tow BMW I3 2015 I01 User Guide
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Storage compartmentsVehicle features and optionsThis chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
Hints No loose objects in the car's interior
Do not stow any objects in the car's inte‐
rior without securing them; otherwise, they
may present a danger to occupants e.g., during
braking and evasive maneuvers.◀
Do not place anti-slip mats on the dash‐
board
Do not place anti-slip mats on the dashboard.
The mat materials could damage the dash‐
board.◀
Storage compartments The following storage compartments are avail‐
able in the vehicle interior:▷Glove compartment on the front passenger
side, refer to page 143.▷Between the front seats, refer to
page 143.▷Compartments in the front doors, refer to
page 145.▷Rear seat, refer to page 145.▷Storage compartments in the trunk, refer
to page 145Glove compartment
Front passenger side
Note Close the glove compartment again im‐
mediately
Close the glove compartment immediately af‐
ter use while driving; otherwise, injury may oc‐
cur during accidents.◀
Opening
Press button and open cover upward.
ClosingFold cover closed.
Between the front seats
Center armrest
Open/tilt A storage compartment is located in the centerarmrest between the seats.
Seite 143Storage compartmentsControls143
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Storage compartment
There is a storage compartment between the
seats.
Compartments in the doors Do not stow any breakable objects
Do not store any breakable objects, e. g.
glass bottles, in the compartments, or there is
an increased risk of injury in the event of an ac‐
cident.◀
Rear seat Rear cup holder
Hints Shatter-proof containers and no hot
drinks
Use light and shatter-proof containers and do
not transport hot drinks. Otherwise, there is
the increased danger of injury in an accident.◀
Unsuitable containers
Do not forcefully push unsuitable con‐
tainers into the cupholders. This may result in
damage.◀
Overview
Between the seats.
Clothes hooks Do not obstruct view
When suspending clothing from the
hooks, ensure that it will not obstruct the driv‐ er's view.◀
No heavy objects
Do not hang heavy objects from the
hooks; otherwise, they may present a danger
to passengers during braking and evasive ma‐
neuvers.◀
Two folding clothes hooks are provided in the
rear of the vehicle. To unfold them, press on
the top edge of the clothes hooks.
Storage compartments in the trunk
Retaining strapA retaining strap is available on the right and
left side trim for fastening small objects.
Lashing eyes in the trunk
To secure the cargo, refer to page 153, there
are four lashing eyes in the trunk.
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Mobile communication devices in the
vehicle
Mobile communication devices in the ve‐
hicle
It is not recommended to use mobile phones,
such as mobile phones, in the vehicle interior
without a direct connection to an external aer‐
ial. Otherwise, the vehicle's electronics and
mobile communication devices can interfere
with each other. In addition, there is no assur‐
ance that the radiation generated during trans‐
mission will be conducted away from the vehi‐
cle interior.◀
Hydroplaning Hydroplaning
When driving on wet or slushy roads, re‐
duce your speed to prevent hydroplaning.◀
On wet or slushy roads, a wedge of water can
form between the tires and road surface.
This phenomenon is referred to as hydroplan‐
ing. It is characterized by a partial or complete
loss of contact between the tires and the road
surface, ultimately undermining your ability to
steer and brake the vehicle.
Driving through water Observe water level and speed
Do not exceed the maximum water level
and maximum speed; otherwise, the vehicle's
engine, the electrical systems and the trans‐
mission may be damaged.◀
Drive though calm water only and only if it is
not deeper than 9.8 inches/25 cm and at this
height, no faster than walking speed, up to
3 mph/5 km/h.
Braking safely
Your vehicle is equipped with ABS as a stand‐
ard feature.
Applying the brakes fully is the most effective
way of braking in situations needed.Steering is still responsive. You can still avoid
any obstacles with a minimum of steering ef‐
fort.
Pulsation of the brake pedal and sounds from
the hydraulic circuits indicate that ABS is in its
active mode.
In certain braking situations, the perforated
brake discs can cause functional problems.
However, this has no effect on the perform‐
ance and operational reliability of the brake.
Objects in the range of movement of the pedals and in the footwell
Do not allow objects in the interior
around pedals and foot space
Keep floor mats, carpets, and any other ob‐
jects out of the pedal area and do not stow
them in the footwell; otherwise, the function of
the pedals could be impeded while driving.
