Install EV Charger at home or not

[i3Mouse]

I am 6 days in on my I3 Rex. Love the car!!. I have been using several app to find charging stations in my area ( long Island). Unfortunately none are really close to my house. There is a BMW dealership about 2 blocks from my job, but unfortunately I work nights and the dealership's lot is locked in the evening--so no charging for me. I found a good charging station today but it is 1.5 miles from my house. I did not mind the walk today, due to the nice sunny weather, but I can see this will get old really quick when the temp drops. I am now considering installing the charging system at my home. Is there an alternative system to install, other than the $1000.00 system that BMW would like to charge me??..Thanks

 

[I33t]

There are plenty of charging stations other than the factory units.

I bought a JuiceBox, very happy with it. They start around half the price of the BMW unit.

http://www.emotorwerks.com/products/online-store/category/listing/23-juicebox-ev-charging-stations

Just be aware that if you need to install suitable cabling, it will increase the cost considerably. Same goes for any EVSE.

 

[epirali]

If you are installing indoors (inside garage) here is a good alternative:

http://www.amazon.com/Siemens-VC30GRYHW-Versicharge-hardwired-installation/dp/B00MFVI8UG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438670498&sr=8-1&keywords=siemens+versicharge

 

[I33t]

If you are installing indoors (inside garage) here is a good alternative:

http://www.amazon.com/Siemens-VC30GRYHW-Versicharge-hardwired-installation/dp/B00MFVI8UG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438670498&sr=8-1&keywords=siemens+versicharge

Here is the JuiceBox on Amazon for comparison:

http://www.amazon.com/JuiceBox-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station/dp/B00I4D6SJ2

The Juicebox is $55 extra, comes with a longer lead (24 feet vs 15 feet), can be plugged into a NEMA dryer outlet, and is waterproof, fine for indoor/outdoor installation.

 

[coreperformance]

I got a Clipper Creek and installed it outside. I live in a condo with no garage, but my electric meter is close to my parking space.

I did lots of research. Mine doesn't have wifi, and won't tell me how many amps the car is pulling. In fact, it won't tell me anything. But lots of folks in forums with other chargers report errors, partially charged cars, and other failures. Apparently, the clipper Creek EVSEs are durable and reliable. Mine was $565.


http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40-32a-240v-charging-25-cord/

 

[Jeffj]

Any EVSE will charge your car. The BMW-branded unit is at the top of the price list, and you can find the features it has for at least $300 less with other brands.

Check out this link for a good overview. http://www.plugincars.com/quick-guide-buying-your-first-home-ev-charger-126875.html

The core things that matter are the voltage and amperage of the unit (120v vs. 240 v, 15 amp vs. 24 amp vs. 30 amp). Power is voits times amps, so higher voltage and higher amperage means more power. The i3 can charge at up to 7.4 kW, which is obtained with ~240V and ~30 amps.

Charging time will vary based on the power the unit can supply. Even with a 120V, 16 amp charger, you can get relatively short charging times compared to the Occasional Use Charger. Fastest charge rate is 3.5-4 hours from empty, up to ~10 hours with a 120V, 16 amp charger.

 

[jadnashuanh]

Depending on how much you discharge the battery, the OUC EVSE supplied with the car MIGHT recharge things overnight for you. It is more convenient to have one that can perform that task quicker, especially if you want to go out in the evening and need it fully charged. FWIW, I also have a Clipper Creek unit. It comes standard with a 25' cord, which is handy. They've been making EVSE's for years, and are made in the USA. It's nothing fancy. Some of them have an issue if you have the power go out while hooked up...Clipper Creek is guaranteed to reconnect and continue charging if that happens...not all of them do. Hopefully, that doesn't happen too often, but it could happen just when you can least afford that situation.

FWIW, the charger is IN the i3...an EVSE is basically a fancy on/off switch. A CCS unit, though, is a charger as it's putting dcv into the i3...the EVSE is just supplying line voltage acv and control signals.

 

[i3an]

10 months now and I'm still trickle-charging off-peak overnight from a 50' 10-gauge extension cord plugged into a regular outlet, no problems, no great need to shell out for a level-2 charger.
In your case, as you work nights (during off-peak rates) you might be able to make a deal with your employer to trickle-charge at work, and maybe just top up at home (at peak daytime rates!) whilst you are sleeping.

 

[lencap]

I've had both the i3 BEV and the Rex and far prefer the Rex. I do have a 40 amp Clipper Creek charger at home - to me it was worth it, but if your commute is on level ground - pretty common on Long Island - you should be fine just refilling the gas tank and continuing to drive.

