Adding second J1772 receiver in frunk

[elasticpurejoy]

Hello everyone,
I have been searching and not been able to find any information regarding charging port relocation.
I live in Philadelphia which allows you to apply for on street parking reserved for EV's.
It basically gives you a reserved parking spot in front of your house (similar to handcapped) as incentive to go electric.
In a city that has congested parking it is a huge incentive.
When parking in front of our house the curb is on the left (driver) side. This means the charge plug is facing the traffic that is driving by. I have a feeling that is is just a matter of time before it gets hit or tampered with. I would like to locate a plug in the rear maybe in a trailer hitch receiver or in the frunk like a leaf or kia.

My thought is that I could hardwire a J1772 receptacle in a different location. If I trace the wires from the existing connection and connect the second plug in the same manor. Doing this would enable the handshake to operate the charging unit.
Something like this unit below could be installed and straight forward I hope.

I would leave the original plug intact and have two options for charging.
Any thoughts or direction would be appreciated.
Thanks
Dave

 

[jadnashuanh]

The i3 'locks' the connector into the plug when the car is locked. Any new connector other than an OEM one for the car may not have one. While this isn't horrible, it also means that anyone could remove the plug from your car while it is charging. I'm not sure I'd want my 'frunk' open, which may mean some cutting to allow the plug to be mounted. Underneath or behind would subject it to a lot of splashing and road debris. This could all probably be worked out, but functionally, probably not insurmountable, and I don't think the car could tell the difference. But, consider that there could be over 30A and 240vac there, you would want to run and protect the wiring very carefully to prevent a safety hazard. Road salt on connectors is not good, and if damp or wet could easily mess with the connection and provide a high resistance current path, and in the worst case, maybe a short.

 

[Tomasz]

Isn't the i3 sold in Japan already equipped with J1772 in the frunk? Maybe you can look their parts catalog and get yourself original parts?

 

[jelloslug]

The Japanese version of the i3 has the J1772 connection in the frunk. You could get the parts for that version and there would be not cutting required.

 

[I33t]

The Japanese version of the i3 has the J1772 connection in the frunk. You could get the parts for that version and there would be not cutting required.

I think you will find that is a CHAdeMO connection. A specific mod for the Japanese market because of the prevalence.

Edit: Apologies, I think I am wrong, that is the J1772. The CHAdeMO WAS installed in the original location and the J1772 was moved to the frunk...

 

[elasticpurejoy]

WOW Thanks guys,
That is exactly what I was looking at doing. I looked around for the schematics that would give me the part numbers for the Japanese I3 front charging port with no luck. Is it possible to order parts specific to the Japanese market and have them delivered to the United States? I combed the internet and could not find any information.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[jelloslug]

WOW Thanks guys,
That is exactly what I was looking at doing. I looked around for the schematics that would give me the part numbers for the Japanese I3 front charging port with no luck. Is it possible to order parts specific to the Japanese market and have them delivered to the United States? I combed the internet and could not find any information.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Go to http://www.realoem.com/bmw/ and pick "Europe" for the region and the trim parts are under "51 Vehicle Trim" and then "51 75 Mounting parts, Engine Compartment"

 

[jadnashuanh]

You can't order the parts from BMWUSA, and BMW corporate entities in other countries cannot sell outside of their area, so that limits you to a dealer by proxy that is willing to buy the part and send it to you. BMWUSA will only order parts for vehicles as originally configured for sale in the USA (and maybe to support a diplomatic vehicle owned by an embassy).

 

[Tomasz]

You can't order the parts from BMWUSA, and BMW corporate entities in other countries cannot sell outside of their area, so that limits you to a dealer by proxy that is willing to buy the part and send it to you. BMWUSA will only order parts for vehicles as originally configured for sale in the USA (and maybe to support a diplomatic vehicle owned by an embassy).

That should not be a problem. There is plenty of people flying back and forth over the pond to get needed parts transferred. The problem may be with availability and pricing - Japan bound parts will most likely have to be special order.

 

[TonyWilliams]

I'm doing a similar project with my Toyota Rav4 EV.

I will make a front charge port door, just like a Nissan LEAF. It even uses the LEAF hinges.

 

[elasticpurejoy]

TonyWilliams, That is what I want to do.
I was curious as to the need for two J1772 outlets on the front.
Is it possible to use two charging inputs simultaneously?

 

[i3MK]

Has anyone noticed the Chademo socket in the Frunk of the Japanese version of the i3?

Requires a frunk basket that has the hole in the back for the socket...

The parts are available on realoem.com or similar.