BMW i3 120Ah battery upgrade - How to?

You asked for it, here it is. All the details on why the BMW i3 120Ah upgrade is so hard to pull off. Massive thanks to Havrla for supplying so much information and video material! Need an i3 upgrade? Get in touch with Havrla here:

[garyhoward]

Thanks Dala for mentioning Havrla. He recently performed the upgrade of my 60 aH Rex to a 120 aH (still with Rex..). He picked up the car at my place, drove it 1000km to his home to do the job and delivered it back 3 days later in front of my door. Naturally, this has a price). It is difficult to explain how happy this made me as I have now the best of both worlds. Driving moderate, I got 350km from 1 charge (no a/c, no highway, warm weather). That’s much more than I expected. Off course, winter or highway will be a different story. Havlra is a very competent person and on top of it he’s a nice and very reliable guy with lots of interesting stories to tell.

[julianh]

Amazing video. Really helpful and highlights all the pitfalls before entering blind into a complicated and expensive project. Many thanks!

[fischer-]

There should be law in EU that requires car companies to provide replacement batteries and possible software to do the replacement. It would be environmentally friendlier when people can repair their cars cheaper. And that would make more sensible for car companies to use same batteries as rival companies when battery is not source of control and money. They would have to compete making the rest of the car better than the next company.

Thank you for the infomative video and research.
Greetings from Oulu. :)

[atms]

Depends on costs and reliability risks .. it is probably more preferable to just get a 120Ah in a good deal.
Although, if it is possible to upgrade a Rex to 120Ah (which is not available), then that would be something.

[philipp]

I am so looking forward to a 180Ah upgrade down the road.

[NAYGAS]

Wow Dala! Thanks for the info. I’ll share with my BMWi friends.

[j.t]

Thanks very much for this video. I, m a owner of a I3 bmw, and now i know that i don, t work at my car by myself in that kind.

[flyingyakdeath]

I’m waiting for an aftermarket upgrade of battery modules that would add to the 120AH highest bmw pack level

[tonyfoley]

Just a note, not all 2014 i3s used 1234yf refrigerant. In the USA it was still R134a. They didn't switch to 1234yf until I believe 2018 in the USA.

They did still use the Sanden special refrigerant oil in 2014 with R134a.

[rhiantaylor]

Good to know its possible and where to go to get it done !

[Mpower-hzgk]

Really interesting video. I have noticed our 94Ah restricts re-gen when soc is 100% or when it is very cold ambient.

[tomasis]

Would it be worth to buy Samsung SDI cells and make allt that myself? Im not in hurry to buy an i3 but in 10 years, the old battery prob be dead or weak so its just to replace cells. Im sure well see some hack on the locked battery :D ISTA D+ is hacked and flows freely on internet lol

[Oleksandr]

Thanks a lot for your video and nice explanations.

[goreallyspeed]

What about doing something similar with the i8? The older battery is a bit small

[tomby]

I have and EOS tester for locked batteries in the UK for anyone wanting to upgrade batteries.

[jaro-ch]

Great Video! Maybe I will order an upgrade from you :)

[SkippyPB.]

This video should be renamed “BMW i3 battery upgrade. “DONT DO IT, ITS NOT WORTH IT”

[NO_OPEC_NO_PROBLEM]

Probably not worth spending $10k+ to perform. Just trade ‘er in and get a 2019+ model with 120aH pack. It’s unfortunate that BMW does not have a path to upgrade their cars.

[kenzotheband]

Hello Dala, thanks for your work here on yt! I'm wondering if it makes any sense to buy a cheap i3 (60ah) and do an upgrade to 120. I have no idea about the approximate costs and the range you could get with an 120 ah upgrade. I saw a claim from Lion Light Batteries and a PoC for an own developed 100kWh battery with a 700km range. Sick. After some research it looks like the battery is not yet available and maybe will never see day of light since BMW is one of their customers. Anyway, let me know, I'm looking forward to get some advise! Thank you

[mrguzmanG]

Great video! I’ve heard that you could use the batteries from an i3 on a Fiat 500e, thus extending the range of the Fiat...is this true?