engine BMW I3 2014 I01 Owner's Manual

THE ORIGIN OF EMISSION-FREE
DRIVING: POWER FROM RENEWABLE
RESOURCES.
With zero local emissions while driving, the BMW i3 helps reduce air
pollution in urban areas. When charged with clean power – generated
from renewables – the positive impact is greater still. This is because,
throughout the entire product life cycle, driving the new BMW i3 on
energy from renewable sources can potentially reduce emissions (CO
2
equivalents) by up to 50%, when compared to a highly efficient vehicle
of the same class with a combustion engine. That’s why BMW i rec -
ommends clean energy producers, to help make an even bigger differ -
ence. Further details can be found online at bmw-i.com/sustainability.
As if that weren’t enough, the innovative eDrive technology of the
BMW i3 also features all sorts of efficiency enhancers: from state-of-
the-art brake energy recuperation to range-increasing ECO PRO+
driving mode, which can boost the driving range by up to 40km at the
touch of a button.
03. UTILIZATION
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In terms of its performance throughout the entire
product life cycle – from the sourcing of raw
materials to production, use and recycling – how
does the BMW i3 compare to a vehicle with a
high-effi ciency combustion engine?
fewer CO2 equivalents
when driving on elec-
tricity from renewable
sources.
5 0
%

fewer CO2 equivalents
when driving with
EU-25 or comparable
energy mixes.
30
%

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ContentsThe fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic or item is by using the index, refer to
page 208.6Notes
At a glance
14Cockpit18iDrive26Voice activation system29Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle31BMW eDRIVE
Controls
36Opening and closing51Adjusting58Transporting children safely62Driving74Displays89Lights92Safety106Driving stability control systems109Driving comfort127Climate control134Interior equipment138Storage compartments
Driving tips
144Things to remember when driving148Loading150Increase rangeMobility156Charging vehicle165Refueling168Fuel170Wheels and tires179Under the hood181Engine oil183Coolant185Maintenance187Replacing components193Breakdown assistance198Care
Reference
204Technical data206Appendix208Everything from A to Z

NotesThe special features of your
BMW i
High-voltage system
Your BMW i is an electric vehicle. The vehicle
features a high-voltage system that consists of
an electric motor and a high-voltage battery
among other things. Optionally, the vehicle has
a combustion engine that generates electrical
energy via a generator and thereby increases
the range. This combustion engine is called
the Range Extender.
Carbon bodyThe vehicle consists of two different functional
units: the drive module made from aluminum
and the life module made from carbon fiber re‐
inforced plastic (carbon).
Using this Owner's Manual Orientation
The fastest way to find information on a partic‐
ular topic is by using the index.
An initial overview of the vehicle is provided in
the first chapter.
Updates made after the editorialdeadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
can be found in the appendix of the printed
Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.
User's manual for Navigation,
Entertainment, Communication
The topics Navigation, Entertainment, Com‐
munication and the short commands of the
voice activation system can be retrieved on the
Control Display via the Integrated Owner's
Handbook.Symbols
Indicates precautions that must be followed
precisely in order to avoid the possibility of
personal injury and serious damage to the
vehicle.
◄ Marks the end of a specific item of
information.
Refers to measures that can be taken to
help protect the environment.
"..." Identifies display texts in vehicle used to
select individual functions.
›...‹ Verbal instructions to use with the voice
activation system.
››...‹‹ Identifies the answers generated by the
voice activation system.
Symbols on vehicle components
Indicates that you should consult the
relevant section of this Owner's Manual for
information on a particular part or assembly.
Indicates, on certain parts or assemblies, that
incorrect use of high-voltage equipment or of
orange-colored high-voltage components re‐
sults in the risk of life-threatening injury from
electric shock.
Vehicle features and options
This Owner's Manual describes all models and
all standard, country-specific and optional
Seite 4Notes6

