ECO mode BMW I8 2015 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
BMW_i8_Bedienungseinleger_210x138mm_US.indd 815.01.14 17:53 Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 891 - II/15

Addendum
“Carpets and floor mats,” the paragraph
that begins: “Only use floor mats …” should
be disregarded and the following language
should be read in lieu thereof: “The manu-
facturer of your vehicle recommends that
you use floor mats that have been identified
by it as appropriate for use in your vehicle
and that can be properly fixed in place.”
10. At page 145, under the heading: “Have
maintenance carried out,” the sentence
beginning, “The maintenance should be
carried out …” should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in lieu
thereof:  “BMW recommends that you have
the maintenance carried out by your service
center.”
11. At page 151, under the heading “Make sure
that the charging device is in flawless oper-
ating condition,” the word “flawless” should
read “proper.”
12. At page 163, under the heading “Tire infla-
tion specifications,” the sentence begin-
ning, “Tire inflation pressure specifications
apply to approved tire sizes … .” should be
disregarded.
13. At page 1
67, under the heading: “Mount-
ing,” the paragraph beginning, “Have
mounting and balancing …” should be dis-
regarded and the following text should be
read in lieu thereof: “BMW recommends
that you have mounting and balancing per-
formed by your service center or a tire
mounting specialist.”
14. At page 167, under the heading: “Approved
wheels and tires,” the term “Approved”
should be disregarded and in lieu thereof,
the term “Recommended” should be read
in its place. In addition, the text of that sec-
tion should be disregarded and the follow-
ing text should be read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle strongly
suggests that you use wheels and tires that
have been recommended by the vehicle
manufacturer for your vehicle type; other-
wise, for example, despite having the same official size ratings, variations can lead to
body contact and with it, the risk of severe
accidents.
The manufacturer of your vehicle does not
evaluate non-recommended wheels and
tires to determine if they are suitable for use
on your vehicle.
15. At page 171, under the heading: “Snow
Chains,” the text should be disregarded and
the following text should be read in lieu
thereof:
Only certain types of fine-link snow chains
have been tested by the manufacturer of
your vehicle and are determined by the
manufacturer of your vehicle to be road safe
and are recommended by the manufacturer
of your vehicle.
Information about recommended snow
chains is available from a service center.
16. At page 174, under the heading “Engine
compartment access,” the sentence begin-
ning, “If you are unfamiliar” should be disre-
garded.
17. At page 176, under the heading: “Engine Oil
Change,” the text should be disregarded
and in lieu thereof should be read as follows:
BMW recommends that you have the oil
changed at your BMW dealer's service cen-
ter or at another service center that has
trained personnel that can perform the work
in accordance with BMW specifications.
18. At page 179, under the heading: “Service
and Warranty Information Booklet for US
models and Warranty and Service Guide
Booklet for Canadian models,” the second
paragraph should be disregarded and the
following text read in lieu thereof:
The manufacturer of your vehicle recom-
mends that you have maintenance and
repair performed by your BMW dealer's ser-
vice 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
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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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Data memoryMany electronic components on your vehicle
are equipped with data memories that tempo‐
rarily or permanently store technical informa‐
tion about the condition of the vehicle, events
and faults. This technical information generally
records the state of a component, a module, a
system or the environment:▷Operating mode of system components, fill
levels for instance.▷Status messages for the vehicle and from
its individual components, e.g., wheel rota‐
tion speed/vehicle speed, deceleration,
transverse acceleration.▷Malfunctions and faults in important sys‐
tem components, e.g., lights and brakes.▷Responses by the vehicle to special situa‐
tions such as airbag deployment or engag‐
ing the stability control system.▷Ambient conditions, such as temperature.
This data is purely technical in nature and is
used to detect and correct faults and to opti‐
mize vehicle functions. Motion profiles over
routes traveled cannot be created from this
data. When service offerings are used, e.g., re‐
pair services, service processes, warranty
claims, quality assurance, this technical infor‐
mation can be read out from the event and
fault memories by the service personnel, in‐
cluding the manufacturer, using special diag‐
nostic tools. You can obtain further information
there if you need it. After an error is corrected,
the information in the fault memory is deleted
or overwritten on a continuous basis.
With the vehicle in use there are situations
where you can associate these technical data
with individuals if combined with other infor‐
mation, e.g., an accident report, damage to the
vehicle, eye witness accounts — possibly with
the assistance of an expert.
Additional functions that are contractually
agreed with the customer - such as vehicle
emergency locating - you can transmit certain
vehicle data from the vehicle.
