[ThomasShelby]

Hi all,

Have had my 45e since December and actually really enjoy it. My only complaint (other than the car sometimes not really wanting to fully turn off) is the limit that BMW put on the charge rate.

I have a Level 2, 240v 60a charger at home and it is nearly CRIMINAL what BMW did to limit the speed at which this car charges. Makes me mad almost every single day.

Carry on.

[patt1289]

Originally Posted by ThomasShelby

Hi all,

Have had my 45e since December and actually really enjoy it. My only complaint (other than the car sometimes not really wanting to fully turn off) is the limit that BMW put on the charge rate.

I have a Level 2, 240v 60a charger at home and it is nearly CRIMINAL what BMW did to limit the speed at which this car charges. Makes me mad almost every single day.

Carry on.

What kind of charge times are you experiencing?

[taek]

It's a PHEV. It's meant to be charged overnight. 5 hours is fine for an overnight charge.

If you're actually using the battery 100-0 multiple times per day, I don't think this is the correct product for you. An EV would make more sense, and those all have more expensive & faster chargers.

[Jlehew]

I’m shopping for a 45e now and heard this complaint before.

My sales person I spoke with yesterday mentioned setting a limit for the max battery charge to 80% in the settings, then the charge rate goes up. Perhaps it charges faster from 0% to 80% then 80% to 100% like most batteries, IDK

Also heard the charge rate is set lower in the US vs Germany.

I apologize in advance if I’m repeating incorrect info from my salesperson. They are not always truthful.

[amc42]

Originally Posted by Jlehew

My sales person I spoke with yesterday mentioned setting a limit for the max battery charge to 80% in the settings, then the charge rate goes up. Perhaps it charges faster from 0% to 80% then 80% to 100% like most batteries, IDK

The computed charge rate over the full charging time is higher if you limit to 80%. The actual amount charged until you hit 80% does not change.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by Jlehew

I'm shopping for a 45e now and heard this complaint before.

My sales person I spoke with yesterday mentioned setting a limit for the max battery charge to 80% in the settings, then the charge rate goes up. Perhaps it charges faster from 0% to 80% then 80% to 100% like most batteries, IDK

Also heard the charge rate is set lower in the US vs Germany.

I apologize in advance if I'm repeating incorrect info from my salesperson. They are not always truthful.

your dealer is incorrect
1) you can't limit the end charging point in the vehicle. it always charges to 'full'. certain smart EVSE can do this, though.
2) by nature of charging lithium batteries, the first 80% is the fastest while the last 20% slows down.
3) the charge rate by default is 6A in the vehicle which is applicable to the level 1 EVSE. with level 2 EVSE, it will likely always charge at 16A (regardless of the lower vehicle setting) because it'll likely be in a dedicated circuit without fear of tripping the breaker.
4) the 45e has the same 3.7kW on-board charger worldwide. the level 1 or 2 "charger" is not a charger but rather a 'smart outlet'. they're more accurately called EVSE

[amc42]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

3) the charge rate by default is 6A in the vehicle which is applicable to the level 1 EVSE. with level 2 EVSE, it will likely always charge at 16A (regardless of the lower vehicle setting) because it'll likely be in a dedicated circuit without fear of tripping the breaker.

No, it actually does honor the setting. There's little point in that case, though.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by amc42

No, it actually does honor the setting. There's little point in that case, though.

I've tested this. I had the vehicle set to 6A or 10A. The level 1 (120V) charged at those rates, but whenever I plugged in the level 2 (240V), it charged at 16A despite leaving it at 6A or 10A.

[Makefish]

What the hell has this thread got to do with "Pricing, Ordering & Tracking"?

If you're going to have a moan at least have the forethought do it in the correct forum!

[amc42]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

I've tested this. I had the vehicle set to 6A or 10A. The level 1 (120V) charged at those rates, but whenever I plugged in the level 2 (240V), it charged at 16A despite leaving it at 6A or 10A.

Something must be different then. We don't have 120V here at all, so won't be a testing issue. If the charger is the same as the US one, maybe some things are coded differently.

[amc42]

Originally Posted by Makefish

What the hell has this thread got to do with "Pricing, Ordering & Tracking"?

It was probably meant as warning for potential buyers that the car will actually be limited to the specified charging rate.

[e61it]

Is it possible to access or remove the 12V AGM battery?

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by amc42

Something must be different then. We don't have 120V here at all, so won't be a testing issue. If the charger is the same as the US one, maybe some things are coded differently.

i believe what's different is that your household voltage is already at 230V which is our level 2 (240V), but the included charger is still considered a 'level 1' device, so it will adjust to the lower vehicle setting. i don't know the difference between level 1 and level 2 charging in EU with the voltage difference being so small, though.

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by e61it

Is it possible to access or remove the 12V AGM battery?

It is under the floor in the cargo area.

[amc42]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

i believe what's different is that your household voltage is already at 230V, but the included charger is still a level 1 device, so it will adjust to the lower vehicle setting. please clarify, is the level 2 connector different than a level 1 connector over there?

We have an actual wallbox with its own cable than can supply 1 phase 230V or 3 phase 400V. Since the X5 only supports 1 phase charging, that's 230V then. Our i3s uses 3 phase charging at the same station.

The charging cable plugs directly into the X5, we're not using the stuff that came with the car.

[ThomasShelby]

Originally Posted by taek

It's a PHEV. It's meant to be charged overnight. 5 hours is fine for an overnight charge.

If you're actually using the battery 100-0 multiple times per day, I don't think this is the correct product for you. An EV would make more sense, and those all have more expensive & faster chargers.

Well, that's definitely your opinion, but BMW tells me that "Install a BMW Wallbox in your home for fast charging between daily drives" and "Access more than 35,000 Level 2 chargers nationwide which you can locate in the vehicle navigation or the MyBMW app. And with the BMW TwinPower Turbo engine, you can be assured that your plug-in hybrid has the range to get you where you want to go" and "combining the benefits of an electric vehicle with the flexibility of a combustion engine" among many other things.

In fact, I can't find it anywhere on their website where it states this vehicle is meant to be charged overnight. Can you please post link?

[ThomasShelby]

Originally Posted by patt1289

What kind of charge times are you experiencing?

Around 5-6 miles an hour.

[ThomasShelby]

Originally Posted by amc42

It was probably meant as warning for potential buyers that the car will actually be limited to the specified charging rate.

Actually, it is a nice warning but after the post I did want to move it but see no way to do that.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by ThomasShelby

Well, that's definitely your opinion, but BMW tells me that "Install a BMW Wallbox in your home for fast charging between daily drives" and "Access more than 35,000 Level 2 chargers nationwide which you can locate in the vehicle navigation or the MyBMW app. And with the BMW TwinPower Turbo engine, you can be assured that your plug-in hybrid has the range to get you where you want to go" and "combining the benefits of an electric vehicle with the flexibility of a combustion engine" among many other things.

In fact, I can't find it anywhere on their website where it states this vehicle is meant to be charged overnight. Can you please post link?

i will have to agree with ThomasShelby in that while it's a PHEV, it doesn't have to be plugged in, though one will get more electric utility if it is. i find that some 45e owners get too focused on the 'electric only' use, but keep in mind that's just one of several drive modes this vehicle offers. IOW, it's not a BEV. one can benefit from the hybrid technology even without plugging in because the vehicle will maintain some HV battery charge in all drive modes except Electric. in the other drive modes, as long as there's some HV battery capacity to power the electric motor, then the hybrid tech can be utilized.