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tdiemar

Member
Joined
Jun 3, 2014
Messages
7
How long does it take you to charge at home with Level 2? I am getting full charge from 0% in about 7.5 hours. At least twice as long as the times I was given at the dealer.
 
Not all level 2 EVSE are created equal...all that means is that it is 240vac verses the 110vac that comes with the vehicle. If it has 30A capability, it should max out the ability of the vehicle to accept it. The only issue there may be is if it is excessively hot or cold, then some of that energy needs to be used to moderate the temperature of the battery pack. There are level 2 EVSE out there that only have limited outputs...more than 30A won't help with the current i3, as that's the limit of its internal charging circuit (sort of like plugging in a 100W light bulb into a 15A (1800W max) circuit...even though there's more power available, the actual draw is determined by what's plugged in, and in this case, it's the car's charging unit. Now, if you've set the menu to restrict the max level input, that could extend the time considerably...make sure the vehicle's menu is set to request the max, and then it will take whatever it can, up to the ability of the EVSE.

The USA unit is 12A max on 120vac. The car can take up to 30A on 240, and power is the V*A, so 240vac*30 verses 120vac*12 is the difference - quite a lot!
 
tdiemar said:
How long does it take you to charge at home with Level 2? I am getting full charge from 0% in about 7.5 hours. At least twice as long as the times I was given at the dealer.
Click to expand...
That sounds about right for a 240 volt, 16 amp EVSE. Check to see its rated output. If it is in fact a 30 or 32 amp EVSE, change the i3 setting to accept maximum rate charging.
 
Thanks all for your replies. I have a GE Wattstation. It's 240v 30 amp. Car set to max. Just slower than I expected.
 
Evidently, there is a setting in the car for charging inputs.............use the iDrive to make sure it is set to High or whatever the setting is to ensure maximum charge from your station........I don't have my car yet, but I've read about it on the FB group page.
 
tdiemar said:
Thanks all for your replies. I have a GE Wattstation. It's 240v 30 amp. Car set to max. Just slower than I expected.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of things that might slow down the charge rate: excessive heat - the vehicle's battery conditioning can only handle so much, or a flaky connection, or you really don't have the setting to max. It's also possible you may have a timer set, so it's not starting right away. It should not take over 7-hours with a 30A EVSE. Make sure that on that unit, it doesn't have an internal adjustment to limit it's maximum output - some units have a rotary switch or dip switches to set the max output. This adjusts the signal it sends to the car, and the car will never attempt to pull more power than the unit announces it can provide.
 
jadnashuanh said:
tdiemar said:
Thanks all for your replies. I have a GE Wattstation. It's 240v 30 amp. Car set to max. Just slower than I expected.
Click to expand...
There are a couple of things that might slow down the charge rate: excessive heat - the vehicle's battery conditioning can only handle so much, or a flaky connection, or you really don't have the setting to max. It's also possible you may have a timer set, so it's not starting right away. It should not take over 7-hours with a 30A EVSE. Make sure that on that unit, it doesn't have an internal adjustment to limit it's maximum output - some units have a rotary switch or dip switches to set the max output. This adjusts the signal it sends to the car, and the car will never attempt to pull more power than the unit announces it can provide.
Click to expand...

Actually it should not take over 4 hours with a 240 volt 30 amp EVSE!
 
It might if the car were in say Yuma, AZ, where it could be heat soaked at over 100-degrees F...the cooling works, but the logic will not allow it to rise too high, and with that high starting point, who knows. But, normally, 3.5-4 hours max from 'empty' is what they specify with a 30A EVSE.
 
I had a similar problem with my L2 charger ( EvDuty, 240 V , 30 Amp )

The electrician installed 240V circuit, with 40 A breaker in the panel. ( red and black )
but In the junction box, he connected the charger between black and white, and did not connect the red wire
So my I3 was charging at 110 V, around 25 Amp. and it was taking aroud 7 hours for a full charge

After the correction, charge time is around 3.5 hours

Laurent
 
Hi,
I just got my 240 charger installed this morning. The guys put in a 40 amp fuse (the panel could handle that amount (- we had to get a permit with the city for the max amps on the box before they installed it)).
I had less than half the battery charged on the car when I got home from work today.
Plugged it in when I got home and it fully charged in less than 2 hours. COOL!