Event Data Recorder EDR
This vehicle is equipped with an event data re‐
corder EDR. The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa‐
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting
a road obstacle, data that will assist in under‐
standing how a vehicle’s systems performed.
The EDR is designed to record data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a
short period of time, typically 30 seconds or
less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record
such data as:▷How various systems in your vehicle were
operating.▷Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were fastened.▷How far, if at all, the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal.▷How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can help provide a better under‐
standing of the circumstances in which
crashes and injuries occur.
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
nontrivial crash situation occurs; no data are
recorded by the EDR under normal driving
conditions and no personal data, e.g., name,
gender, age, and crash location, are recorded.
However, other parties, such as law enforce‐
ment, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac‐
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required, and access to the vehi‐
cle or the EDR is needed. In addition to the ve‐
hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equipment,
can read the information if they have access to
the vehicle or the EDR.
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Function is deactivated.
Touchpad Some iDrive functions can be operated using
the touchpad on the controller:
Selecting functions1."Settings"2."Touchpad"3.Select the desired function.▷"Speller": enter letters and numbers.▷"Interactive map": viewing the interac‐
tive map.▷"Browser": enter Internet addresses.▷"Audio feedback": pronounces entered
letters and numbers.
Entering letters and numbers
Entering letters requires some practice at the
beginning. When entering, pay attention to the
following:
▷For the input of upper/lower case letters
and numbers, it may be necessary to reel
via the controller to the corresponding In‐
put mode, refer to page 24, e.g. when the
spelling of upper and lower case letters is
identical.▷Enter characters as they are displayed on
the Control Display.▷Always enter associated characters, such
as accents or periods so that the letter can
be clearly recognized. Possible input de‐
pends on the set language. Where neces‐
sary, enter special characters via the con‐
troller.▷To delete a character, slide to the left on
the touchpad.▷To enter a blank space, slide to the right in
the center of the touchpad.▷To enter a hyphen, slide to the right in the
upper area of the touchpad.▷To enter an underscore, swipe to the right
in the lower area of the touchpad.
Using interactive map and Internet
Via touch-pad move the interactive map in the
navigation system and Internet sites.
FunctionControlsMove interactive map or
Internet sites.Swipe into re‐
spective direc‐
tion.Enlarge/shrink interactive
map or Internet sites.Drag in or out on
the touchpad with
fingers.Display the menu or open
a link in the Internet.Tap once.
Changing settings
You may change control display settings via
touchpad. Swipe left or right accordingly.
Example: setting the clock Setting the clock
On the Control Display:
1. Press button. The main menu is dis‐
played.2.Turn the controller until "Settings" is high‐
lighted, and then press the controller.3.If necessary, move the controller to the left
to display "Time/Date".Seite 21iDriveAt a glance21
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gine. For this purpose, the electric motor is
supplied by the high-voltage battery.
Electric driving: ePOWER
Under certain conditions, refer to page 64,
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 64, driving with the combustion
engine DRIVE, refer to page 65, and driving
stability, refer to page 109.
Acoustic pedestrian protection
Depending on the country variant, the system
generates continuous driving noise, refer to
page 65, 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, the
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 75, 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 127, 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 144, for
increasing the range.▷Use the eDRIVE system efficiently, refer to
page 138, for an optimized driving style.▷ECO PRO mode, refer to page 145, for in‐
creasing the range.Seite 32At a glanceBMW eDRIVE32
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▷Exterior mirrors folded through convenient
closing are folded open.
You can set how the vehicle is to be unlocked.
For Settings, refer to page 46.
Anti-theft protection is switched off.
The alarm system, refer to page 47, is dis‐
armed.
Convenient opening Press and hold this button on the re‐mote control after unlocking.
The windows are opened, as long as the but‐
ton on the remote control is pressed.
Locking Locking from the outside
Do not lock the vehicle from the outside
with people inside the car, as the vehicle can‐
not be unlocked from inside without special
knowledge.◀
The driver's door must be closed. Press button on the remote control.
All doors and the tailgate are being locked.
Anti-theft protection is switched on. It pre‐
vents the doors from being unlocked using the
door openers.
The alarm system, refer to page 47, is armed.
Switching on interior lights Press button on the remote control with
the vehicle locked.
This function is not available, if the interior
lamps were switched off manually.
If the button is pressed again within 10 sec‐
onds after vehicle was locked, the interior mo‐
tion sensor and tilt alarm sensor of the anti-
theft warning system, refer to page 48, are
turned off. After locking, wait 10 seconds be‐
fore pressing the button again.
Unlocking the tailgate
Press button on the remote control for
approx. 1 second.
The tailgate opens slightly, regardless of
whether the vehicle was previously locked or
unlocked.