Do not place additional floor mats over existing
mats or other objects.
Only use floor mats that have been approved
for the vehicle and can be properly attached to
floor.
Ensure that the floor mats are securely fas‐
tened again after they were removed for clean‐
ing, e.g.◀
Hills Avoid stressing the brakes
Avoid placing excessive stress on the
brake system. Light but consistent brake pres‐
sure can lead to high temperatures, brakes
wearing out and possibly even brake failure.◀
Do not drive in neutral
Do not drive in neutral or with drive readi‐
ness switched off, as doing so disables engine
braking. In addition, steering and brake assist
are unavailable with the engine stopped.◀
On downhill sections, use energy recovery if
possible to decelerate the vehicle.Seite 150Driving tipsThings to remember when driving150
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LoadingVehicle features and options
This chapter describes all standard, country-
specific and optional features offered with the
series. It also describes features that are not
necessarily available in your car, e. g., due to
the selected options or country versions. This
also applies to safety-related functions and
systems. The respectively applicable country
provisions must be observed when using the
respective features and systems.
Hints Overloading the vehicle
To avoid exceeding the approved ca‐
pacity of the tires, never overload the vehicle.
Overloading can lead to overheating and in‐
creases the rate at which damage develops in‐
side the tires. This could result in a sudden
loss of tire inflation pressure.◀
No fluids in the cargo area
Make sure that fluids do not leak into the
cargo area; otherwise, the vehicle may be dam‐
aged.◀
Heavy and hard objects
Do not stow any heavy and hard objects
in the car's interior without securing them; oth‐
erwise, they may present a danger to occu‐
pants, e.g., during braking and evasive maneu‐
vers.◀
Load cargo area only with the cargo area
floor installed
Load the cargo area only if the cargo area floor
is located in the cargo area. Otherwise, the
cover of the engine below it could be dam‐
aged.◀Only use loops for releasing the rear seat
backrests
Do not use the loops for releasing the rear seat
backrests to attach objects; otherwise there is
an increased risk of injury because of unex‐
pected movement of the rear seat backrest.◀
Determining the load limit1.Locate the following statement on your ve‐
hicle’s placard:▷The combined weight of occupants
and cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or YYY lbs. Otherwise, damage to the
vehicle and unstable driving situations
may result.2.Determine the combined weight of the
driver and passengers that will be riding in
your vehicle.3.Subtract the combined weight of the driver
and passengers from XXX kilograms or
YYY pounds.4.The resulting figure equals the available
amount of cargo and luggage load ca‐
pacity.
For example, if the YYY amount equals
1,000 lbs and there will be four 150 lbs
passengers in your vehicle, the amount of
available cargo and luggage load capacitySeite 152Driving tipsLoading152
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is 400 lbs: 1,000 lbs minus 600 lbs =
400 lbs.5.Determine the combined weight of lug‐
gage and cargo being loaded on the vehi‐
cle. That weight may not safely exceed the
available cargo and luggage load capacity
calculated in Step 4.
Load
The maximum load is the sum of the weight of
the occupants and the cargo.
The greater the weight of the occupants, the
less cargo that can be transported.
Stowing cargo
▷Do not exceed permissible rear axle load.▷Cover sharp edges and corners on the
cargo.▷Heavy cargo: stow as far forward as possi‐
ble, directly behind and at the bottom of
the rear passenger seat backrests.▷Very heavy cargo: when the rear seat is not
occupied, secure each of the safety belts in
the opposite buckle.▷If necessary, fold down the rear backrests
to stow cargo.▷Do not stack cargo above the top edge of
the backrests.Securing cargo
Lashing eyes in the trunk
To secure the cargo there are four lashing
eyes in the cargo area.
Securing cargo Securing cargo
Stow and secure the cargo as described;
otherwise it may present a danger to the occu‐
pants, e.g., during braking and evasive maneu‐
vers.◀
▷Smaller and lighter items: secure with re‐
taining straps or draw straps.▷Larger and heavy objects: secure with
cargo straps.
Attach the cargo straps, retaining straps or
draw straps to the lashing eyes in the trunk.