With the 120 charger, it took over 16 hours to go from 0 to full charge.
For 50% charge, it took about 7 hours.

I'll drive over this weekend and exhaust the battery then do a full charge on my new 240 charger to see how long it takes to fully charge on 240 with a 40 amp fuse.

Moe later,
Frannie M3 i3
 
The electrical code requires a service provide 125% (minimum) of the constant draw of a device. Your EVSE, drawing around 30A max would require a 37.5A circuit breaker or fuse (minimum), but since they don't make those, they use a 40A one and the wire size required to support that. The i3 cannot draw more than that 30A, which is limited by its internal circuitry (but you can tell it to draw less, if you wish). The EVSE is mostly a big switch. Think of it like a 3-way bulb in a lamp...the power going into it has the same potential, but depending on the switch position, it can draw more power from it. Unless there's a fault, with today's current i3, it will not exceed a 30A draw, regardless of the size of the EVSE you have. Now, if you ever can hook up to a DC fast charge, that can exceed 50A on the i3.
 
jadnashuanh said:
Now, if you ever can hook up to a DC fast charge, that can exceed 50A on the i3.
Click to expand...
...and you would exceed 50 amps by a lot. I think you meant 50 kW, not 50 amps. Actual amps are closer to 125A, which makes sense for BMW's spec that it will charge a 360 volt, 18.8 kWh useable capacity battery pack to 80% in less than 30 minutes: http://www.bmw.com/com/en/newvehicles/i/i3/2013/showroom/technical_data.html

This is roughly 7 times the power of AC charging.
 
Has anyone had this happen or do they understand why this would happen.....

I charged my I3 REX yesterday with my new 240 charger, it only gave me an estimated 64 miles on a full charge. That is 30% lower than I had been getting on a full change
I had been using the 120 plug for the past 20 days since I picked up my car, each time it showed anywhere from 96 to 110 miles on the 120 charge alone.
I have also used 240 Blink changers and the car shows the similar mileage once fully charged, 96 to 110.
I do understand that this number will change a bit based upon your driving style, road conditions and the things that you have turned on - AC and/or radio. But 30% loss is way too much loss!!!

The setting for both 120 and 240 is MAX.
I only drive back and forth to work (16 mile round trip) or to the grocery store (5 mile round trip) with the i3.
I don't use the AC much at all. Windows are half down (too much wind flapping when they are all the way down)- this is same as I have done since I got the car.
I rarely use the stereo and I don't use both AC and stereo at the same time.
I don't drive at night so no lights are on.
We have terrific weather right now in San Diego so no need for the windshield wipers right now.
I drive in Comfort or EcoPro modes most of the time - Eco Pro Plus I would only use in stopped traffic.

I plugged the car in again tonight after work with about 40% charge left (it read 28 miles left).
I fully charged it with the 240 in about 3 hours - Total miles currently reads 68.
What's up with this???? Will I ever get the 96 to 110 mileage back again?
Or is there something wrong with my battery?
Am I missing something here?

Thanks, Frannie M3i3
 
frannieM3i3 said:
Has anyone had this happen or do they understand why this would happen.....

I charged my I3 REX yesterday with my new 240 charger, it only gave me an estimated 64 miles on a full charge. That is 30% lower than I had been getting on a full change
I had been using the 120 plug for the past 20 days since I picked up my car, each time it showed anywhere from 96 to 110 miles on the 120 charge alone.
I have also used 240 Blink changers and the car shows the similar mileage once fully charged, 96 to 110.
I do understand that this number will change a bit based upon your driving style, road conditions and the things that you have turned on - AC and/or radio. But 30% loss is way too much loss!!!

The setting for both 120 and 240 is MAX.
I only drive back and forth to work (16 mile round trip) or to the grocery store (5 mile round trip) with the i3.
I don't use the AC much at all. Windows are half down (too much wind flapping when they are all the way down)- this is same as I have done since I got the car.
I rarely use the stereo and I don't use both AC and stereo at the same time.
I don't drive at night so no lights are on.
We have terrific weather right now in San Diego so no need for the windshield wipers right now.
I drive in Comfort or EcoPro modes most of the time - Eco Pro Plus I would only use in stopped traffic.

