tester is the official tool. Look into renting one!
Interesting, although it is too hard to try. I wonder how hard it would be to upgrade a Zoe?
Should be quite similar, not enough specimens here to experiment with
@@DalasEVRepair Here in Sweden we have plenty of Zoes, but I think getting a used battery is harder due to that most batteries belong to Renault.
Would it be possible to upgrade a 28 kWh Hyundai ionic to 38 kwh ?
No clue on this yet, time will tell :)
Would be a downgrade due to lower pack voltage and slower DC charging.
What is the cost of the upgrade to a 120 AH battery for our 2015 BMWi3?
I asked my bmw dealer and they said something like 37 000 EUROS !!!! yes 37 K € .
What about sustainability BMW ?
The question is, regarding the BMW c evolution, the scooter, can the modules be swapped as well?
I don't understand this question?
@@DalasEVRepair Bmw i3 shares the same modules with bmw c evolution(scootee). Can the modules 60Ah for 120 Ah on a bike?
@@Alberto-xw8vx The modules are the same size, so physically it fits then. No clue how the scooter handles the software side!
Whats is ballpark cost for uppgrading 60Ah Rex to 120Ah?
7-9k€!
@@DalasEVRepairHow much experience do you have with the i3 now.
I am looking at purchasing a 2015 with 80K miles, and Rex.
Total distance seems to be down to 105. I am wondering how much life should expect out of the battery?
I replay like the car, and the deal is great with the new US 4K rebate.
A great way to upgrade to 120 from 60 or 94 is to trade your car.
That isn't true in Europe as the 120 REx is unavailable
If I had a 94 I wouldn't bother, the 60 could really use the help though, REX or BEV. For me a little more range would go a long way, a lot of range somewhat of a waste.
@@rp9674 I have a 94 REx. I think it's a great compromise. It's effectively a 100% electric commuter car and then you can take longer trips with it using the gas. I've gone 945 miles one way and used electricity maybe 50% of the time.
@@DeputyNordburg are you using European spec, hold state of charge function?
@@rp9674 I am at my desk right now so no. But i do sometimes. :) I live on the East coast of the US, so I don't have many mountains to climb. I usually just let it kick on by itself.
I have and EOS tester for locked batteries in the UK for anyone wanting to upgrade batteries.
Curious to hear how much it cost when you bought it? 😁
@@DalasEVRepair about €10k from memory
@@tomby10 Where about are you in UK?
Do you know anyone who actually does the full upgrade job - including the ac fluids etc.?
@@londonwestman1 most good independent garages should be able to do everything but the eos test and maybe the software update. I can do those bits.
Just thinking out loud here Dala would it be possible to put leaf batteries in a trailer and pull them after a BMW i3 and therefore extend the range if you wanted to go on a journey.Of course the easiest would be for BMW to give a 60Kw battery with the i3!
Thanks for your videos they are really great.
There are no flexible HV joints on the market that I know of, so I don't think such a build would be feasible.If the 120Ah (43kWh) battery is not enough, the REX is a nice option. Otherwise switching to another platform might be the best solution!
Your best bet for utilizing a Leaf battery would be to stop and charge from it. :/
You can't tow trailer with i3
@@electricwhirl5175 Incorrect - partially. It depends upon where you are. There is a hitch available for it that will tow a small trailer just fine.
@@ksnax you can tow check out you tube and previous comment is correct.
This is a good information video but I was disappointed that the over all message was to bring the car to a specialized garage to do this. Updateing sw on the bmw i3 with ista + is very doable but it takes knowledge. I would love to see this information that “special garages” have be released in the public domain to help out the diy crowd. I’m sure as time passes this info will become widespread and allow many people to upgrade their cars if they can find a 120 ah battery source.
Hi, This information is still not clear to me, but will hopefully be soon. It requires significant investment in time,tools and multiple software licenses, so shops usually don't want to disclose everything. Shops will need to provide this service to pay for the investment, and then you can't unfortunately share it. Hope you understand!
See my input above..
@@garyhoward4064 thanks for the info glad your upgrade went well. As for me I am in Quebec so not really an option to work with this company for now.
Thanks, nice video :)
Lokking for the link to Chavra, can u hjelp? :)
Kind regards
Øystein Nygård
It is in the description!
www.i3upgrade.cz/
i3upgrade(a)i3upgrade.cz
Hello Daniel :Here is a non technical observation what is the man in the pit doing ? It looks like he is breaking in or out of a bank / vault / prison. Is this a new way of using the original car pit to change batteries that are becoming larger?. Would it still not be cost effective to buy a crashed battery and let the BMW dealer test it and replace the lock out module? The environmental option is to recycle all crashed or marginal history batteries. It would seem that BMW are doing it the expensive way, Henry Ford would now have an electric vehicle on every farm in America. I enjoyed the few quick pictures of your winter. From Ontario Canada Craig Clayton.
propably its same system: www.tesla.com/videos/battery-swap-event
The man in the pit is Havrla, he is testing out the battery rail system that he constructed! It looks quite fun :D
Official BMW dealership will not help you do the 120Ah upgrade, only the 94Ah one! Need to take it to some specialist :)
Did 2014 60ah to 94ah with heat pump in 2019.
Nice! Really cool to see others who did these upgrades!
Fully functional - full usable capacity or did it leave a proper buffer? How complicated... just swap product code, and read SME? I have the 94Ah ready for a swap/retrofit... just need instructions. Mine = USA 2015 BEV w/heat pump and heated seats
Probably not worth spending $10k+ to perform. Just trade ‘er in and get a 2019+ model with 120aH pack. It’s unfortunate that BMW does not have a path to upgrade their cars.