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ConnectionTo connect, engage selector lever in position P
and unlock the vehicle. Set the parking brake if
needed.1.Tap on the charging port flap, arrow.2.Remove the charging port lid, arrow.3.Connect either a Level 1 or Level 2 charg‐
ing cable to the household socket or the
port on the charging station.4.Remove cover of the charging cable plug if
needed.5.Insert the charging cable plug correspond‐
ing to the charging port, and push it in until
it latches.
When charging at a charging station, follow the
instructions at the charging station.
Remove
When the vehicle is locked, the charging cable
is locked. Unlock the vehicle before removing
the cable.
1.Unlock the vehicle by remote control if it is
locked.Charging cable is unlocked.2.Press the release button on the handle, ar‐
row 1, and grasp the charging cable at the
gripping areas.
Charging process is interrupted.3.Remove the charging cable from the
charging port, arrow 2.4.Put the charging port lid back on.5.Close the charging port flap.6.Attach cover of the charging cable plug if
needed.7.Disconnect either the Level 1 or Level 2
charging cable from the household socket
or the port on the charging station as
needed.8.Stow the charging cable.
At a charging station, insert the perma‐
nently installed charging cable in the place
provided for it.
Manual release
The charging port flap is automatically locked
while driving.
The charging cable may be locked during the
charging process if the vehicle is locked.
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3."AC charging power:"
Settings are stored. When you change charg‐
ing locations you also might need to change
the setting for charging.
Set the charge current strength at other
household sockets to "Low".
Setting charging via a
Level 2 charging cable
Depending on the electrical mains, the vehicle
must be charged with a different charging cur‐
rent strength, refer to page 160.
When charging with a Level 2 charging cable,
the charging process can be completed faster
at a Level 2 charging station.
1."Settings"2."Charging"3."Level 2:"
Settings are stored. When you change charg‐
ing locations you also might need to change
the setting for charging.
Stopping charging process The charging operation can be stopped at any
time by removing the charging cable and con‐
tinued at a later time by connecting the charg‐
ing cable in order to use other loads on the
power connection or to prevent simultaneous
high power from multiple loads.
The charging operation is interrupted when the
vehicle is unlocked and automatically resumed
after a brief time or when it is locked.
Continue charging operation If the charging operation is interrupted, e.g.,
through a temporary power failure, the charg‐
ing operation is automatically continued after
the interruption.
Terminating charging process1.Removing the charging cable from the ve‐
hicle, refer to page 163.2.Stow the charging cable as required.3.Close the charging port flap.4.Lock vehicle if it is unlocked.
Displays in the instrument
cluster
The charging state indicator light, refer to page 77, shows the charging state of the high-
voltage battery in the instrument cluster, if op‐
erating readiness is switched on. If all seg‐
ments are filled, the high-voltage battery is
fully charged.
Even if no segments are filled, the high-voltage
system is still under high voltage.
Information regarding the charging process are
shown on the charging screen, refer to
page 76.
DisplayMeaningBlue plug: charging process active
or completed.
White plug: charging interruption.Running light: animated with active
charging operation.End of charging time or set depar‐
ture time.Charging progress bar.
Running light: animated with active
charging operation.DC charging active on a DC charg‐
ing station.Indicator in blue: charged electrical
range.Seite 166MobilityCharging vehicle166
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Uniform Tire Quality GradingQuality grades can be found where applicable
on the tire sidewall between tread shoulder
and maximum section width.
For example: Treadwear 200; Traction AA;
Temperature A
DOT Quality Grades
Treadwear
Traction AA A B C
Temperature A B C
All passenger car tires must conform to Fed‐
eral Safety Requirements in addition to these
grades.
TreadwearThe treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when tested
under controlled conditions on a specified gov‐
ernment test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-half, 1 g,
times as well on the government course as a
tire graded 100. The relative performance of
tires depends upon the actual conditions of
their use, however, and may depart signifi‐
cantly from the norm due to variations in driv‐
ing habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.
Traction
The traction grades, from highest to lowest,
are AA, A, B, and C.
Those grades represent the tire's ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured under
controlled conditions on specified government
test surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction performance.
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration, cornering,
hydroplaning, or peak traction characteristics.Temperature
The temperature grades are A, the highest, B,
and C, representing the tire's resistance to the
generation of heat and its ability to dissipate
heat when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel.
