Charging problem?

user 5157 · Aug 14, 2018

I have a 2015 i3 REX and may have an issue with charging.

The i3 is plugged into a new Clipper Creek 40 amp charger at home. The off peak settings are from 1am to 7am. The departure time is set to 9am. I am retired, but had to choose a time as it seems to be required for the off peak setting. I guess BMW does not think of retired persons when writing software

. The car was plugged in before 10pm.

When I checked the i3 at 7:15am the next morning, the car was not charging. When I opened the driver’s side door, it started to charge. This has happened several times now. Shouldn’t the i3 be fully charged by 7am (off peak end time)?

Another occurrence charging at a public charger (also Clipper Creek 40 amp):
Changed charge setting to charge immediately. Car was charging when I left, got back 50 min later, not charging. Looks like only about 10 miles was added so must not have charged for very long. Unplugged and plugged in again, now charging.

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

jadnashuanh · Aug 14, 2018

Setting a departure time may be changing the scope of when things are fully charged for this reason...to precondition the batteries, they do need to often be warmed up (maybe not in the middle of summer, though). As a result of charging, they get warmed up just by the fact you're charging. It MIGHT be that finishing up charging to coincide with your departure timing could make having to use the separate heater unnecessary, and actually save money. Without a departure time set, most, if not all of the charging should be done during the low-cost time window (assuming it was possible given the available EVSE and the SOC). Note, if the batteries are nearly discharged, the computer will call for charging up to a certain level outside of the low-cost charging window, then pause. Nearly depleted batteries in cold temperatures can be damaged, so bringing the charge level up does two things: helps prevent that, and warms them a bit in the process.

It would be nice if BMW provided information on the nuances of charging, temperature, departure time, etc., but, to be fair, I think that area does change over time as they get feedback from the car OTA, and from people's use patterns. This can result in tweaks to the firmware that controls it, making any printed information obsolete.

user 5157 · Aug 14, 2018

jadnashuanh said:
Setting a departure time may be changing the scope of when things are fully charged for this reason...to precondition the batteries, they do need to often be warmed up (maybe not in the middle of summer, though).......
.....Note, if the batteries are nearly discharged, the computer will call for charging up to a certain level outside of the low-cost charging window, then pause. N.

Preconditioning was not checked. Battery charge when plugged in at 10pm and at the public charger was approximately 30%.

I think BMW should not marry the departure time and off peak settings in software. Very confusing. I guess this is done as to make sure one as enough charge when needed (departure time) factoring in not only off peak times but charging speed (Level 1 vs Level 2) as well.

jadnashuanh · Aug 14, 2018

Just to be clear...preconditioning the cabin is not the same as setting a departure time where preconditioning is optional. A departure time conditions the batteries, preconditioning, conditions the cabin. There's a 1Kw heater used to warm the batteries, when required, that is only activated when either the batteries are frigid and the SOC is low then you plug in an EVSE, or to warm them up prior to departure to maximize range, if required. Otherwise, the heater never gets turned on as far as I know.

alohart · Aug 14, 2018

The i3's low-cost charging algorithm has been very buggy. It has worked correctly in some system software versions and has been totally broken in other versions. Your i3 might have one of the buggy software versions. I don't know the status of the low-cost charging algorithm in the current system software version. I gave up trying to use low-cost charging instead using the timed charging feature of my JuiceBox EVSE.

However, this would not explain why your car stopped charging after it had been charging for a while when set to charge immediately. It's possible that the EVSE lost power temporarily. Some EVSE's won't automatically restart charging after a power loss.

jadnashuanh · Aug 14, 2018

FWIW, there is a handshake that occurs when the EVSE is first attached to the car. Some (mostly older designs) don't reinitialize if there's a power dropout. It's also possible that the plug was not inserted fully and that connection was marginal/intermittent. With the non-tethered cable on many of them, that's two connections that may not be proper to have to deal with. All of the interlock signals must be working, or charging will not continue. Also, the ground-fault logic might have detected a problem. I notice this on mine if it has rained hard occasionally. I find a good spray of WD-40 or something similar can help.

What messages and what color was the light around the charge port on the i3 when this happened?

user 5157 · Aug 14, 2018

jadnashuanh said:
FWIW, there is a handshake that occurs when the EVSE is first attached to the car. Some (mostly older designs) don't reinitialize if there's a power dropout. It's also possible that the plug was not inserted fully and that connection was marginal/intermittent. With the non-tethered cable on many of them, that's two connections that may not be proper to have to deal with. All of the interlock signals must be working, or charging will not continue. Also, the ground-fault logic might have detected a problem. I notice this on mine if it has rained hard occasionally. I find a good spray of WD-40 or something similar e can help.

What messages and what color was the light around the charge port on the i3 when this happened?

No messages in the car. Initial color around charge port before attaching cable, white, after connected, blue pulsing, after discovering it was not charging, no color.

No rain.

What concerns me is that it stopped charging after charging was initiated in two different charging scenarios using two different chargers, granted of the same brand.

studio460 · Oct 31, 2021

Sorry, posted to wrong thread.

Charging problem?

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