I plugged the car in again tonight after work with about 40% charge left (it read 28 miles left).
I fully charged it with the 240 in about 3 hours - Total miles currently reads 68.
What's up with this???? Will I ever get the 96 to 110 mileage back again?
Or is there something wrong with my battery?
Am I missing something here?

Thanks, Frannie M3i3
Click to expand...

Hi Frannie,

First let me say you haven't "lost" any range although it seems to you as if you have. The range estimator in the car is just that, an estimate of how far the car believes it can go based on the previous driving history. When the car is new, it typically has a very high estimated range, but that doesn't mean you could actually drive that far. I'm not sure why that is, but it isn't indicative of the actual range you will likely get because it hasn't had a chance to analyze your driving style (speed, how aggressively you accelerate, how effectively you use the regenerative brakes, etc). Once you've had it for a few weeks, the estimated range begins to get more and more accurate.

The i3 REx will not get 96 to 100 miles for anybody unless you drive it with extreme caution in Eco Pro + mode and never exceed 50mph. The i3 REx is EPA rated at 72 miles per charge (it's on your window sticker) which is about what a normal person should expect to get in most circumstances except if you are using the A/C on high speed all the time and in the winter when it's cold (under 40 degrees) and in such circumstances you should expect about 60 to 65 miles per charge. I've been averaging anywhere from 65 miles per charge to 85 miles per charge now (I have an i3 REx too) which is pretty much what we should expect to see.

I hope that helps. Please fell free to ask me anything else and I'll help out if I can.
 
I've only had mine a short while, but I find that the miles indicated when I start do not drop anywhere near in sync with the miles driven (IOW, I may drive 10-miles, and it goes down by 5). Eventually, that may be reflected in the on-board display after a charge. It will also be interesting to see if this changes after the s/w update that most (all?) i3's in the USA will be getting over the next few weeks (if it applies, you probably got a call from BMWUSA this week).
 
TomMoloughney said:

Hi Frannie,

First let me say you haven't "lost" any range although it seems to you as if you have. The range estimator in the car is just that, an estimate of how far the car believes it can go based on the previous driving history. When the car is new, it typically has a very high estimated range, but that doesn't mean you could actually drive that far. I'm not sure why that is, but it isn't indicative of the actual range you will likely get because it hasn't had a chance to analyze your driving style (speed, how aggressively you accelerate, how effectively you use the regenerative brakes, etc). Once you've had it for a few weeks, the estimated range begins to get more and more accurate.

The i3 REx will not get 96 to 100 miles for anybody unless you drive it with extreme caution in Eco Pro + mode and never exceed 50mph. The i3 REx is EPA rated at 72 miles per charge (it's on your window sticker) which is about what a normal person should expect to get in most circumstances except if you are using the A/C on high speed all the time and in the winter when it's cold (under 40 degrees) and in such circumstances you should expect about 60 to 65 miles per charge. I've been averaging anywhere from 65 miles per charge to 85 miles per charge now (I have an i3 REx too) which is pretty much what we should expect to see.

I hope that helps. Please fell free to ask me anything else and I'll help out if I can.
Click to expand...


Thanks very much Tom! This does help and I would be very happy to get about 80 miles on a charge. It sounds like the 63 that I am getting would be the low range. So I will just wait a few more weeks to see how it analyzes my driving.
I am really glad that I got the REX!!!

But then this morning, I got in my car to go to work and it really broke! :(
I only have 789 miles on it and it is 22 days old.

The new message I got was
'Drivetrain malfunction'
'Stop and turn off the engine. Do not continue driving.
Call Roadside Assistance'
This is definitely not the software update for the REX for the Emission Light - I was scheduled to bring it in for that update on Thursday.
I called the San Diego dealer and they will work on it tomorrow morning to figure it out.
Now I need to call the BMW Assist folks and get it towed to the dealer tomorrow morning.

