USA I3 charging options

[Spin]

We are a two car family and the I3 at 75% charge would serve 90% of our needs. Since we have two cars, we don't require fast charging, a 10-12 hour charge time would not present any real problems for us, thus these questions. Does the I3 come with a factory provided slow rate, plug in the wall type charger or is buying a charger a requirement? Is charging at a slower rate better for battery longevity? Thanks so much for any and all of your help. Looking forward to a test drive one day here in the USA.

 

[TomMoloughney]

We are a two car family and the I3 at 75% charge would serve 90% of our needs. Since we have two cars, we don't require fast charging, a 10-12 hour charge time would not present any real problems for us, thus these questions. Does the I3 come with a factory provided slow rate, plug in the wall type charger or is buying a charger a requirement? Is charging at a slower rate better for battery longevity? Thanks so much for any and all of your help. Looking forward to a test drive one day here in the USA.

Yes, the i3 comes standard with a level 1, 120V EVSE that you can plug into a wall outlet. I do however, recommend you install a new, 20 amp dedicated circuit outlet in your garage - should be relatively inexpensive depending on your houses electrical supply. This is because by plugging the car in every day the circuit will be drawing much more power than it ever has, and doing so for 8 or 10 hours a day every day. If your outlet is old, or the wiring inside isn't tightly fastened from heating and cooling over the years, it could be an issue. You probably don't need to so this, but I still recommend it because it isn't an expensive endeavor and you then know you will be OK. Also, the existing circuit you have there already probably shares power with other outlets and lights and the additional load of the car may be too much. Just my recommendation.

As for batter longevity, it really won't make a difference if you are talking about using the portable "occasional use" 120V portable EVSE supplied with the car or a 240V EVSE. If you were charging it very frequently from a 480V DC quick charger than that might have long term ramifications.

As for charging it on 120V, I do know people that do exactly what you plan to do and live with it just fine, but the vast majority of people with EV's opt for 240v home charging. It really makes the car eminently more versatile. Many people I know started out with the plan of charging exclusively on 120v but then installed a proper 240V EVSE later when they realized they couldn't use the car in certain instances and they had this expensive car in their garage that couldn't be used sometimes. For example if you forget to plug in in one night and you realize that in the morning. Charging on 120V you will only get about 5-6 miles of range per hour of charging but if you have a 240V EVSE, you'll get about 30 miles of range per hour. That could make the difference of getting to work on time or not.

 

[Spin]

Thank you, sir. Being that battery life is not ill affected by charging with the 240V units vs the factory unit, I will go with the faster charger. I was wondering if charging with the 120V unit would work if you were to preheat/cool the vehicle and interior while plugged in prior to departure. Will not be a problem with the 240V charger.

 

[Jkoeller]

I'll be getting another L2 charger (we have one in our garage for the Volt already), but the placement of the charge port on the i3 might make it a bit difficult (where the REx port is would be much more convenient for me). Ideally, I would want to place the 2nd charger on the back wall of the garage next to the Volt's, but being that the i3 will need to be parked about 4-5 feet from the back wall, the charger will need a cord that is 20-25' long. Clipper Creek chargers would be ideal for this, but they have less than 5kW output power, so they can't maximize the i3's charge rate.

Does anyone know how long the cable is on the BMW i-Charger (Tom?)? I haven't been able to find much information on them as of yet. With my deposit, I've asked my dealer if it would be possible to pick one up at dealer cost when I take delivery, which he seemed open to doing.

 

[TomMoloughney]

I'll be getting another L2 charger (we have one in our garage for the Volt already), but the placement of the charge port on the i3 might make it a bit difficult (where the REx port is would be much more convenient for me). Ideally, I would want to place the 2nd charger on the back wall of the garage next to the Volt's, but being that the i3 will need to be parked about 4-5 feet from the back wall, the charger will need a cord that is 20-25' long. Clipper Creek chargers would be ideal for this, but they have less than 5kW output power, so they can't maximize the i3's charge rate.

Does anyone know how long the cable is on the BMW i-Charger (Tom?)? I haven't been able to find much information on them as of yet. With my deposit, I've asked my dealer if it would be possible to pick one up at dealer cost when I take delivery, which he seemed open to doing.

I believe it is 25 feet, but I'm not 100% certain. I will ask this week when I have the chance to talk with the program managers. I'm going to post this question on my blog as that is where I will make my list of questions from before I go and it's just easier for me to have all the questions in one place. I'll post all the answers to these questions on my blog also:
http://bmwi3.blogspot.com/2013/12/test-drive-video-from-la-auto-show.html

 

[saisiv]

I am planning to install two 240 volts receptacles... In one of them I am going to plug in "Schneider Electric EVlink 30 Amp Generation 2.5" and other one just keeping it for future...

What amps the receptacles need to support 30 Amps or 40 amps?

 

[ultraturtle]

saisiv,

The EVLink as purchased from HD is hard wired, and does not need an expensive receptacle. All you need to finish the job is a 40 amp breaker, 8ga 2 conductor electric cable (thicker if over about 120 ft - check to see if your local codes are more restrictive than the NEC), an old-work box and some staples to secure the cable.

