reme BMW I3 2015 I01 Owner's Manual

FOR OVER THREE QUARTERS OF
A CENTURY, THE BASIC IDEA BEHIND
THE CAR WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED.
Until now. Today, the BMW i3 introduces a wealth of new ways to create
the ultimate sustainable electric car. One key innovation is LifeDrive:
the first serial production passenger cell made of light and extremely
robust carbon fiber. It substantially reduces the weight of the vehicle
for maximum electric range. Moreover, streamflow aerodynamics
reduce drag and energy consumption.
The interior of the BMW i3 features natural-fiber based raw materials
in the instrument panel and door trim surfaces. Textiles for the seats
are made of up to 100% recycled materials. The leather components
are tanned with natural olive leaf extract, which gives the leather a
unique, fresh scent. The interior wood panels are made of open-pore
eucalyptus wood. All wood is sourced from responsible forestry and
certified by the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®).
Innovation is also built into the BMW i3 product development process
itself: To ensure a truly sustainable product, measurable targets were
already set in the early strategic phase of development to define envi-
ronmental guidelines for the entire product life cycle – from the sourcing
of raw materials to production, utilization and recycling. These were
agreed to and monitored throughout the development phase of the
vehicle. The life cycle assessment process and the results have been
certified by a third party according to ISO 14040/14044. Further
details can be found online at bmw-i.com.
01. DEVELOPMENT
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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 210.6Notes
At a glance
14Cockpit18iDrive26Voice activation system29Integrated Owner's Manual in the vehicle31BMW eDRIVE34Safety of the high-voltage system
Controls
38Opening and closing53Adjusting60Transporting children safely64Driving75Displays90Lights93Safety107Driving stability control systems110Driving comfort128Climate control135Interior equipment143Storage compartments
Driving tips
148Things to remember when driving152Loading154Increase rangeMobility160Charging vehicle169Refueling172Fuel173Wheels and tires182Under the hood184Engine oil186Coolant188Maintenance190Replacing components196Breakdown assistance200Care
Reference
206Technical data208Appendix210Everything from A to Z
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equipment that is offered in the model series.
Therefore, in this Owner's Manual, we also de‐
scribe and illustrate features that are not avail‐
able in your vehicle, e.g., because of the se‐
lected optional features or the country-specific
version.
This also applies to safety-related functions
and systems.
The respectively applicable country provisions
must be observed when using the respective
features and systems.
On right-hand drive vehicles, some controls
are arranged differently from what is shown in
the illustrations.
Status of the Owner's
Manual
Basic information
The manufacturer of your vehicle pursues a
policy of constant development that is con‐
ceived to ensure that our vehicles continue to
embody the highest quality and safety stan‐
dards. In rare cases, therefore, the features de‐
scribed in this Owner's Manual may differ from
those in your vehicle.
Updates made after the editorial deadline
Any updates made after the editorial deadline
can be found in the appendix of the printed
Owner's Handbook for Vehicle.
For your own safety
Warranty Your vehicle is technically configured for the
operating conditions and registration require‐
ments applying in the country of first delivery -
homologation. If your vehicle is to be operated
in a different country it might be necessary to
adapt your vehicle to potentially differing oper‐ating conditions and permit requirements. If
your vehicle does not comply with the homolo‐
gation requirements in a certain country you
cannot lodge warranty claims for your vehicle
there. Further information can be obtained
from your Service Centre.
Working on the vehicle, maintenance
and repairs
Advanced technology, especially the use of
high-performance high-voltage electronics
and modern materials such as carbon, requires
special knowledge when making modifications
to and working on the vehicle, as well as cus‐
tomized maintenance and repair work.
BMW recommends to have modifications and
work on the vehicle, especially maintenance
and repairs to the high-voltage system and
carbon body as well as the retrofitting of ac‐
cessories only be carried out by an authorized
BMW i service center or one that operates ac‐
cording to BMW i specifications with personnel
trained accordingly.
Body work and working on the high-volt‐
age system
Do not perform any modifications or work on
the vehicle, especially maintenance and repair
work on the high-voltage system and the car‐
bon body and avoid retrofitting accessories.
If work is not carried out properly, there is the
risk of fire and fatal injury from electrocution
due to the high-voltage system's high voltage.
BMW recommends to have modifications and
work on the vehicle only be carried out by an
authorized BMW i service center or one that
operates according to BMW i specifications
with personnel trained accordingly.◀
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‐Seite 7Notes7
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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 does not apply
when country-specific government approval
has been granted. Testing of this kind may fail
to embrace the entire range of potential oper‐
ating conditions to which components might
be exposed on BMW vehicles. Such products
could conceivably fail to comply with BMW's
own stringent quality standards.