California Proposition 65 Warning
California laws require us to state the following
warning:
Engine exhaust and a wide variety of automo‐
bile components and parts, including compo‐
nents found in the interior furnishings in a vehi‐
cle, contain or emit chemicals known to the
State of California to cause cancer and birth
defects and reproductive harm. In addition,
certain fluids contained in vehicles and certain
products of component wear contain or emit
chemicals known to the State of California to
cause cancer and birth defects or other repro‐
ductive harm. Battery posts, terminals and re‐
lated accessories contain lead and lead com‐
pounds. Wash your hands after handling. Used
engine oil contains chemicals that have caused
cancer in laboratory animals. Always protect
your skin by washing thoroughly with soap and
water.
Service and warranty
We recommend that you read this publication
thoroughly. Your vehicle is covered by the fol‐
lowing warranties:
▷New Vehicle Limited Warranty.▷Rust Perforation Limited Warranty.▷Federal Emissions System Defect War‐
ranty.
▷Federal Emissions Performance Warranty.▷California Emission Control System Lim‐
ited Warranty.
Detailed information about these warranties is
listed in the Service and Warranty Information
Booklet for US models or in the Warranty and
Service Guide Booklet for Canadian models.
Your vehicle has been specifically adapted and
designed to meet the particular operating con‐
ditions and homologation requirements in your
country and continental region in order to de‐
liver the full driving pleasure while the vehicle
is operated under those conditions. If you wish
to operate your vehicle in another country or
region, you may be required to adapt your ve‐
hicle to meet different prevailing operating
conditions and homologation requirements.
You should also be aware of any applicable
warranty limitations or exclusions for such
country or region. In such case, please contact
Customer Relations for further information.
Maintenance
Maintain the vehicle regularly to sustain the
road safety, operational reliability and the New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
Specifications for required maintenance meas‐
ures:
▷BMW Maintenance system▷Service and Warranty Information Booklet
for US models
Seite 6Notes8
Parts and accessories
BMW recommends using parts and accesso‐
ries approved by BMW for this purpose.
Your BMW center is the right contact for genu‐
ine BMW parts and accessories, other prod‐
ucts approved by BMW and related qualified
advice.
BMW has tested these products for safety and
suitability in relation to BMW vehicles.
BMW can assume responsibility for them.
However, we cannot assume any responsibility
whatsoever for parts and accessories that have
not been specifically approved by BMW.
BMW cannot evaluate whether each individual
product from another manufacturer can be
used with BMW vehicles without presenting a
safety hazard. This guarantee is also not appli‐
cable when country-specific government ap‐
proval has been granted. Testing of this kind
may fail to embrace the entire range of poten‐
tial operating conditions to which components
might be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such
products could conceivably fail to comply with
BMW's own stringent quality standards.

4.Insert a battery of the same type with the
positive side facing up.5.Press the cover closed.
Take the used battery to a recycling
center or to your service center.
New remote controls New remote controls are available from the
service center.
Loss of the remote controls Lost remote controls can be disabled by your
service center.
Emergency detection of remote
control
Also in the following situations, radio-ready
state and drive readiness can be established:
▷Interference of radio transmission to re‐
mote control by external sources e.g., by
radio masts.▷Empty battery in remote control.▷Interference from radio transmissions
through mobile devices in close proximity
to remote control.▷Interference of radio transmission by
charger while charging items such as mo‐
bile devices in the vehicle.
A Check Control message is displayed if one
attempts to turn on the radio-ready state or ac‐
tivate engine readiness.
Activation of drive readiness via
emergency detection of the remote
control
If a respective Check Control message ap‐
pears, hold the remote control with its back
against the marked area on the steering col‐
umn. The BMW logo on the remote control
should be at the same height as the marked
area. Press the Start/Stop button within
10 seconds while pressing the brake pedal.
If the remote control is not recognized: slightly
change the height position of the remote con‐
trol and repeat the procedure.
Personal Profile
The concept Individual settings in the vehicle are saved in
personal profiles. Every remote control is as‐
signed the last active profile.
Three personal profiles and a guest profile can
be created.
▷Changes to the settings are automatically
saved in the profile currently activated.▷Unlocking the car activates the profile that
is stored in the remote control.▷Your personal settings will be recognized
and activated even if the vehicle had been
operated with another remote control.
Adjusting
The settings for the following systems and
functions are saved in the active profile. The
Seite 35Opening and closingControls37

