battery BMW I8 2014 I12 Owner's Manual

A SUSTAINABLE COMBINATION:
INTELLIGENT ENERGY MANAGEMENT
FOR INSPIRING PERFORMANCE AND
OPTIMUM EFFICIENCY.
BMW has been pursuing its EfficientDynamics strategy for more than
a decade. However, no other vehicle combines driving pleasure and
sustainability like the BMW i8. Equipped with innovative BMW eDrive
technology that intelligently combines an internal combustion engine
with an electric drive system, the BMW i8 offers maximum perfor-
mance and sustainable efficiency.

In an urban environment, the BMW i8 offers a range of up to 37 kilo-
meters when traveling on electric power only. For longer distances,
support is provided by the BMW TwinPower Turbo engine – with an
especially intense boost feature in SPORT mode or maximum efficiency
in ECO PRO mode. A predictive power management system developed
specifically for the BMW i8 ensures optimal settings for the two drive
units at all times.

Additionally, every driver can also help to optimize sustainability when
recharging the car: if renewable energy is used to charge the battery,
CO² emissions are reduced even further. Therefore, BMW i recom-
mends green electricity suppliers to make an even greater contributi-
on to environmental protection.
03. UTILIZATION
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Addendum
second paragraph should be
disregarded and the following text
read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you have
maintenance and repair performed
by your BMW dealer’s service
center or another service center or
repair shop that employs trained
personnel that can perform
maintenance and repair work on
your vehicle in accordance with
BMW specifications. The
manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you maintain
records of all maintenance and
repair work performed on your
vehicle.
21.At page 173 where it reads: “Have
any work on the lighting system . . .
,” the following words should be
read as preceding that passage: “It
is strongly suggested that you . . . .”
22.At page 173, under the “Battery
replacement” section, the text
should be disregarded and in lieu
thereof the following text should be
read:
Use of recommended vehicle
batteries
The manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you use vehicle
batteries that it has tested and
recommends for use in your vehicle;
otherwise the vehicle could be
damaged and systems or functions
may not be fully available.
After a battery replacement, the
manufacturer of your vehicle
recommends that you have the
battery registered on your vehicle
by a service center to ensure that all
comfort functions are fully available,
and that any “check control”
messages of these comfort
functions are no longer displayed.

NotesThe special features of your
BMW i
High-voltage system
Your BMW i is a hybrid vehicle. In addition to
the combustion engine, your vehicle features a
high-voltage system that consists of an elec‐
tric motor and a high-voltage battery among
other things.
Carbon body The 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
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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
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.

BMW eDRIVEVehicle 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.
BMW eDRIVEAt a glance1Vehicle battery2Electrical drive unit3High-voltage battery4Fuel filler flap5Combustion engine6Charging port
The concept The hybrid system makes it possible to opti‐
mize fuel consumption and driving characteris‐
tics.
An electric motor assists the combustion en‐
gine. In certain driving situations, the vehicle
can also be driven using only electric power,
thereby reducing fuel consumption.
In addition to this, the electric motor acts like
an alternator: during braking and coasting, it
converts the vehicle's kinetic energy into elec‐ tricity. The current is stored in the high-voltage
battery and is used to drive the electric motor.
Functions
Acceleration boost: ASSIST and eBOOST
Driving off and accelerating require a lot of en‐
ergy. To reduce fuel consumption during high
acceleration and to optimize acceleration, the
electric motor supports the combustion en‐
gine. For this purpose, the electric motor is
supplied by the high-voltage battery.
Electric driving: ePOWER
Under certain conditions, refer to page 61,
the vehicle is powered only by the electric mo‐
tor.
Variable drive configuration
The electric motor drives the front axle and the
combustion engine the rear axle. Depending
on the operating condition, the vehicle has the
options of front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive
or bundled for four-wheel drive.
Follow instructions for electric driving eDRIVE,
refer to page 61, driving with the combustion
engine DRIVE, refer to page 62, and driving
stability, refer to page 105.
Acoustic pedestrian protection Depending on the country variant, the system
generates an artificial engine sound during
electric driving up to approx. 20 mph/30 km/h.
Driving with the combustion engine:
POWER
The combustion engine provides the perform‐
ance to move the vehicle. If necessary, theSeite 31BMW eDRIVEAt a glance31
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high-voltage battery is charged at the same
time.
The hybrid system always starts the combus‐
tion engine automatically.
Energy recovery: CHARGE The high-voltage battery is charged while driv‐
ing through energy recovery.
The electric motor acts as a generator and
converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle into
electric current.
Charging can take place in various situations
while the vehicle is in motion:▷When the vehicle is rolling if the accelera‐
tor pedal is not pressed.▷During vehicle braking.
When exerting gentle pressure on the brakes,
the vehicle is only braked by the electric motor.
When the brake pedal is depressed further, the
brake system is activated additionally. This is
why only part of the brake energy is used to
charge the high-voltage battery when exerting
firm pressure on the brake.
The mark in the instrument cluster is located
within the CHARGE range.
Sensible driving and early speed reduction are
important to make full use of the energy recov‐
ery feature.
Display The eDRIVE displays, refer to page 72, pro‐
vide information about the current state of the
drive and visualize the system's use in a dia‐
gram.
Energy-saving driving To save energy while driving, read the follow‐
ing information:
Before driving eDRIVE allows using the air conditioner even
before driving off. The stationary climate con‐
trol, refer to page 123, provides more range
than full air conditioning while driving.
Parked car ventilation during the charging
process can provide maximum range when
driving off.
During driving▷General driving tips, refer to page 140, for
increasing the range.▷Use the eDRIVE system efficiently, refer to
page 134, for an optimized driving style.▷ECO PRO mode, refer to page 141, for in‐
creasing the range.▷Display of hybrid system utilization, refer to
page 75▷Hints for saving fuel, refer to page 140, for
reduction of the fuel consumption.
After the trip
▷Charge vehicle, refer to page 146, and
plan next trip.▷Prepare for long downtimes, refer to
page 183.
BMW i Remote app
A special BMW i Remote App allows to control
and display certain vehicle functions using a
smartphone.
Safety information Read the information on safe handling of the
high-voltage system, refer to page 178.
Long-term Follow the instructions for vehicle storage and
for longer idle periods, refer to page 183.
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Opening and closingVehicle 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.
Remote control/key
General information The vehicle is supplied with two remote con‐
trols with integrated key.
Every remote control holds a replaceable bat‐
tery.
You may set the key functions depending on
the optional features and country-specific ver‐
sion. For Settings, refer to page 44.
The vehicle stores personal settings for every
remote control. Personal Profile, refer to
page 37.
The remote controls hold information on re‐
quired maintenance. Service data in the re‐
mote control, refer to page 170.
At a glance1Unlocking2Locking3Unlock the tailgate4▷With alarm system: panic mode▷Without panic mode:
Adjustable function: headlamp cour‐
tesy delay feature or stationary climate
control.
Integrated key
Press button on the remote control, arrow 1,
and pull out the key, arrow 2.
The integrated key fits the driver's door lock.
Replacing the battery
1.Remove integrated key from remote con‐
trol.2.Raise the cover of the battery compart‐
ment, arrow 1.3.Remove the cover of the battery compart‐
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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
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Locking
From above, touch the surface on the side wall
with your finger for approx. 1 second, arrow.
This corresponds with pressing the button on
the remote control.

