2015 BMW I3 light

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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The interior of the BMW i3 includes a variety
of premium-quality, sustainable materials.
Approximately 25% of the thermoplastics used
are composed of recyclates or have been
replaced by renewable materials.
The Life module
is made of ultra-light
carbon fi ber.
lighter than steel.
lighter than aluminum.
5 0
%

30
%

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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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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.
Seite 9Notes9
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CockpitVehicle 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 tothe 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.
All around the steering wheel
1Power windows   502Exterior mirror operation   573Unlocking hood  44
Unlock tailgate   45
With Range Extender: vent fuel tank   1694LightsParking lights  90Low beams  90Automatic headlight con‐
trol   91
Daytime running lights   91Instrument lighting  915Left steering column stalkTurn signal  71High beams, head‐
light flasher   71Seite 14At a glanceCockpit14
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Roadside parking lights  91On-board computer  866Instrument cluster  757Switch drive readiness on and
off   648Selector lever   669Right steering column stalkWiper  72Rain sensor   73Clean the windshields and head‐
lights   73Rear window wiper in Canadian
models   73Rear window wiper   73Cleaning rear window   7410Steering wheel buttons, rightEntertainment sourceVolumeVoice activation  26TelephoneThumbwheel for selection lists   8511Adjust steering wheel  5912Steering wheel buttons, leftStore speed  116Resume speed   118Cruise control on/off, interrupt‐
ing   117Active Cruise Control on/off, in‐
terrupting   110Cruise control, adjust dis‐
tance   110Cruise control rocker switch   11713Horn, total areaSeite 15CockpitAt a glance15
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All around the roofliner1Intelligent Emergency Re‐
quest   1962Glass sunroof, powered   513Indicator lamp, front-seat pas‐
senger airbag   954Reading lights   915Interior lights  91Seite 17CockpitAt a glance17
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1.Turn.2.Press.3.Move in four directions.
Buttons on controller
Press buttonFunctionMENUOpen the main menu.RADIOOpens the Radio menu.MEDIAOpens the Multimedia menu.NAVOpens the Navigation menu.TELOpens the phone menu.Press buttonFunctionBACKDisplays the previous panel.OPTIONOpens the Options menu.
Operating concept
Opening the main menu Press button.
The main menu is displayed.
All iDrive functions can be called up via the
main menu.
Selecting menu items
Highlighted menu items can be selected.
1.Turn the controller until the desired menu
item is highlighted.2.Press the controller.Seite 19iDriveAt a glance19
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