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 (CO2
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
BMW_i3_Bedienungseinleger_210x138mm_us_lektoriert_RZ.indd 822.01.14 15:19 Online Edition for Part no. 01 40 2 960 865 - II/15
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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All around the center console1Control Display 182Radio/Multimedia, refer to Integrated Own‐
er's Handbook3Glove compartment 1434Climate control 1285Hazard warning system 196Intelligent Safety 1006Controller with buttons 187Parking brake 708PDC Park Distance Control 118
Rearview camera 121
Parking assistant 1239Driving Dynamics Control 108Seite 16At a glanceCockpit16
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Replacing the battery1.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‐
ment, arrow 2.4.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 Personal Profile provides three profiles, using
which personal vehicle settings can be stored.
Every remote control has one of these profiles
assigned.
If the vehicle is unlocked using a remote con‐
trol, the assigned personal profile will be acti‐
vated. All settings stored in the profile are au‐
tomatically applied.
If several drivers use their own remote control,
the vehicle will adjust the personal settings
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DrivingVehicle 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.
Start/Stop button Overview
Button in the vehicle1Start/Stop button2Park P3Selector lever
The concept Pressing the Start/Stop button
switches drive readiness on or
off.
Drive readiness starts with the
brake pedal pressed when you
press the Start/Stop button.
Pressing the Start/Stop button again switches
drive readiness back off and radio-ready state
is switched back on.
Radio ready state Some electronic systems/power consumers
are ready for operation.
The radio-ready state is switched off automati‐
cally:▷After approx. 8 minutes.▷When the vehicle is locked using the cen‐
tral locking system.▷If the charging state of the batteries is low.
The radio-ready state remains active if, e.g.,
the drive readiness is automatically switched
off for the following reasons:
▷Opening or closing the driver's door.▷Unfastening of the driver's safety belt.▷When automatically switching from low
beams to parking lights.
Radio ready state is switched back on if the
on/off button on the radio is pressed when the
vehicle is parked.
Operating readiness
All electronic systems/power consumers are
ready for operation. Odometer and trip odome‐
ter are displayed in the instrument cluster.
To preserve the battery, use operating readi‐
ness and activated power features only as long
as absolutely necessary.
Operating readiness is switched off:
▷When locking the vehicle, even if the low
beams are activated.▷When opening or closing the driver door, if
the driver's safety belt is unbuckled and
the low beams are turned off.Seite 64ControlsDriving64
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▷While the driver's safety belt is unbuckled
with driver's door open and low beams off.▷When the batteries' state of charge is low,
if the low beams are turned off.▷The low beams switch to parking lights af‐
ter 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 65, 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, switch
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.
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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.
Lighting lights up steady blue
After drive readiness is switched on, light turns
blue. The vehicle is ready to drive. The READY
indicator lights up in the instrument cluster. In
addition, a signal sounds.
Lighting off
Drive readiness, operating readiness and
radio-ready state are turned off. The vehicle is
in the idle state. The charging cable may be
connected.
Driving off
Requirements
Driving is possible under the following condi‐
tions:
▷The high-voltage battery is sufficiently
charged.▷The driver's door is closed.
Driving
1.Switch on drive readiness.2.Apply the brake and engage lever in posi‐
tion P D or R.3.Release the parking brake.4.Depress the accelerator pedal to drive.Selector lever positions
The engaged selector lever position is dis‐
played on the selector lever.
D Drive
Position for normal vehicle operation.
R is Reverse
Select only when the vehicle is stationary.
N is NeutralUse in automatic car washes, e.g. The vehicle
may roll.
P Park Engage only while the vehicle is stationary and
the brake is applied. The drive wheels are
blocked.
P is engaged automatically:
▷If the belt on the driver's seat is off, the
driver's door is open and neither brake nor
accelerator pedal are depressed while
drive readiness is switched on and selector
lever position D or R is set.▷After switching off drive readiness via the
Start/Stop button, if selector lever posi‐
tion D or R is set.▷With operating readiness turned off.
Before exiting the vehicle, make sure that se‐
lector lever position P is set. Otherwise, the ve‐
hicle may begin to move. On uphill slopes, also
Set parking brake, refer to page 70.
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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.
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 203.
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 200.
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