I Bought a £1,000 BMW i3… Then DOUBLED the Battery Range

Описание: We got a BMW i3 that was basically stuck in PARK with no communication to the inverter (EME) — and by the book the fix could have been £4,000+… which would make the car not worth saving.

In this video we:

Diagnose a no-comms inverter/EME fault

Drop the full rear motor/inverter assembly (tight access!)

Work with Car Key Solutions (Watford) to revive the module (corrupted data from low 12V issues)

Get the i3 back to READY / driving again

Then take it further: 20kWh ➜ 40kWh battery upgrade and test the new range

The result? A BMW i3 transformed from “nearly scrap” into a genuinely usable EV.

📌 Comment below: Was the 40kWh swap worth it, or not?

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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Can you even drive it into the yard? (stuck in Park)
01:20 Intro + what’s wrong with this BMW i3
02:10 Diagnosis: no communication with inverter (EME)
04:30 Underneath inspection + why access is so difficult
06:30 Decision: drop the whole motor/inverter assembly
07:40 Motor + inverter out — plan to strip and inspect
09:10 Inverter teardown attempt + next steps
13:20 Reality check: used EME hard to find / new part too expensive
15:10 Trip to Car Key Solutions (Watford)
16:20 Bench work: data read/erase/write — EME “alive” again
19:40 Back at workshop: reinstall inverter and motor
22:30 First scan after install: EME online!
25:40 Clear faults + READY appears
28:00 What caused it? 12V battery spikes/low voltage corrupt data
30:30 Fluids + final assembly steps
31:20 AC regas check
32:40 Dealer tool calibration / rotor position fix
34:00 i3 driving again — first impressions
35:10 The BIG issue: 20kWh range is painful
36:30 Plan: 40kWh battery upgrade
38:00 Check donor battery health + open/inspect seals
41:50 Important 12V procedure to avoid EME damage
44:40 Drop old battery / install 40kWh pack
48:00 Gas in system + coding time
49:10 Results: range jumps to triple digits
52:00 Motorway test + real-world behaviour
56:30 Final verdict: costs, value, was it worth it?

#BMWi3 #ElectricCar #EVRepair #HighVoltage #InverterRepair #BatterySwap #HybridAndEV #Diagnostics #BMW #CarRepair #Workshop #EVTech

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Track Name.Sport Rock Energetic by Infraction [No Copyright Music] / Running Faster