The car would not go into gear at all, not even Neutral, and it just kept beeping.
It also took several tries to turn off the engine.
Tonight I tried turning it on again and got the same messages.

Have you heard anything about this error?

I don't think it is related to my new home charger installation last Thursday but it was oddly coincidental that I was seeing 30% mileage reduction when I started using it and then the malfunction occurred.

Thanks very much,
FrannieM3i3
 
The actual charger is in the i3, it is NOT the wall box. The wall box is basically a smart switch that talks to the car announcing how much power it can provide, and then the car takes what it wants from that. If it weren't for the safety circuits, you could just use an extension cord with the proper plug on it. Because there can be a significant amount of power going through the circuit, it doesn't turn it on to the car until the car says it's ready for it - this makes it much safer. That, and the ground connection (and the built-in GFCI logic) make it quite safe to use even when the weather is nasty.

Sorry to hear about the glitch. SO far, mine is good. Hope that's the case long-term.
 
frannieM3i3 said:
TomMoloughney said:

Hi Frannie,

First let me say you haven't "lost" any range although it seems to you as if you have. The range estimator in the car is just that, an estimate of how far the car believes it can go based on the previous driving history. When the car is new, it typically has a very high estimated range, but that doesn't mean you could actually drive that far. I'm not sure why that is, but it isn't indicative of the actual range you will likely get because it hasn't had a chance to analyze your driving style (speed, how aggressively you accelerate, how effectively you use the regenerative brakes, etc). Once you've had it for a few weeks, the estimated range begins to get more and more accurate.

The i3 REx will not get 96 to 100 miles for anybody unless you drive it with extreme caution in Eco Pro + mode and never exceed 50mph. The i3 REx is EPA rated at 72 miles per charge (it's on your window sticker) which is about what a normal person should expect to get in most circumstances except if you are using the A/C on high speed all the time and in the winter when it's cold (under 40 degrees) and in such circumstances you should expect about 60 to 65 miles per charge. I've been averaging anywhere from 65 miles per charge to 85 miles per charge now (I have an i3 REx too) which is pretty much what we should expect to see.

I hope that helps. Please fell free to ask me anything else and I'll help out if I can.
Click to expand...


Thanks very much Tom! This does help and I would be very happy to get about 80 miles on a charge. It sounds like the 63 that I am getting would be the low range. So I will just wait a few more weeks to see how it analyzes my driving.
I am really glad that I got the REX!!!

But then this morning, I got in my car to go to work and it really broke! :(
I only have 789 miles on it and it is 22 days old.

The new message I got was
'Drivetrain malfunction'
'Stop and turn off the engine. Do not continue driving.
Call Roadside Assistance'
This is definitely not the software update for the REX for the Emission Light - I was scheduled to bring it in for that update on Thursday.
I called the San Diego dealer and they will work on it tomorrow morning to figure it out.
Now I need to call the BMW Assist folks and get it towed to the dealer tomorrow morning.

The car would not go into gear at all, not even Neutral, and it just kept beeping.
It also took several tries to turn off the engine.
Tonight I tried turning it on again and got the same messages.

Have you heard anything about this error?

I don't think it is related to my new home charger installation last Thursday but it was oddly coincidental that I was seeing 30% mileage reduction when I started using it and then the malfunction occurred.

Thanks very much,
FrannieM3i3
Click to expand...
Look here - http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=791

For most it seems to be a matter of switching off and on again, but it would appear from your post that its more than that. There has been some discussion as to if it has anything to do with the way the car is stopped and parked. That is if the parking brake was not engaged before it was switched off to stop it rolling back or forward onto the drive train…...
 
Look here - http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=791

For most it seems to be a matter of switching off and on again, but it would appear from your post that its more than that. There has been some discussion as to if it has anything to do with the way the car is stopped and parked. That is if the parking brake was not engaged before it was switched off to stop it rolling back or forward onto the drive train…...[/quote][/quote]

Thanks MikeS,

For my car, it didn't clear the error by switching it on and off.
I passed this information in the link you provided onto the BMW San Diego folks that finally have my car after a 2 day fiasco of having my car towed.

I will update what they eventually do to fix the problem.

Thanks,
FrannieM3i3
 

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