Actually having the Rex gives you lots of options. If your daily commute isn't too far you may be OK with the regular 120V charger and rely upon the Rex if your charge is low. Be aware that in cold weather your range will fall - a lot. Figure on 50 miles or so on cold days. The Rex will be very welcome, even if you have a high powered charger. Using the electric seat heaters and keeping the temperature needs low will help. Keep in mind that the i3 Rex has a less efficient heater - the BEV uses a heat pump variation - the Rex uses a less efficient resistance heater. It makes a difference.

Try to precondition your car before you leave home even if you're connected to only 120V. Conditioning the battery pack is critical to extending mileage in any weather.

As an added bonus with the Rex you can drive in comfort mode all the time. It's a lot more fun then Eco Pro, or Eco Pro+.

You'll get the hang of it as you gain more driving experience. In any event you'll enjoy the Rex option and the added flexibility it provides.

 

[i3Mouse]

Thanks All!!!!...great tips and ideas for me to tinker with!!!

 

[4wheels]

I purchased the clipper creek charger. I did not know my breaker box was full - so I had to upgrade the breaker box to install the new clipper creek charger. $$$ ouch.

However charging is much faster now. I feel that is worth the money. I live in Houston and we have hurricanes. The fast charge could mean the difference between no charge or charge.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, many circuit breakers are available in 'slim', which might mean you could get twice as many in your panel. Course, if you've already got it full of slim ones, you're out of luck!

 

[drb]

I bought Clipper Creek. No modification necessary. Much less money than what BMW sells. I love having a charging unit in my garage. I call it my "gas station" in the garage. The convenience is terrific--one of the reasons I like my i3 so much. I charge at night when rates are down and in the morning I have a full charge waiting for me. Although I have a REx, I visit my local gas station seldom as I do most of my driving on battery. The convenience factor alone suggests having your own charging station. Happy motoring with your i3.

 

[dirtboy]

I strongly considered a JuiceBox before building an OpenEVSE kit. I have been extremely happy with it as it does everything the higher end version of a JB, without the JB price.

 

[I33t]

Agree. The clincher is with certification, you don't get it with an OpenEVSE kit for obvious reasons. Juicebox started out as a self build kit but moved into a production EVSE so they could get certification. Certification helps with insurance and regulation compliance.

At the end of the day, the Juicebox is cheaper than most commercial EVSEs and has as many features as you might like depending on the model and options chosen. I was happy to pay the premium over the OpenEVSE kit for peace of mind. Not that many i3 owners would be willing or capable of building their own EVSE.

 

[Blue20]

Just beware that Juicebox is (was?) NOT UL certified. You have to judge if this is important to you.

 

[I33t]

I think UL certification is in progress. Haven't checked recently but it was on the way when I bought mine a few months ago. AFAIK It is currently CE, NEMA, and SAE compliant, and EESS rated.

The Juicebox has ACMA certification in Australia since 26 Feb 2015.

OpenEVSE will never gain certification due to it being a kit. No problem with OpenEVSE, I seriously considered it, but on the grounds that there is no certification and it is a kit product, I can see that if there was a charging fault it would be a good excuse for BMW to back out of warranty.

I'm sure there are many OpenEVSE kits running well.

 

[currypotter]

I took the BMW USA deal of a $1,000 for a home charger. So I got the BMW Bosch charger for $80 plus sales tax for a total of $185.54. If it was not for the deal, I think you would be mad to pay $1,080 for this charger. Inside the unit, I see a lot of Schneider bits which is good. It is also huge! But the long cable is a bonus for sure. I could not find an IP rating in the documents that came with it, so it is mounted in the garage. It does not have any fancy WiFi etc - for me, just more stuff to go wrong and be disappointed with.

I used the occasional charger for 3 weeks with no issues. But having the home charger resolved any remaining anxiety I had about having enough charge the next morning. I have the REX too.

Also, with the home charger, you can condition both the battery and cabin for your morning commute. With just the occasional charger, you can only condition the cabin. And doing that will draw more current than the occasional charger will handle so you could end up with 97% charge when leaving in the morning.

Of course, the cost of the electrician and inspector have to be factored in. But I suspect that now I have gone EV, I will probably be EV even when my lease is up in a couple years and the cost will easily be recovered in "gas" savings.

And now that I drive a BMW, it doesn't matter if I forget to signal at an intersection

 

[TrentFerner]

Yes its a very good idea to install EV Charger at home.. I have also installed WeChar (http://wecharg.com/) EV Charger at home. Infact using app of charg.io to locate public EV Chargers. I am also register at app for public charging too