Sustained high temperature can cause the ma‐
terial of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire
life, and excessive temperature can lead to
sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds
to a level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades Band
A represent higher levels of performance on
the laboratory test wheel than the minimum re‐
quired by law.
Temperature grade for this tire
The temperature grade for this tire is es‐
tablished for a tire that is properly inflated and
not overloaded. Excessive speed, underinfla‐
tion, or excessive loading, either separately or
in combination, can cause heat buildup and
possible tire failure.
If necessary, have the vehicle towed.◀
M+S
Winter and all-season tires with better cold
weather performance than summer tires.
Tire tread
Summer tires
Do not drive with a tire tread depth of less than
0.12 in/3 mm.
There is an increased danger of hydroplaning if
the tire tread depth is less than 0.12 in/3 mm.
Winter tires
Do not drive with a tire tread depth of less than
0.16 in/4 mm.
Below a tread depth of 0.16 in/4 mm, tires are
less suitable for winter operation.Seite 175Wheels and tiresMobility175
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Minimum tread depth
Wear indicators are distributed around the
tire's circumference and have the legally re‐
quired minimum height of 0.063 in/1.6 mm.
They are marked on the side of the tire with
TWI, Tread Wear Indicator.
Tire damage
General information
Inspect your tires often for damage, foreign
objects lodged in the tread, and tread wear.
Hints
Driving over rough or damaged road surfaces,
as well as debris, curbs and other obstacles
can cause serious damage to wheels, tires and
suspension parts. This is more likely to occur
with low-profile tires, which provide less cush‐
ioning between the wheel and the road. Be
careful to avoid road hazards and reduce your
speed, especially if your vehicle is equipped
with low-profile tires.
Indications of tire damage or other vehicle de‐
fects:
▷Unusual vibrations while driving.▷Unusual handling such as a strong ten‐
dency to pull to the left or right.
Damage can, e. g., be caused by driving over
curbs, road damage, or similar things.
In case of tire damage
If there are indications of tire damage, re‐
duce your speed immediately and have the
rims and tires checked right away; otherwise,
there is the increased risk of an accident.
Drive carefully to the nearest service center. If
necessary, have the vehicle towed or trans‐
ported there. Otherwise, tire damage can be‐
come life threatening for vehicle occupants
and also other traffic.◀
Repair of tire damage
For safety reasons, the manufacturer of
your vehicle recommends that you do not have
damaged tires repaired; they should be re‐
placed. Otherwise, damage can occur as a re‐
sult.◀
Changing wheels and tires
Mounting Information on mounting tires
Have mounting and balancing performed
only by a service center.
If work is not carried out properly, there is a
danger of subsequent damage and related
safety hazards.◀
Wheel and tire combination
You can ask the service center about the right
wheel/tire combination and wheel rim versions
for the vehicle.
Incorrect wheel and tire combinations impair
the function of a variety of systems such as
ABS or DSC.
To maintain good handling and vehicle re‐
sponse, use only tires with a single tread con‐
figuration from a single manufacturer.
Following tire damage, have the original wheel
and tire combination remounted on the vehicle
as soon as possible.Seite 176MobilityWheels and tires176
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Mobility SystemThe concept
With the Mobility System, minor tire damage
can be sealed quickly to enable continued
travel. To accomplish this, sealant is pumped
into the tires, which seals the damage from the
inside.
The compressor can be used to check the tire
inflation pressure.
Hints▷Follow the instructions on using the Mobi‐
lity System found on the compressor and
sealant container.▷Use of the Mobility System may be ineffec‐
tive if the tire puncture measures approx.
1/8 in/4 mm or more.▷Contact the nearest service center if the
tire cannot be made drivable.▷If possible, do not remove foreign bodies
that have penetrated the tire.▷Pull the speed limit sticker off the sealant
container and apply it to the steering
wheel.▷The use of a sealant can damage the TPM
wheel electronics. In this case, have the
electronics checked at the next opportu‐
nity and have them replaced if needed.
Storage
The mobility system is located in the storage
compartment under the hood.
Sealing container▷Sealing container, arrow 1.▷Filling hose, arrow 2.
Observe use-by date on the sealant container.
Compressor
1On/off reel2Holder for bottle3Reduce inflation pressure4Inflation pressure dial5Compressor6Connector/cable for socket7Connection hose — stowed in the bottom
of the compressorSeite 178MobilityWheels and tires178
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