When vehicles are hacked, it's usually with malicious intent. But BMW i3 REx owners in the US do the software hack to get features that are otherwise aren't available for their electric vehicles.
Green Car Reports said a few US i3 REx owners "are choosing to follow instructions posted online and in BMW forums to 'code' their cars."
Among the most sought after features are allowing the i3 REx to fill up to 2.4 gallons (9 liters) and the "hold battery charge" which allows battery power conservation like its European cousins.
GCR said BMW limits US i3 REx units to just 1.9 gallons (7.2 liters) to qualify for California regulations and allow the EV to be classified as a zero-emission electric car despite its range-extending engine.
Other features and modifications that can be added or activated by the BMW i3 software hack, as the website noted, includes:
- Enabling suppressed AM radio
- Suppressing US-mandated seat-belt warning tone
- Permitting video to be run from USB storage device
- Changing startup image (one owner found "a cool Alpina" emblem hidden in the car's software)
"As we understand it, the software that enables these functions is already present in US-market BMW i3 vehicles," GCR said.
Government regulation and what BMW North America thinks consumers like are the reasons why some functions aren't enabled in the first place.
Understandably, the German automaker doesn't want its customers tinkering with their electric vehicles. The website argued that the i3's warranty could be voided should issues arise from the software hack.
"Also important to note is that a BMW service tech installs an official software update, that could wipe out hack and reset your car to the default setting," CleanTechnica said.
"It's still unclear is such service techs would notice that you had hacked your car, though."
Owners should be aware though that the BMW i3 software hack "could go awry, creating safety hazards from modified electronic control systems that operate every aspect of the car," according to GCR.
