[jordan.egan44]

Okay, so we just had a charging thingy delivered to our house. It's due for installation shortly - however, I'm not sure whether it is the BMW i Wallbox or the Pure version.

Does anyone have any idea how you can tell the difference?

FYI, it looks like the image below.

Really hope it is the Pure because then it is 80% charge in 3 hours, rather than 6 hours but I'm not quite sure.

[JasH]

I had that installed yesterday. It is a 32 amp unit if that helps, and will apparently charge 0-80% in 3 hours. I don't have my i cars yet though

It can/will be down-rated to reduced power mode if your domestic power supply cannot cope. I had a separate thick cable put in for it, straight from the mains meter.

Check your manual. (I have not heard of two separate versions of the box by the way.)

[jordan.egan44]

Originally Posted by JasH

I had that installed yesterday. It is a 32 amp unit if that helps, and will apparently charge 0-80% in 3 hours. I don't have my i cars yet though

It can/will be down-rated to reduced power mode if your domestic power supply cannot cope. I had a separate thick cable put in for it, straight from the mains meter.

Check your manual. (I have not heard of two separate versions of the box by the way.)

Thanks for your response!

Just to ask, if you are happy to share, how much did your charger cost you?

Ours was around $1000 plus the installation fee.

We've only got the i3 as of now, another month to the i8! So excited!

Are you getting both?

[dirtbike59]

As far as I know the US market has only 1 option for home wall box.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by jordan.egan44

Thanks for your response!

Just to ask, if you are happy to share, how much did your charger cost you?

Ours was around $1000 plus the installation fee.

We've only got the i3 as of now, another month to the i8! So excited!

Are you getting both?

In the UK there is a government subsidy, so it should have cost £315 installed and supplied. Nissan and Toyota do it completely free by the way.

But due to doing a special installation (high current system), mine will cost about £1,350 (supplied and installed).

Yes, I have ordered both cars

[tiburonh]

Jordan - BMW has not yet issued the fancier version here in the US, so you have the basic version But fear not- the charging capacity of the two units will be the same. The fancier one just has a higher price and more bells and whistles - an led screen, the ability to program the times from the unit, etc. None of which are needed as you can do all that already from the BMWi app!

[jordan.egan44]

Thanks guys - appreciate the responses.

I'm hoping it makes a big improvement on the normal charging (which I'm not very impressed with at the moment, although I know it's difficult to find better).

[jadnashuanh]

The BMW EVSE is swoopy, and stylish, but works no better than units costing about half as much. I have a Clipper Creek unit that works just fine, as have some others. The actual charging hardware is in the i3 (and i8), the wall box is a semi-smart on/off switch. If it's not a really old design and works with the latest J1772 interface, it should work (this is for the USA, Europe uses a different EVSE plug and protocol).

The i3 with the latest software adjusts the charging rate based on the temperature, and can reduce the charge rate by up to 30% of 'normal'. This should be resolved by the end of the year with either software or hardware (or both) updates. The level 1 unit that ships with the car could take up to 20-hours to fully recharge a depleted battery, but is better than nothing if that's all you have. It is convenient since you can likely find a 120vac receptacle almost anywhere.

[JasH]

Originally Posted by jadnashuanh

The level 1 unit that ships with the car could take up to 20-hours to fully recharge a depleted battery, but is better than nothing if that's all you have. It is convenient since you can likely find a 120vac receptacle almost anywhere.

That is clearly USA only. The car I had (UK) easily charged fully from virtually zero battery overnight using a domestic socket.

That is the standard charger with UK cars. Probably because we use 220/240V here, not 120V.

[jadnashuanh]

Level 1 EVSE for NA, Level 2 for most of the rest of the world is what comes with the vehicle. Double the voltage, and for the same amps, you've doubled the power plus, the level 2 charging is more efficient than level 1.

THen, throw in that the USA uses J1772 and Europe uses the Minekes (sp?) plug on the car, means that there are differences. The charger in the car is the same, though, but the control logic may be different to account for the differences between the protocols on the different EVSE and national vehicle.

[Kevin_Genius@BMWMtLaurel]

good info in here

Level 1 charger is what I would call a "occasional use charger" since it is rated at 20-24 hours for a full charge from 0-100%

Level 2 charger is rated at 3 hours for a 0-80% charge, I have heard its ~3.5 hours for a full charge from 0%

Level 3 charging will do a 0-80% charge in 30 mins, but is not recommended to be done all of the time

[m_thompson]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Genius@BMWMtLaurel

Level 3 charging will do a 0-80% charge in 30 mins, but is not recommended to be done all of the time

DC Fast Charging (SAE) is listed as a $700 option on the BMW USA WWW page.

How many of the US i3 cars have this option?

[jadnashuanh]

I didn't really have many choices, but I wanted that option, and got it even though New England is way behind places like CA (and a bunch of Europe) in installing the things...you cannot economically retrofit that option, and if they become convenient, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't have it especially if they end up being free to use as some are. Get a cup of coffee or something similar for essentially free while refilling the car...seems like a good thing to have to me, even on the REx.

[JasH]

I am fairly certain the DC fast charge option, if installed, removes the ability to charge the car from a standard domestic plug.

If true, it really is a huge tradeoff, as you would be unable to charge at a friend's house for example.

[jordan.egan44]

Originally Posted by JasH

I am fairly certain the DC fast charge option, if installed, removes the ability to charge the car from a standard domestic plug.

If true, it really is a huge tradeoff, as you would be unable to charge at a friend's house for example.

We've got that option (for the US version) and we are currently charging from a normal 110V socket with the standard cable that comes with the car. So I don't know if it is different for a different market?

[JasH]

Ah ok, thanks for clarifying. Seems I was mistaken in that case.

[jadnashuanh]

The J1772 plug used in NA has two portions if you select the DC fast charge option...the 'normal' top part of the plug that has the control signals and the 120 and 240 vac inputs, and a lower section that has the high voltage DC connections. They each have their own cap, and the fast charger plug connects to both of them. This shows the US and Canada J1772 plug and receptacle (the one in the i3 is similar, but not the same as this generic one). http://rema-ev.com/dc-fast-charge/ . WHen using any ac charging, the plug doesn't have the bottom portion. In the j1772 spec, the cord is directly part of the EVSE.

[Kevin_Genius@BMWMtLaurel]

Originally Posted by m_thompson

DC Fast Charging (SAE) is listed as a $700 option on the BMW USA WWW page.

How many of the US i3 cars have this option?

it's available as a standalone option as well as through the Electronaut package. I would say 90% of the i3's we order come with the DC fast charge option