How much does the upgrade cost?
Our current upgrade costs $7700 plus tax. We offer a $500 discount if you let us keep your old batteries (same regardless of capacity).
How long does it take?
In most cases, your car will be back in your hands within 48 hours. NOTE Its impossible to guarantee a time , but this is generally ample time.
How do I make an appointment?
email us (via email address on home page)
Who are you?
We're a team of EV enthusiasts who love their i3 like you! We have decades of experience working on cars and electronics.
I hear your batteries are from China, OMG!
Yep, just like the phone youre viewing this with on the seat youre sitting on, everything these days comes from a factory in China. Contrary to internet lore, Chinese doesnt mean bad. Yes, there are many Chinese manufacturers make cheap products that are cheaply made have a reputation for filling the market with "cheap" items on Temu and Ali, etc., but our batteries are not cheap knockoffs or cheaply made, theyre real Grade A cells from the Korean factory, made with laser welded boxes in China that go through Chinese and US based quality controls. If anyting was not up to snuff, it wont make it in your car. We proudly stand behind our products.
What is the warranty?
We provide a 1-year warranty covering both parts and labor.
What range can I expect?
The upgraded battery provides an estimated range of 160-200 miles, depending on driving conditions.
I hear my AC may explode, will this cause my AC to explode?
There are a number of reports of AC failures that can cause expensive repairs. This is not a maintenence or usage issue, at this time it is a not fully understood design issue that causes some compressors to fail. Its hard to really judge how many failures have occurred as the people that dont have problems dont report it, and we, the public, the public will never be privvy to the exact numbers BMW has. We (Maxxpower EV) have done a fair number of i3 repairs, and havent seen signs of slow degredation in the oil, even in high mileage i3's. The problems people have seem to occur quickly and suddenly. Our service will not affect your AC system except to capture, clean the refrigerant & oil and refresh it to factory specs. We use state of the art equipment to capture and clean your refrigerant, use real Sanden SP-A2,and OEM seals and valves to replace old leaky ones, and perform AC service as BMW directs. Compressors might fail, but theyre not actually touched in our battery service, and therefore are not covered by our battery/parts warranty. The failure issue seems to stem from a BMW supplier/manufacturing fault, and happens completely at random. Thankfully there are aftermarket parts that are plentiful and you dont have to use BMW service to facilitate this repair, so while still expensive, costs have come down substantially and we expect they will continue to do so.
I read online that these batteries flex when you stand on them! I saw a video!
True, BUT! if you were to perform the same "test" with the BMW factory batteries the same thing happens! In the video we have seen, the battery displayed is only partially assembled. Yes, if you have a partially assembled part on your car, regardless of where it was made, it wont be as strong as when it is assembled. Our batteries are complete, durable, and when installed they are comperable to the OEM ones. Our batteries have welded aluminum cases and are strong enough to stand up to the abuses of regular driving, like the originals.
Can I visit your facility or take a tour?
Unfortunately, at this time, we do not allow customers or non-employees inside our facility, and no tours are available.
Does the upgrade require custom programming?
Yes, custom programming is required for the upgrade to function properly.
Does the upgrade affect my warranty
Yes, BMW is highly likely to deny warranty after this install as hardware and software modifications are required for this to work
Does the upgrade affect my custom coding?
Yes, custom programming may be affected "VO" modifications done individually are generally ok (like bimmercode), but full updates, I-STEP or SME/EME or module programming cannot be performed after this battery install , or the range calibration factors will be incorrect and reprogramming will be required (warranty does not cover this). The car will be ok but you wont see the full range available (it may revert to original battery specs)
Does the upgrade change anything else?
Besides improved range no user functions change charging at full speed is still possible at the speed your BMW normally takes, but it will take longer due to the larger capacity to charge