[VikasMG]

I’m hoping to get delivery of my iX soon and I’ve been wondering how good the iX’s route planning is. I has assumed that on longer trips it’s best to plan it on the iX system itself so that it can prepare the car for optimal charging and make more accurate predictions of when charging stops are needed.

But I’ve read/hear a lot of comments in favour of apps like A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and others and wondered if they do a better job of it. Also if my iPhone is connected to the car, will these apps communicate with the car enough to make intelligent choices based on driving conditions, etc?

Any thoughts appreciated.

 

[Deacon]

Just returned from a 700+ mile trip to Ft Lauderdale from Myrtle Beach, SC. I found that the Plug Share app was pretty helpful in modeling the trip since it shows distances between potential charging stations and more importantly provides pretty current user reviews of each station. There is a fair amount or variability across charging stations and we experienced one facility where none of the charging units were functioning so we had to scramble to find another station we could reach with our remaining SOC.

 

[TPSC]

Congratulations on your new iX! If it is anything like mine, you will be very happy! As Decon stated before me, the ChargePoint App is very good and as you stated A Better Route Planner is also very good. I use both apps for modeling and feedback on charger ratings and availability. I find that ratings and availability info are both helpful to model your trips and to determine alternatives in route as chargers are very frequently not dependably available. I've seen a lot of scenarios: cars parked in charging spots preventing use, chargers that indicate as available but are in use, the opposite, where chargers say they are in use and are available, and even chargers that say they work but after connecting, the iX dashboard says the voltage is too low to work. As a result its great to know what options are helpful and ChargePoint and ABRP are both good. For actual route guidance, the native iDrive 8 is fantastic for me. It takes into account weather, altitude, traffic, the current state of charge on your iX as well as automatically preconditions the batteries for the fastest DC charging at the charging stations. You can easily plan your routes on either your iPhone or via Safari via the myBMW app or webpage, and send the route to your iX. When you get into your Bavarian monster the route is displayed nicely and you just touch and go! I also have used Apple Maps to plan routes (which also accounts for elevation, weather and traffic and can also be sent to CarPlay very easily,) however as best as I can tell you can't precondition the iX as you drive to the charging station. The optimal situation WOULD be if the native iDrive navigation and route planning ALSO gave your charger status info. Maybe someday!! Enjoy your new toy, mine is fun!

 

[VikasMG]

Thank you for the valuable inputs

 

[Boergedeist]

I would like to second what TPSC said. I picked up my IX50 last year deliberately at a dealership 2,300 miles from my home just to try it out. Bottomline I had issues, but most of them were caused by my own shortcomings. Such as I had not set up properly my EA account prior to my departure. No wonder I could not connect in SLC, my first charging ever, and got nervous. I used Plug share, ABRP, EA and my own I8 system just to compare them. Most of the time I switched to I8, the car's system, at least an hour before my next charging stop to make sure I took advantage of the car's battery precondition. The trip was phantastic, smoothest car I ever had, just a flying carpet. Did a few other long road trips with no problems. Today 16,000 miles on the odometer. Charging at home 95% of the time. No issue at all there 48 amps, 35 miles/hour charging speed. Don't regret that decision to go EV one bit.

 

[VikasMG]

I would like to second what TPSC said. I picked up my IX50 last year deliberately at a dealership 2,300 miles from my home just to try it out. Bottomline I had issues, but most of them were caused by my own shortcomings. Such as I had not set up properly my EA account prior to my departure. No wonder I could not connect in SLC, my first charging ever, and got nervous. I used Plug share, ABRP, EA and my own I8 system just to compare them. Most of the time I switched to I8, the car's system, at least an hour before my next charging stop to make sure I took advantage of the car's battery precondition. The trip was phantastic, smoothest car I ever had, just a flying carpet. Did a few other long road trips with no problems. Today 16,000 miles on the odometer. Charging at home 95% of the time. No issue at all there 48 amps, 35 miles/hour charging speed. Don't regret that decision to go EV one bit.

Good to hear stories like that 😊

Most of my charging will also be done at home on a Level 2 charger.