To save battery power, ensure that all power
consumers are turned off before locking the
vehicle.
Convenient closing Monitor closing
Monitor closing to ensure that no one
becomes trapped.◀
From above, touch the surface on the sidewall
with your finger and hold it there, arrow.
This corresponds to pressing and holding

the remote control button.
Malfunction
Remote control detection by the vehicle can
among others be malfunctioning under the fol‐
lowing circumstances:
▷Interference of the radio connection from
transmission towers or other equipment
with high transmit power.▷Shielding of the remote control due to
metal objects.▷Interference of the radio connection from
mobile phones or other electronic devices
in direct proximity.
Do not transport the remote control together
with metal objects or electronic devices.
In the case of a malfunction, unlock and lock
the vehicle using the buttons of the remote
control or using the integrated key, refer to
page 41.
Adjusting
Unlocking The settings are saved in the active profile, re‐
fer to page 37.
Doors
1."Settings"2."Doors/key"3. Select the symbol.4.Select the desired function:▷"Driver's door only"
Only the driver's door is unlocked.
Pressing again unlocks the entire vehi‐
cle.▷"All doors"
The entire vehicle is unlocked.
Tailgate
Depending on optional features and country
version, this setting is not offered in some
cases.
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3. Select the symbol.4.Select the desired function:▷"Tailgate"
The tailgate is unlocked.▷"Tailgate + door(s)"
The tailgate and the doors are un‐
locked.
Confirmation signals from the vehicle
The settings are saved in the active profile, re‐
fer to page 37.
1."Settings"2."Doors/key"3.Deactivate or activate the desired confir‐
mation signals.▷"Acoustic sig. lock/unlock"▷"Flash when lock/unlock"
Automatic locking
The settings are saved in the active profile, re‐fer to page 37.
1."Settings"2."Doors/key"3.Select the desired function:▷"Lock if no door is opened"
The vehicle locks automatically after a
short period of time if no door is
opened.▷"Lock after start driving"
The vehicle locks automatically after
you drive off.
Without alarm system: headlamp
courtesy delay feature/standing
climate control
The settings are saved in the active profile, re‐
fer to page 37.
1."Settings"2."Doors/key"3. Select the symbol.4.Select the desired function:▷"Pathway lighting"
Headlight courtesy delay feature▷"Comfort climate control"
Stationary climate control
Alarm system
The conceptWhen the vehicle is locked, the vehicle alarm
system responds to:
▷Opening a door, the hood or the tailgate.▷Movements in the interior.▷Changes in the vehicle tilt, e. g., during at‐
tempts at stealing a wheel.▷Disconnected battery voltage.
The alarm system briefly signals tampering:
▷By sounding an acoustic alarm.▷By switching on the hazard warning sys‐
tem.▷By flashing the high beams.
Arming and disarming the alarm
system
When you unlock or lock the vehicle, either
with the remote control or via the Comfort Ac‐
cess, the alarm system is disarmed or armed at
the same time.
Door lock and armed alarm systemThe alarm system is triggered when the door is
opened, when the vehicle is unlocked via the
door lock.
Tailgate and armed alarm system
The tailgate can be opened even when the
alarm system is armed.
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