Bummer, I was hoping it would be easier. The used car market in America with electric cars is filled with all 50 to 75 mile (80km-120km) range cars except for Tesla’s I live in Columbia South Carolina and there are lots of cool places to go but they are all about 100 miles away, Atlanta Georgia, Charleston South Carolina, Charlotte North Carolina. I would love to take weekend trips with my family to these places with an electric car but I don’t want to have to charge on the way there.
Yeah the active thermal management system really gets in the way for DIYers. Kinda funny how everyone always hated on the Leafs passively cooled packs, the upside of having no thermal management system makes for oh so easier cars to work on!
An older used electric car is not for you.. Try getting a used Chevy Bolt or Volt, the Bolt gets 250 miles on a charge and a used Bolt cost about $15k. There are plenty used i3's with the 22kwh or the 33kwh batteries that have a range extender. You can program the range extender in which you turn it on once the battery is under 75% and the extender will hold the battery at that 75% as long as you drive moderately and avoid long hill climbing.
You have to keep gas in the extender as it's range is only about 70 miles at a time and it's gas tank is only 2 gallons..
@@mamadouaziza2536 I had picked up a pair of 2011 and a 2012 Leaf last year and swapped the batteries to have a nice looking 2012 with a ok in town car for me but the styling doesn’t do it for my wife so the title of this video had me clicking fast. (I am a master tech and have a 95 Volvo 940 that I installed a Ford 5.0 engine in, little back story... oh , I have a case of the corona virus shut in ramplings.....)
@nster
Yeah, if you must drive a long trip on the freeway, the older i3s with the REx is doable as long as your route has DC Fast chargers on it and gas stations.. Kyle from Out Of Spec Motoring/Reviews drove his 2015 i3 REx from North Carolina to Colorado.
Another reviewer in Colorado drove his early model i3 that does not include the CCS charging in the car, drove his i3 up steep mountains and back and he only charged once or twice and it was cold out.
@@mamadouaziza2536 some guys in EU have driven i3 with and without Rex for 2000km trips (~1242 miles).
I think I'll stick with the LEAF.
why bmw complicate an RC car? 😢
Good afternoon, thanks for the information. I have another question. I have a BMW i3 60Ah with 130,000km. plus I have an additional 60Ah battery with 15,000km. will it be possible to replace only the lithium cells? The BMS remain the same. What happens if I disconnect the old battery, open the cell, replace it and reassemble everything. Do notice the car that I have disconnected the battery and possibly block the battery?
BMW i3 cells are coded to the BMS. Not possible without ISTA+ -D, this will be very tricky!
yes, each of the 8 litium cells has its own monitoring unit. I will of course not exchange them, I will use pure lithium cells to twist them. All intelligent modules stay where they are.
@@nikitaollenberger8007 Then it should work, but no clue how hard those are to take apart
Does the car not notice that the battery has been disconnected (switched off?) and reconnected to the 12 V supply?
@@nikitaollenberger8007 nope
Anyone playing with batteries near Austin TX?
How much did the upgrade cost?
Roughly 8k€
8k euro??? Here in Ireland BMW dealer this cost around 4-5k euro...
@@yannymcgr6500 Price will come down in time. In 1-2 years it will cost only 2.5-3k Euro for 120Ah version.
@@yannymcgr6500 is that going from a 60ah to 90ah? Umm i am up in Scotland
Very informative, I now know to just sell ny old car and just buy a new one instead.
Exact reason why EV are dead branch of development.
And that's the problem along with others with ev's
Weight of cars dont have sense with the battery weight posted by the document:
Non REX versions
60Ah 1195kg-1205kg
94Ah 1245kg
120Ah 1270kg
batterys:
233kg
256kg
273kg
Maybe BMW introduced some other tweaks between the revisions?
@@DalasEVRepair Too much difference for unknowed items.
Only the 427 "pizza wheels" are forged, and maybe the Harman Kardon with 8 extra speakers, or heat pump vs electric heaters justify the variance between 1195-1205 kg in other versions too.
Well, the I3s use wider wheels and tires, but i not posted i3s weight, its 1265kg for for 94Ah (+20kg) and 1290kg for 120Ah (+20kg).
So it still does not fit.
this sounds like the easiest way to upgrade since the cells in the battery, and in the modules are DUMB, they have no technology other than battery technology, no microprocessors, you can simply find a cell which has the same chemistry and the same or smaller dimensions and terminal placement and pop them in there; I don’t know what’s in it and I don’t know what would fit, but it probably you can probably get larger Ah cells independently and just replace the cells with higher capacity cells
Nissan leaf is better being a 5 seater.
Silly me - I thought "BMW i3 120ah battery upgrade - How to?" was actually going to show you how to upgrade the battery. 😡
Precautionary but otherwise useless for non EU.
Why are you wearing a mask inside a hepa filtered vehicle?
Who needs AC anyways
Вы так много рассказали как трудно поменять батарею. Я смотрел видео, ребята из России в гараже поменяли и всё у них прекрасно работает, да проблемы были при установки, но они смогли их решить! 😉 czcams.com/video/EPe7NmvQFTM/video.html
Oh god why cover your face in your car, alone, in the middle of nowhere while recording a Video..? 🤦🏽♂️
Battery swaps aside, the biggest mystery is what kind of person would sit in their car with a mask on, even more so for the sake of a video 🤔🤔
Masks were an elaborate and well executed practical joke. Lol
Dude in the car with a mask pfff you are a good sheep
Are you really wearing a mask by yourself alone in the car? 😂
@DalasEVRepair - so i bought car after front accident, radiator is broken and empty. car still runs- i drove it on emergency vehicle tov. please tell me , will it be enough to disconnect those 2 high voltage switches (under bonnet and on top of engine ) to prevent small battery drawing energy from the big one ? also, can i remove small battery, while repair works will be carried (i think it can last good few moths) ?
That is enough yes!