I Bought a Ten Year Old $3500 EV and I Increased its Range To Over 400 Miles!

we increased this EV's range to 400 miles in the worst way possible, don't try this at home

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[RichRebuilds]

UPDATE.

The system works! I forgot to put this part in the video but the switch is foot activated so that I can add from the aux tank to the main tank while driving. When both tanks are full I can get about 300 miles on gas only. However At those speeds the Rex cannot maintain hold state of charge but It still cruises nicely at 75-80mph on the rex. The siphon is working great as well, when both tanks are full the main tank will pull from the aux automatically so the pump is rarely used. 700 miles covered so far 700 more to go!

[steve]

Rich you should make a box truck an EV and see how many used Tesla battery packs you need in the back to make it go from New York to Los Angeles without stopping to charge

[JustWastedHoursHere]

There are some important differences between the European version of the i3 Rex and the one we got here. For one thing, the Rex in Europe has 2.4 gallons available whereas ours was only 1.9 gallons. Oddly, this is done through programming when the fuel pump shuts off rather than actually having a different sized tank. Also, the programming for the Rex was different. For example, on the Euro version you can start the gas engine at any time to "top up" the battery and save the EV-only driving for later. In the US version it only comes on when the battery reaches about 5%. Luckily, both of these behaviors (and others) can be changed to the Euro specifications through a "coding" process (search YouTube).

[Doogleraia]

Wouldn't it be a better overall solution to have the filler-neck go to the new tank, then the new tank goes into the stock one, but breather is on the new one, so it would constantly be filling up the stock one until the new tank is empty? Virtually just creating a bigger tank and all the car sees is that the fuel level isn't going down until the new tank is empty

[kingsizzdt]

You can take a train from Orlando to Virginia. It’s called the auto train from Amtrak. They put your car on the train and you ride in the comfort.

[donschiffer]

The i3 is actually a brilliant car that was ahead of its time. A modern 30kwh battery and a 10 gallon tank would make it amazing.

[RitaElaineHeltonBarker-uzsz]

Hay uncle Rich no concerns with safety just strap a gas tank square in the front end of the car LoL

[DaveDarin]

Funny. i just watched your Fisker Ocean review and even commented. And now you are talking about the i3. I own a 2020 i3s REX and I actually drove it round trip Phoenix to Philadelphia and back. I was clever about it. I hacked it so you can turn on the REX at 75% or lower state of charge. I would drive it till 25% battery, approx 140 miles, then run the REX for it's 70ish miles and tank up again for a second 70 miles. So 140 + 70 + 70 = 280. Then I would tank up and charge. Was not as bad as you think as I would drive about 6 hrs a day so 280 miles was 4 hrs or most of the time longer with some traffic slow downs, Then that 35-40 charging break. The gas stops to fill the 2, 2 gallon tank I don't count as a pain as it's a very quick stop. Nice video here as well.

[Aabel-jiwg]

That AC issue could be a very expensive thing. Metallic parts can break off from the compressor blades, and get into the coolant lines requiring major repairs. The compressor, condenser, and HV battery accumulator may need to be replaced. A flush is also needed.

[pericaco]

I just sold my i3 yesterday. I owned it for almost 4 years. It's hands down one of the best commuters. I drove it from northern Indiana to central Florida and back, no extra fuel cell but coded. It took about 26 hours 1100 miles. Great car!

[herbhoskins]

Rich, great video. As the owner of a 2018 BMW i3S (and from Ocala) I can say some of the things you mentioned were spot on. By the way your i3 is pretty much maxed out as far as options. 20 inch wheels, Terra world interior, electronic package, etc. The bigger tank in front is a very good solution as the frunk is basically useless anyway. Keep up the great content.

[EntropiaGuitars]

@rich rebuilds - A dutch company managed to squeeze in a new battery design that gave 400 miles range. The Rex is great, but genuinely fragile. I have a Rex here in Ireland and I use it sparingly. Don't overfill the tank either beyond the first click of the fuel pump, or the charcoal cannister gets soaked and throws EML lights all the damn time.

[mikeransom]

Rich, try the pumps at "closed" gas stations. Some stations leave their pumps operable if you use credit or debit cards. Those stations usually leave the lights on at the pumps, even when the "store" part is closed.

[tonydean]

Simply put a petrol tank trailer on a tow hitch

[jtonline]

Can we all take a moment to appreciate that the car didn't catch fire at all in this video, well done Rich 👌

[djwilliams]

Rich, if the "gas station is closed" but the lights are still on the pumps, you can still fill up. It will tell you prior if it's truly "closed"

[juanmorse]

Great Idea... I thought about this a few times when I purchased my i3 Rex back in 2020. Now, I'll have to do it this hack. Btw, a few years ago, Lyon Smart offered a battery for the BMW i3 with over 400 miles of range. I reached out to them today to see if that battery is still available.

[holgre]

It would be better to increase the battery size. We have one of the last ones made in UK with a 42Kwh battery.We can get 200mls out of it if you drive carefully. Highspeed charging 50Kwh + takes about 40 mins, just time for a coffee. The recharge netwrk is increasing rapidly. Maybe charging infrastructure isn't there in US.

[timothystevenhoward]

When he said "stop every hour for gas" ... I was like April fools yall!

[xpndblhero]

Rich: Does a very advanced upgrade
Me: Puts a gas can in the frunk
😂