[COOLGREANY]

Reading through many of the discussions here, it appears the X1 is very sensitive to battery health/charge and battery charge may be the X1's "Achilles heel".

In fact, when we picked up our X1 last week, a "low battery" warning popped up while the Genius was going through their spiel. They had to start the car and drive it out of the showroom to finish the presentation with the engine running.

Having said that, are there any features, options or strategies that can be used to conserve battery charge?

For example, does disabling the option to "unlock upon approach" or "unlock when leaving" help conserve the battery (I would think so when parked in one's own garage).

Maybe I'm overthinking it but I'd be interested in thoughts and tips from others.

Photo of charger/USB adapter showing battery voltage display (thanks to a tip in another thread) for attention.

[DestinationMoon!]

One thing I've discovered is that the charging system in the new X1 only charges the battery when the throttle is completely off. You can see how it behaves by calling up Live Vehicle and selecting Adaptive Display (something like that). It shows when battery is charging, but only in Personal Mode. In Sport Mode the same menu item shows engine oil temp, pressure and HP.

I'm sure it'll also charge when the voltage gets too low. This isn't a new system, I know Audi works the same. It reduces parasitic loads to increase milage.

I've also noticed that while the battery is somewhat smaller than other cars, it takes a pretty high voltage to charge. I'm thinking that's why car operates ALL THE TIME at 14.8 volts. I've never seen it lower than 14.7v. Which is unusual going from past vehicles.

Yours shows 12.6? I'm guessing that's with the engine off?

Mine always seems to be around 12.2 or 12.3 prior to starting. Even the day after charging. Which seems like a possible problem, as I'd expect 12.6 or higher from a healthy charged battery.

I've got a few chargers. The one I think works best and is probably best for the battery is the smallest one, that'll charge to 15.4 volts but is limited to 5.5A rate
I have faster chargers but they all cut off at 14.8 V which is probably too low given the car has a 14. 8V system voltage. I wouldn't go higher on the amps at 15.5 volts, without knowing the battery is approved for it.

As for conservation, the only thing I do is coast whenever possible to send power to the battery, and I always shut the system off (by pressing the volume roller for a few seconds) when the engine is off but the doors or hatch are open for access

[COOLGREANY]

Originally Posted by DestinationMoon!

Yours shows 12.6? I'm guessing that's with the engine off?

Yes. Engine off and sitting in car changing some settings.

Originally Posted by DestinationMoon!

,
I have faster chargers but they all cut off at 14.8 V which is probably too low given the car has a 14. 8V system voltage.

I have a Battery Tender Junior that i might hookup if leaving the vehicle sit for a few weeks.

Originally Posted by DestinationMoon!

,
I always shut the system off (by pressing the volume roller for a few seconds) when the engine is off but the doors or hatch are open for access

I didn't know that did that shut the system off so I'll try that. For example, if I'm in the car working on something for an extended duration or cleaning it, I don't need all the displays turned on or the lights on draining the battery.

[RNorb]

I use this trickle charger on my cars every so often depending on how much and what kind of drive I'm doing.

[metapod]

I have this ctek charger that seems to work well. I think the official BMW chargers are just rebranded ctek ones.

CTEK (56-353) MULTI US 7002 12-Volt Battery Charger,Black https://a.co/d/3OezJvJ

I haven't gotten a low battery warning on my car, but haven't driven it much yet.

[spmcewen]

I’m in a rural area and could leave my car unlocked while at home but with this x1 I’m in the habit of locking every time since that seems to be the only way to turn the radio and rest of the interior completely off. I’m not even sure how long it plays if I leave it unlocked in my driveway. I wonder if habits like this and how often the phone app is used to wake the car up make a difference with the battery. I also have the auto lock/unlock when approaching and leaving disabled. It’s a neat feature but it would be constantly be going on and off.

[FlashMonkey929]

Originally Posted by spmcewen

I’m in a rural area and could leave my car unlocked while at home but with this x1 I’m in the habit of locking every time since that seems to be the only way to turn the radio and rest of the interior completely off. I’m not even sure how long it plays if I leave it unlocked in my driveway. I wonder if habits like this and how often the phone app is used to wake the car up make a difference with the battery. I also have the auto lock/unlock when approaching and leaving disabled. It’s a neat feature but it would be constantly be going on and off.

Car stays on for about 10 minutes or so before shutting down, with the doors unlocked.