Depending on the features and the country
version, it is also possible to have door un‐ locked. Create the settings, refer to page 46.
If the doors were not unlocked, the tailgate is
locked again as soon as it closes.
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.◀
Without alarm system: switching the
headlamp courtesy delay feature on
The headlight courtesy delay feature function
must be set for the remote control button. For
Settings, refer to page 46.
Briefly press the button on the remote
control.
The duration can be set in the Control Display.
With alarm system: panic mode You can trigger the alarm system if you find
yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press button on the remote control for
at least 3 seconds.
To reel off the alarm: press any button.Seite 42ControlsOpening and closing42
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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.
After the tailgate is closed, it is locked and
monitored again when the doors are locked.
The hazard warning system flashes once.
Panic mode
You can trigger the alarm system if you find
yourself in a dangerous situation.
Press button on the remote control for
at least 3 seconds.
To switch off the alarm: press any button.
Indicator lamp on the interior rearview
mirror▷The indicator lamp flashes briefly every
2 seconds:
The system is armed.▷The indicator lamp flashes after locking:
The doors, hood or tailgate is not closed
properly, but the rest of the vehicle is se‐
cured.
After 10 seconds, the indicator lamp
flashes continuously. Interior motion sen‐
sor and tilt alarm sensor are not active.When the still open access is closed, inte‐
rior motion sensor and tilt alarm sensor will
be switched on.▷The indicator lamp goes out after unlock‐
ing:
The vehicle has not been tampered with.▷The indicator lamp flashes after unlocking
until the radio-ready state is switched on,
but no longer than approx. 5 minutes:
An alarm has been triggered.
Tilt alarm sensor The tilt of the vehicle is monitored.
The alarm system responds in situations such
as attempts to steal a wheel.
Interior motion sensor The windows must be closed for the system to
function properly.
Avoiding unintentional alarms
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sen‐
sor can be switched off together, such as in
the following situations:
▷In automatic car washes.▷In duplex garages.▷During transport on trains carrying vehi‐
cles, at sea or on a trailer.▷With animals in the vehicle.
Switching off the tilt alarm sensor and
interior motion sensor
Press the remote control button again
within 10 seconds as soon as the vehicle
is locked.
The indicator lamp lights up for approx. 2 sec‐
onds and then continues to flash.
The tilt alarm sensor and interior motion sen‐
sor are turned off, until the vehicle is locked again.
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Operating readiness offPress the Start/Stop button again without
stepping on the brake.
All indicator lights in the instrument cluster go
out.
To save battery power when the engine is off,
switch off operating readiness and any unnec‐
essary electronic systems/power consumers.
Operating readiness is switched off automati‐
cally in the following situations while the vehi‐
cle is stationary and the engine is off:▷When locking the vehicle, and when the
low beams are activated.▷Shortly before the battery is discharged
completely, so that drive readiness is
maintained. This function is only available
when the low beams are turned off.▷When opening or closing the driver door, if
the driver's safety belt is unbuckled and
the low beams are turned off.▷While the driver's safety belt is unbuckled
with driver's door open and low beams off.
The low beams switch to parking lights after
approx. 15 minutes of no use.
Selector lever position P is automatically en‐
gaged when operating readiness is switched
off. In order for the vehicle to be able to roll,
e.g. into a car wash, heed the information re‐
garding washing in automatic car washes, refer
to page 187.
Drive readiness
When drive readiness is activated, the vehicle
is operational. Activated drive readiness is the
equivalent of a running engine in conventional
vehicles. Deactivated engine readiness is
equivalent to switching the ignition off.
Selector lever position P is automatically en‐
gaged when drive readiness is switched off. In
order for the vehicle to be able to roll, e.g. into
a car wash, heed the information regarding
washing in automatic car washes, refer to
page 187.
Drive readiness in detail
The concept The following are the different drive readiness
variants:▷Electric drive readiness, Silent Start, refer
to page 63.
The vehicle is powered by the electric mo‐
tor.▷Starting the combustion engine, refer to
page 63.
The vehicle is powered by the combustion
engine.
Hints
Do not leave the vehicle unattended
Do not leave the vehicle unattended with
drive readiness active; otherwise, it may pose a
risk.◀
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 vehicle
due to missing engine noises. Please take spe‐
cial care when parking or leaving a parking
space.◀
Display on the Start/Stop buttonGeneral information Drive readiness is also displayed
through light indicators on the
Start/Stop button.
Lighting pulses orange
▷After unlocking and opening the door.▷After switching off drive readiness.
When the brake pedal is depressed, the light‐
ing becomes more intense.
Seite 62ControlsDriving62
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