▷The low beams reel to parking lights after
approx. 15 minutes of no use.
Drive readiness
If drive readiness is switched on, the vehicle
ready to drive and the READY signal, refer to
page 63, is displayed in the instrument clus‐
ter.
All vehicle systems are ready for operation.
Most of the indicator and warning lights in the
instrument cluster light up for a varied length
of time.
Activated drive readiness is the equivalent of a
running engine in conventional vehicles. Deac‐
tivated engine readiness is equivalent to
switching the ignition off.
To save battery power when parking, reel off
drive readiness and any unnecessary elec‐
tronic systems/power consumers.
Drive readiness is switched off automatically:
▷When opening or closing the driver door, if
the driver's safety belt is unbuckled.
Note
If drive readiness is switched on, the system
automatically switches to the radio-ready state
when the door is opened and the driver's
safety belt is unbuckled, or if the lights are
turned off or the daytime running lights are ac‐
tivated.
Selector lever position P with drive readi‐
ness switched off
When drive readiness is switched off, selector
lever position P is automatically engaged.
When in an automatic car wash, e.g., ensure
that the drive readiness is not switched off ac‐
cidentally, otherwise, wheels can lock up.◀
Drive readiness in detail
Hints Do not leave the vehicle unattended
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
drive readiness switched on; otherwise, it may
pose a risk.◀
Before leaving the vehicle
Before leaving the vehicle, with drive
readiness switched on engage lever in position
P P and set the parking brake; otherwise, the
vehicle is not secured against rolling away.◀
Switching on drive readiness1.Close the driver's door.2.Depress the brake pedal.3.Press the Start/Stop button.
Drive readiness is switched on.
Display in the instrument cluster The READY display indicates
that the vehicle is ready for driv‐
ing.
Display on the Start/Stop button
General information
Drive readiness is also displayed through light
indicators on the Start/Stop button.
Seite 61DrivingControls63

Engaging selector lever positions
General information▷Interlock: the selector lever position P can
be exited only with drive readiness en‐
gaged.▷Shift lock: with the vehicle stationary, press
on the brake pedal before shifting out of P
or N; otherwise, the shift command will not
be executed.▷Shift lock: before shifting out of P, remove
the charging cable from the vehicle; other‐
wise, the shift command will not be exe‐
cuted.
Engaging N, D, R
Turn the selector lever in the desired direction.
The engaged selector lever position is dis‐
played on the selector lever.
Engaging P
Press button P.
Electronic unlocking of the
transmission lock
General information
Electronically unlock the transmission lock to
maneuver vehicle from the danger area.
Unlocking is possible, if the started can spin
the engine.
Engaging selector lever position N1.Press and hold the Start/Stop button.2.Depress the brake pedal.3.Turn and hold the selector lever in posi‐
tion N.
A corresponding Check Control message
is displayed.4.Turn the selector lever again into posi‐
tion N within approx. 2 seconds.
Position N is indicated on the selector
lever.5.Release Start/Stop button and brake.6.Maneuver the vehicle from the danger area
and secure it against moving on its own.
Switch off drive readiness
Park the car. Noises from the electrical system
such as for cooling the high-voltage system might still be audible.
After stopping the vehicle:
1.Apply brake and engage lever in position
P P.2.Set the parking brake.3.Press the Start/Stop button.
The READY indicator goes out and a signal
sounds.
In case of longer idle times, follow the in‐
structions in the Care chapter, refer to
page 201.Seite 63DrivingControls65