Also, you can use Siri to lock/ unlock the car

[metapod]

On ID8 there's a setting to turn off the radio when you open the door.

I wish there was a setting to only turn on or off when the start engine button is pressed.

[sunnysideup]

Originally Posted by COOLGREANY

Reading through many of the discussions here, it appears the X1 is very sensitive to battery health/charge and battery charge may be the X1's "Achilles heel".

In fact, when we picked up our X1 last week, a "low battery" warning popped up while the Genius was going through their spiel. They had to start the car and drive it out of the showroom to finish the presentation with the engine running.

Having said that, are there any features, options or strategies that can be used to conserve battery charge?

For example, does disabling the option to "unlock upon approach" or "unlock when leaving" help conserve the battery (I would think so when parked in one's own garage).

Maybe I'm overthinking it but I'd be interested in thoughts and tips from others.

Photo of charger/USB adapter showing battery voltage display (thanks to a tip in another thread) for attention.

I can't agree more.

The battery/charge system issue has stuck with me since I bought this car. i have changed a whole new battery but issue remains. everytime when it is somehow in low battery status, other functions will be affeted, such as my window cannot be closed all of a sudden when it was snowing and i was outside. The electronic design of this car is simply not right for the general user behaviors.

Does anyone know is there any specific central component of the electronic control unit? ...

By the way, my battery voltage is showing low as 11.9 -_-

[deanosee]

You aint seen anything yet as you should be getting a checj engine light soon and apparently there is no fix for this as of yet- still waiting for the genius who designed, programmed, and who did not thoroughly test these vehicles before they were sold

[DestinationMoon!]

It's definitely something I keep an eye on. But I'm still not sure how the battery charge system operates. The battery never seems to deliver more than 12.3 volts to the cigarette lighter.
Even after charging it, it's always back to 12.3 by next morning. It's really weird

[oakey46]

Originally Posted by DestinationMoon!

It's definitely something I keep an eye on. But I'm still not sure how the battery charge system operates. The battery never seems to deliver more than 12.3 volts to the cigarette lighter.
Even after charging it, it's always back to 12.3 by next morning. It's really weird

The battery may possibly be similar to my 2022 2 Series Active Tourer (U06). Apparently, according to the BMW dealer, it is only charged from the alternator when driving on over-run, the reason for not charging when accelerating being that the over-run method means there are reduced Co2 emissions.
I haven't seen any specific low battery warnings but have, since buying the car almost two years ago, experienced many spurious warnings such as a week ago when a warning of 'Side light front and daytime driving lights failure' appeared on the iDrive 8 screen. That warning disappeared within 15 minutes and there wasn't any error. The frequency of these warnings is such that I get my wife to put her iPhone into camera mode as soon as we start off on a journey so that she can, hopefully, get an image as proof, but there's no regularity to their frequency, some of which disappear almost immediately. By way of an example, an earlier warning said 'Emergency call system failure, Emergency call cannot be started. Have the problem checked by your Service Partner.' To date, none have required any actual attention.
Just to clarify why I'm posting on here, as I've said in other posts on this U11 forum, my UK U06 2 Series Active Tourer is basically the same car as the U11. My previous car was a 2018 X1 (F48) bought new.

[oakey46]

Originally Posted by metapod

On ID8 there's a setting to turn off the radio when you open the door.

I wish there was a setting to only turn on or off when the start engine button is pressed.

Pressing and immediately releasing the volume control will mute the radio, but I don't know if that actually turns the radio off (I suspect not!).

[PatL]

I have been wondering whether using "efficient mode" on U11 28i makes the battery maintenance worse.

In efficient mode, regenerative slow down is often replaced by coasting, but not always (for example when the speed is much higher than the speed limit tracked by the car).

In normal mode, letting the accelerator pedal off will always recharge a bit the battery.

Braking always recharge the battery a bit.

So is there a risk that using efficient mode all the time actually result in a battery less charged over time?

Trading gas efficiency for battery maintenance?

[DestinationMoon!]

The battery charge system on many new vehicles is very complicated. I sometimes wonder if the charging indicators on ID8 is accurate for the ICE only versions or it was ported over from the hybrid models available in Europe, and really isn't meaningful on the U11?