As for the second run, a NEMA 6-50R receptacle is fairly standard for the plug-in 32 amp EVSEs, but I would suggest upping the electric cable to 6ga and placing it on a 50 amp breaker. While the current (2001) J1772 level 2 standard maxes out at 32 amps, you never know what the future will bring.

 

[saisiv]

ultraturtle,
Thanks for the clarification... so for the second one... will this receptacle be good?
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5378-Receptacle-Industrial-Grounding/dp/B00004YUMZ/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_img_y

 

[ultraturtle]

ultraturtle,
Thanks for the clarification... so for the second one... will this receptacle be good?
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-5378-Receptacle-Industrial-Grounding/dp/B00004YUMZ/ref=pd_bxgy_auto_img_y

Yep. Also, disregard the "or 60 amp" I previously posted. The breaker needs to protect the lowest rated component on the circuit, which would be the receptacle. You would need a 50 amp breaker. Still fairly future proof. A 50 amp circuit with a NEMA 6-50R receptacle can handle the 40 amp Tesla charger.

 

[saisiv]

Thanks a lot...

 

[saisiv]

In UK iWall box is 315 pounds... roughly comes to $500(I think including installation)... so is it better to get iBox than buying and installing other brand EVSE?

 

[ChuckR]

Clipper Creek chargers would be ideal for this, but they have less than 5kW output power, so they can't maximize the i3's charge rate.

Clipper Creek HCS-40 is a 7.2KW EVSE.

http://stores.homestead.com/ClipperCreekInc/-strse-34/Charging-Station--fdsh--HCS-dsh-40%2C/Detail.bok

 

[saisiv]

Thanks Chuck...

How about this....

Schneider Electric EVlink 30 Amp Generation 2.5 - Enhanced Model Indoor Electric Vehicle Charging Station

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Schneider-Electric-EVlink-30-Amp-Generation-2-5-Enhanced-Model-Indoor-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station-EV230WS/203670265#.UrEK_fRDvJ0

got it for $599.... spec wise both seems to be same... not sure if I am missing some thing...

 

[Jkoeller]

Clipper Creek HCS-40 is a 7.2KW EVSE.

Thanks, Chuck. I found out about the HCS-40 after I had posted that reply. It looks like that's the charger I'll be getting.

 

[ChuckR]

Schneider Electric EVlink 30 Amp Generation 2.5 - Enhanced Model Indoor Electric Vehicle Charging Station
got it for $599.... spec wise both seems to be same... not sure if I am missing some thing...

The HCS-40 has a 25ft. cord and 3-yr. warranty (I think) vs. 18ft. and 1-yr. for the EVlink 30.

 

[saisiv]

Schneider Electric EVlink 30 Amp Generation 2.5 - Enhanced Model Indoor Electric Vehicle Charging Station
got it for $599.... spec wise both seems to be same... not sure if I am missing some thing...

The HCS-40 has a 25ft. cord and 3-yr. warranty (I think) vs. 18ft. and 1-yr. for the EVlink 30.

Thanks ... sure it makes sense...

 

[dennis]

I would second the suggestion to add a NEMA 6-50 or 14-50 socket for additional EVSE locations. This gets you up to 40A available for US use and pretty much future protects you.

I answered this question on another thread earlier http://www.mybmwi3.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=408...

If you're getting an EV soon or need additional EV charging installed at home, consult with your tax accountant first, the EV charger installation credit of up to $1,000 will be expiring on 12/31/2013.

 

[ChrisC]

Three comments:

I recommend Clipper Creek chargers, period. From personal experience the 4.8 kW LCS-25 is enough for most people, but if you really want to max out the pipeline into your car then get the bigger 7.2 kW HCS-40. Also, Google for "HCS-40 baseball bat"

Clipper Creek just announced that HCS-40, and they appear to have started a price war with the stunning $590 price point.

Note that the federal tax credit for EVSE installs (parts and labor) expires at the end of the month. It might get extended, might not. Two years ago it died, and then got extended retroactively. I hate that.

If you are wiring a regular outlet, to plug an EVSE into, I would recommend a NEMA 14-50 over the NEMA 6-50. The former is common at RV parks, so if you have an EVSE terminated with NEMA 14-50, when you go on a roadtrip you can take it off the wall and bring it with you! (always have a plan B though, e.g. in case your EVSE fails)

While the current (2001) J1772 level 2 standard maxes out at 32 amps, you never know what the future will bring.

Not true. The J1772-2009 standard goes up to 80 Amps. You may confusing the standard with the original Yazaki connector which only went up to 30-ish Amps. Clipper Creek sells plenty of the big 80 Amp EVSEs.

8 gauge wiring is a good sweet spot for EVSE wiring. Certainly you can wire in a fatter gauge if you want to future proof, but super high power charging makes less sense in home applications.

 

[user 368]

Is the 120v cord the only charger that comes standard with the i3?

FWIW Plug-in Prius owners report about a 5% efficiency gain in 240v charging over 120v. Some say more but 5 - 6% is what I've seen.