Before driving into a car wash
So that the vehicle can roll into a car wash ob‐
serve instructions for going into an automatic
car wash, refer to page 198.
Driving in detail: eDRIVE
Hints Awareness of vehicle reduced when
driven in electric mode
When driving in electric mode, note that, due
to the lack of engine noise, pedestrians and
other traffic might pay less attention to the ve‐
hicle due to missing engine noises. Please
take special care when parking or leaving a
parking space.◀
Cautiously remove your foot from the ac‐
celerator pedal
Cautiously remove your foot from the acceler‐
ator pedal because the braking effect of the
electric motor can be stronger than with a
combustion engine. Otherwise, abrupt braking
and slow-down may confuse other traffic.◀
Accelerator pedal positions1Deceleration2Coasting3Acceleration or constant speed: ePOWER
Deceleration
The deceleration depends on the position of
the accelerator pedal. The less the actuation of
the accelerator pedal, the greater the decelera‐
tion. In this way energy is recovered and the
high-voltage battery is charged.
Releasing the accelerator pedal causes decel‐
eration similar to cautious braking. Addition‐
ally, the brake lights will come on without hit‐
ting the brakes.
Energy recovery: CHARGE The high-voltage battery is recharged in part
through energy recovery. The electric motor
acts as a generator when decelerating and
converts the kinetic energy into electrical en‐
ergy.
Energy can be recovered if the following condi‐
tions are met:▷The vehicle is moving.▷Speed higher than approx.
12 mph/20 km/h.▷Selector lever position D or R is set.▷Gas pedal is not actuated or only pressed
down 1/3 of the way.
Energy cannot be recovered in the following
situations:
▷Selector lever position N is set.▷While drive stability control systems, e.g.
DTC, are active and control the vehicle,
even though this is not indicated by an in‐
dicator light.▷The high-voltage battery is fully charged.▷When temperature of the high-voltage bat‐
tery is very low or very high.
In winter it might be possible that the en‐
ergy recovery is temporarily unavailable af‐
ter startup.
Always be ready to apply the brake
Always be ready to apply the brake, be‐
cause without energy recovery there is also no
braking action through the electric drive unit.
The vehicle could roll further than anticipated.
This may constitute a danger for other traffic.◀
Seite 64ControlsDriving66

Illuminated: DSC failed. Have the system
checked by the service center.
For additional information, refer to Dynamic
Stability Control DSC, refer to page 106.
DSC Dynamic Stability Control is
deactivated or DTC Dynamic Traction
Control is activated
Dynamic Stability Control DSC is
switched off or Dynamic Traction Con‐
trol DTC is switched on.
For additional information, refer to Dynamic
Stability Control, refer to page 106, and Dy‐ namic Traction Control, refer to page 107.
FTM Flat Tire Monitor The Flat Tire Monitor signals a loss of
tire inflation pressure in a tire.
Reduce your speed and stop cau‐
tiously. Avoid sudden braking and steering ma‐
neuvers.
For more information, see Flat Tire Monitor, re‐
fer to page 98.
Tire Pressure Monitor TPM Illuminated: the Tire Pressure Monitor
signals a loss of tire inflation pressure
in a tire.
Reduce your speed and stop cautiously. Avoid
sudden braking and steering maneuvers.
Flashing and then continuously illuminated: no
flat tire or loss of tire inflation pressure can be
detected.▷Interference through systems or devices
with the same radio frequency: after leav‐
ing the area of the interference, the system
automatically becomes active again.▷RDC could not conclude the reset: perform
the reset of the system again.▷A wheel without TPM electronics is fitted:
have the service center check it if needed.▷Malfunction: have the system checked by
your service center.
For more information, see Tire Pressure Moni‐
tor, refer to page 95.
Steering system Steering system in some cases defec‐
tive.
Have the steering system checked by
the service center.
Engine functions Have the vehicle checked by the serv‐ice center.
For additional information, refer to On-
board Diagnostics socket, refer to page 186.
Green lights Turn signal Turn signal on.
Unusually rapid flashing of the indicator
lamp indicates that a turn signal bulb
has failed.
For additional information, refer to Turn signal,
refer to page 69.
Parking lights, headlight control Parking lights or headlights are acti‐
vated.
For additional information, refer to
Parking lights/low beams, headlight control, re‐
fer to page 89.
Cruise control The system is switched on. It maintains
the speed that was set using the con‐
trol elements on the steering wheel.
Seite 77DisplaysControls79