One other thing I noticed trying to track the battery is that there is no good way to know what the status of the battery charge actually is - beside putting it on a charger. The electrical system is always at 14.8 volts (at the lighter) with the engine on. The battery must be isolated somehow from the system or it would get cooked

[DestinationMoon!]

Originally Posted by KosticKen

You Need A High Charging Voltage. Calcium batteries charge voltage is much higher than “normal” lead-acid batteries. You'll need at least 14.8V charging voltage. for a 12V Calcium battery. The charging circuit knows when to stop as the current drops not the Voltage.That is what you are seeing from the Alternator/MHT Voltage Dropper it is not the Battery producing 14.8V. A calcium battery won't charge properly at anything below 14.8 and if you repeatedly try will ruin it.
If the voltage is 11.7 V and below, then the battery almost completely discharged. A voltage of 12.2 is 50%. In this case, you need to urgently recharge, otherwise the process of sulphation of the plates will begin. A "deep discharged" or brand new Calcium Battery must be charged iniatially at 16.1-16.5V or else its life will be short. This is maybe one of the problems, because if your Battery is fully discharged the Car itself is maybe incapable of providing the initial 16V to do the job properly and the thing will only ever reach about 75% charge. It is no use either putting +15V on it after starting at 14.8V, that will shorten its life and it's capacity. All the susceptible electrics/electronics will have Voltage Regulators on them to keep their voltage down to 12V from the Battery +ve terminal which must be at least 14.8V (or even 15V initially) or nominal 12.5-12.7V depending on whether the car is charging it or not. If it is not either of these voltages then problems will arise. Like a lot of things Sophisticated=Complicated with intolerance.
Trickle charging a Calcium Battery is not possible......Fully charging > 14.8V is the only option.

My understanding of "calcium" batteries is that they aren't anything new. They are AGM type batteries that have a small amount of Ca added to the plates instead of antimony. That increases their resistance to charging and sulfation?

I've never seen the car running and less than 14.7 volts. Ever. And after charging with a 7 stage charger that runs to 15.6 volts before stopping, the battery voltage is 12.7 an hour after charging but 12.2 after about 8-10 hours sitting. My car hit the port 8 weeks ago

Given that the battery is always being used at stop lights and traffic it's never charged fully - that I can tell - as the lighter always settles at 12.2 - 12.3v a few minutes after shutting the engine off. Even after long drives without any stop-start draw down

I have to check the voltage on the trickle charger. Another way to store long term is to use the 7 stage charger but power it with a weekly timer or wifi switched outlet, so that it gets toggled off and then back on - once or twice a week.

[PatL]

Originally Posted by DestinationMoon!

And after charging with a 7 stage charger that runs to 15.6 volts before stopping, the battery voltage is 12.7 an hour after charging but 12.2 after about 8-10 hours sitting.

I am struggling with the same issue.
I charge the battery (my charger tells me it is 100%). A few hours later I reconnect the charger and it tells me the battery is ~47% charged.

One day, it told me the battery was 20% charged. I charged it fully, when for a long trip and upon returning, the charger told me the battery was 47% charged.

I contacted BMW service and they were vague. Essentially, they told me that if there is no error message, there is nothing to worry about.

What do you think? Should I take it to service or would you wait for an error to pop up?

[DestinationMoon!]

I really have no idea.

I've never had a car before that showed 14.8 v at the cigarette lighter at all times. You really cannot tell what the system is doing or the condition of the battery.

That it's sealed into the firewall, and so inaccessible makes it impossible to disconnect it to see what it's actual voltage really is. Or connect it directly to a charger.
It's possible that even the charge terminals are connected to other electronics that make testing it impossible.....

[PatL]

I brought the car to BMW as I was seeing huge drops in battery level from my battery charger. It is pluzzling to see 20% as battery level, to charge it fully, and to see 45% a few hour later while the car stayed parked and closed the whole time.
All the more puzzling that I tested the battery on the 330i loaner I got. According to BMW parts site, it has the same battery as the X1. The loaner showed 100% for the battery consistently during 24h.

BMW service said they tested the battery and didn't find any issues. There are no error codes, so there is no problem, of course.

Anyway, at least they graciously did this check at no charge.

[George49]

I contacted C Tek regarding my 2019 X1 xdrive where the cigarette lighter tester was only showing 12.2v even after long run and or trickle charging. They suggested the voltage regulator would restrict the voltage showing at the cigarette lighter and the only tue reading is at the battery with a multi meter.