The snow is lastly melting, and although it has been an uneven course of, spring is beginning to do its factor in upstate New York. As such, we’re wanting ahead to a different summer time of road-tripping and exploring within the 2024 BMW iX that has been part of our household for practically 18 months.
Picture by: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
Over that yr and a half, we have lined 16,523 miles by two winters with a complete common effectivity of three.0 mi/kWh. That tracks favorably in comparison with the factor’s official EPA score of two.9 mi/kWh, although naturally, it slipped a good bit within the coldest of temperatures. Our low up to now is 2.3 mi/kWh when the ambient air was eight levels under zero Fahrenheit (-17 C.)Â
However that did not cease us from getting on the market over the winter, a course of made somewhat extra adventurous currently because of an unlucky behavior our iX picked up a number of software program updates in the past.
‘Time Slot Mode’
Like most EVs, the iX could be set to begin charging instantly while you plug it in, and you may, in fact, set a most cost proportion to maintain from topping out all 105.2 kWh each time. (We normally have ours set at 90% to protect the battery long-term.)
The iX may also be set for scheduled charging, one thing BMW calls “time slot mode,” so it will not begin knocking down the juice till a set time. That is nice in case you have a metered plan along with your utility supplier, serving you cheaper charges in a single day.Â
The issue is, we have not enabled this mode within the iX or within the My BMW app, but our SUV retains falling again to a delayed begin to charging of 10 pm. We preserve disabling this characteristic and but it retains coming again, zombie-like, catching us unexpectedly. We plug the automotive in, and it says it is charging.
Later, we then uncover it did not truly begin charging till the night, or typically by no means, leaving us with inadequate vary the next morning. That is, as you may guess, not best.
Brief Circuit
2024 BMW iX Cupholders 004
The issue caught me out as soon as in January. The automotive was plugged within the evening earlier than however nonetheless had barely half a cost the next morning, leaving me firing up my Subaru for a run as much as Vermont. I might have a lot somewhat taken the iX. A couple of weeks later, the identical factor shocked my spouse, who had a morning occasion means up north within the Adirondack Park.Â
It was a 320-mile spherical journey in the course of winter, which usually would have necessitated one fast charging cease alongside the way in which. As a substitute, she needed to make an emergency cease at a charger on the way in which up, grabbing as many electrons as she might with out being late for her conferences, then needed to cost up in time to make it again, too.
Picture by: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
That is clearly not a great state of affairs, however in some methods, it truly boosted our confidence within the automotive. So nicely, in truth, that regardless of the charging glitch, my spouse had nothing however reward for the iX on the finish of the day.
Silver Linings
The primary constructive observe was the iX’s remaining vary estimation. I’ve examined loads of EVs over time that depart you operating some superior calculus as you are driving, mentally plotting a curve of vary degradation in a determined try to find out whether or not you may make it to your vacation spot.
As I’ve famous beforehand in these updates, the iX’s vary estimation on the sprint is spot-on, hardly ever straying by quite a lot of p.c even when the drive is a whole bunch of miles lengthy. That was the primary saving grace of this doubtlessly horrible journey.
Picture by: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
“That is the one automotive I’ve pushed the place the vary prediction truly reduces my vary anxiousness,” my spouse mentioned. “If every other automotive had instructed me I would get someplace with six p.c left, I would have been freaking out the entire means.”
Getting correct vary estimates requires utilizing the automotive’s built-in navigation, and fortunately, BMW’s is kind of good. I nonetheless use Google Maps in Android Auto more often than not as a result of it is normally discovered the place I wish to go as quickly as I get within the automotive, that means I can simply faucet and go.
Nevertheless, for longer journeys, I defer to the nav expertise inside iDrive, and it hardly ever disappoints. I usually have a large overhead view of the route on the central infotainment display, a better view of the map within the gauge cluster behind the steering wheel, after which the HUD configured to present me augmented-reality arrows.
Sure, that is navigational overkill, however once I’m coping with difficult routing someplace with huge penalties for a incorrect flip, like getting out of Newark Worldwide Airport throughout rush hour, it is awfully good.
Plug and Pray
The opposite issue that helped ease the potential stress of the day was straightforward charging. By now, we ought to be nicely and really into an age the place Plug and Cost simply works. Sadly, it nonetheless looks like a shock when it does.
Picture by: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
I am glad to say I used to be pleasantly shocked when my spouse checked in from the charging station. The iX comes with two years of free 30-minute periods with Electrify America, however we have struggled previously to get these periods to begin routinely. So, it was with somewhat trepidation that my spouse pulled into the EVolve NY charger in North Hudson, operated by Electrify America, which options 9 350 kW stalls.Â
I used to be on standby to assist troubleshoot or, worst case, discover one other location. Blissfully, I did not need to. “I simply plugged in and it acknowledged my automotive and mentioned I’ve free charging,” my spouse texted me. “That is the way in which these ought to all work.”
Certainly it’s, and hopefully, that is the way it will more and more be going ahead.Â
That charging session hit 169 kW, not too far off from the iX’s official max cost charge of 195 kW. The curve was flat sufficient to ship simply over 70 kWh in 28 minutes, and efficiency that is was greater than stable given it was a cold day.
Idiot Me Twice
I hate that we now have to do that, however we have since realized to convey up the My BMW app and ensure charging has truly began if we now have someplace to go the next day. Certainly, as I write this, simply final evening the automotive determined to flip again to time slot mode once more by itself accord.
We’re not the one ones seeing this. A lot extra iX house owners are reporting that point slot mode is not working proper for them, both. However I observed the automotive has a brand new software program replace pending, so with a bit of luck, it’s going to repair what’s change into our greatest annoyance with the SUV.Â
Picture by: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
Nonetheless, typically irritating conditions like that assist make you admire simply how good you may have it in different areas.
Tim Stevens is a veteran editor, analyst, and skilled within the tech and automotive industries. He helmed CNET’s automotive protection for 9 years and acted as Vice President of Content material. Previous to that, Tim served as Editor-in-Chief at Engadget and even led a earlier life as an Enterprise Software program Architect. Observe Tim on X at @tim_stevens and catch his Substack.