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▷Warranty and Service Guide Booklet for
Canadian models
If the vehicle is not maintained according to
these specifications, this could result in seri‐
ous damage to the vehicle. Such damage is
not covered by the BMW New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
Seite 8Notes8
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Vehicle identification
number
The vehicle identification number can be found
under a cover under the front passenger seat.
The vehicle identification number can also be
found behind the windshield.
Reporting safety defects
For US customers The following only applies to vehicles owned
and operated in the US.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause in‐
jury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis‐
tration NHTSA, in addition to notifying BMW of
North America, LLC, P.O. Box 1227, West‐
wood, New Jersey 07675-1227, Telephone
1-800-831-1117.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defect exists in a group of vehicles, it
may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you, your dealer,
or BMW of North America, LLC.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-888-327-4236
(TTY: 1-800-424-9153); go to http://
www.safercar.gov; or write to: Administrator,
NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washing‐
ton, DC 20590. You can also obtain other in‐
formation about motor vehicle safety from
http://www.safercar.gov.
For Canadian customers
Canadian customers who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Transport Canada, De‐
fect Investigations and Recalls, may call the
toll-free hotline 1-800-333-0510. You can also
obtain other information about motor vehicle
safety from http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety.Seite 10Notes10
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Deleting the button assignments
1.Press buttons 1 and 8 simultaneously for
approx. five seconds.2."OK"
Deleting personal in the
vehicle
The concept
Depending on the usage, the vehicle saves
personal data, such as stored radio stations.
These personal data can be permanently de‐
leted through iDrive.
General information
Depending on the equipment package, the fol‐
lowing data can be deleted:
▷Personal Profile settings.▷Stored radio stations.▷Stored Favorites buttons.▷Travel and computer information.▷Music collection.▷Navigation, e.g. stored destinations.▷Phone book.▷Online data, e.g. Favorites, cookies.▷Voice notes.▷Login accounts.▷RemoteApp smartphone tethering.
Altogether, the deletion of the data can take up
to 30 minutes.
Functional requirement
Data can only be deleted while stationary.
Deleting data Heed and follow the instructions on the Con‐
trol Display.1.Turn on operations.2."Settings"3.Open "Options".4."Delete personal data"5."Continue"6."OK"
Entering letters and numbers
General information
On the Control Display:
1.Turn the controller: select letters or num‐
bers.2.Select additional letters or numbers if
needed.3."OK": confirm the entry.SymbolFunction Press the controller: delete the let‐
ter or number. Press the controller for an extended
period: delete all letters or numbers.
Switching between cases, letters and
numbers
Depending on the menu, you can reel between
entering upper and lower case, letters and
numbers:
Seite 24At a glanceiDrive24
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Voice activation systemVehicle 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.
The concept▷Most functions displayed on the Control
Display can be operated by voice com‐
mands via the voice activation system. The
system supports you with announcements
during input.▷Functions that can only be used when the
vehicle is stationary cannot be used via the
voice activation system.▷The system uses a special microphone on
the driver's side.▷›...‹ Verbal instructions in the Owner's
Manual to use with the voice activation
system.
Requirements
Via the Control Display, set a language that is
also supported by the voice activation system
so that the spoken commands can be identi‐
fied.
Set the language, refer to page 88.
Using voice activation
Activating the voice activation system1. Press button on the steering
wheel.2.Wait for the signal.3.Say the command.
A command that is recognized by the voice
activation system is announced and dis‐
played in the instrument cluster.
This symbol in the instrument cluster indi‐
cates that the voice activation system is active.
If no other commands are available, use func‐
tion via iDrive.
Terminating the voice activation
system
Briefly press the button on the steer‐
ing wheel or ›Cancel‹.
Possible commands Most menu items on the Control Display can
be voiced as commands.
The available commands depend on the menu
that is currently displayed on the Control Dis‐
play.
There are short commands for many functions.
You may select lists such as phone lists via
voice activation. Read these lists out loud ex‐
actly as they show in the respective list.
Having possible commands read aloud You can have available commands read out
loud for you: ›Voice commands‹
E. g. if the "Settings" menu is displayed, the
commands for the settings are read out loud.
Seite 26At a glanceVoice activation system26
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Closing
Hints Keep the closing path clear
Make sure that the closing path of the
tailgate is clear; otherwise, injuries may re‐
sult.◀
Do not place the remote control in the
cargo area
Take the remote control with you and do not
leave it in the cargo area; otherwise, the re‐
mote control is locked inside the vehicle when
the tailgate is closed.◀
Provide edge protection
Sharp objects or those with edges can
hit the rear window while driving and damage the heat conductors of the rear window. Pro‐
vide edge protection.◀
Closing
Recessed grips on the inside trim of the tail‐
gate can be used to conveniently pull down the
tailgate.
Comfort Access
The concept The vehicle can be accessed without activat‐
ing the remote control.
All you need to do is to have the remote con‐ trol with you, such as in your pants pocket.
The vehicle automatically detects the remote
control when it is in close proximity or in the
car's interior.
Comfort Access supports the following func‐
tions:▷Unlocking/locking of the vehicle.▷Convenient closing.▷Separate unlocking of the tailgate.▷Establish drive readiness.
Functional requirements
▷There are no external sources of interfer‐
ence nearby.▷To lock the vehicle, the remote control
must be located outside of the vehicle.▷The next unlocking and locking cycle is not
possible until after approx. 2 seconds.▷Drive readiness can only be established if
the remote control is in the vehicle.
Unlocking
Grasp the door handle on the driver's or front
passenger door completely, arrow.
This corresponds with pressing the button on
the remote control.

Seite 46ControlsOpening and closing46
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▷Press the reel in the desired direction past
the resistance point.
The glass sunroof moves automatically.
Pressing the reel upward stops the motion.▷Open and close the sliding visors manually.
Additional options:
▷Convenient opening, refer to page 41, via
the remote control.▷Closing by means of Comfort Access, refer
to page 46.
Comfort position
If the glass sunroof is not automatically com‐
pletely opened, the comfort position has been
attained. In this position the wind noises in the
interior are the least.
If desired, continue the movement by pressing
the reel.
Pinch protection system
If the glass sunroof while closing exceeds a
certain value, the closing operation is inter‐
rupted at roughly the center of the roof open‐
ing.
The glass sunroof reopens slightly.
Danger of jamming even with pinch pro‐
tection
Despite the pinch protection system, check
that the glass sunroof's closing path is clear;
otherwise, the closing action may not be inter‐
rupted in certain extreme situations, such as
when thin objects are present.◀
Closing from the open position
without pinch protection
E. g. if there is an external danger, proceed as
follows:
1.Press the reel forward beyond the resist‐
ance point and hold.The pinch protection is limited and the
glass sunroof reopens slightly if the closing
force exceeds a certain margin.2.Press the reel forward again beyond the re‐
sistance point and hold until the glass sun‐
roof closes without jam protection. Make
sure that the closing area is clear.
Closing from the raised position
without pinch protection
If there is an external danger, push the reel for‐
ward past the resistance point and hold it.
The glass sunroof closes without jam protec‐
tion.
Initializing after a power failure After a power failure during the opening or
closing process, the glass sunroof can only be
operated to a limited extent.
Initializing the system
The system can be initialized when the vehicle
is stationary and drive readiness is established.
During the initialization, the glass sunroof
closes without jam protection.
Keep the closing path clear
Monitor closing and make sure that the
closing path of the glass sunroof is clear; oth‐
erwise, injuries may result.◀
Press the reel up and hold it until
the initialization is complete:
▷Initialization begins within
15 seconds and is com‐
pleted when the glass sun‐
roof is completely closed.▷The glass sunroof closes without jam pro‐
tection.Seite 52ControlsOpening and closing52
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Be aware of the traffic situation and the vehi‐
cle's surroundings at all times, otherwise acci‐
dents are still possible depending on the situa‐
tion.◀
Requirements▷Vehicle moving.▷Speed less than 12 mph/20 km/h.▷Turn signal is set.
Activating
Slide the switch to the driver's side
mirror position.
Deactivating
Slide the switch to the passenger side mirror
position.
Fold in and out Press button.
Possible at speeds up to approx.
15 mph/20 km/h.
E. g. this is advantageous
▷In car washes.▷In narrow streets.▷For folding mirrors back out that were
folded away manually.
Mirrors that were folded in are folded out auto‐
matically at a speed of approx.
25 mph/40 km/h.
Fold in the mirror in a car wash
Before washing the car in an automatic
car wash, fold in the exterior mirrors by hand or
with the button; otherwise, the mirrors could
be damaged, depending on the width of the
vehicle.◀
Automatic heating
Both exterior mirrors are automatically heated
whenever drive readiness is switched on.
Automatic dimming feature
Both exterior mirrors are automatically dim‐
med. Photocells are used to control the Interior
rearview mirror, refer to page 58.
Interior rearview mirror, manually
dimmable
Flip lever
To reduce the blinding effect of the interior
rear view mirror, flip the lever forward.
Interior rearview mirror, automatic dimming feature
The concept
Photocells are used for control:
▷In the mirror glass.▷On the back of the mirror.
Functional requirement For proper operation:
▷Keep the photocells clean.Seite 58ControlsAdjusting58
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