[Kief]

Originally Posted by Vettemanjack

So you might ask, why didn't I just get a Tesla car like a Model X or a Model Y? Tesla has used up all of their $7,500 tax credits. BMW has not. The 2021 BMW X5 45e is a killer vehicle. I negotiated an 8% discount off of MSRP and I also get the $7,500 tax credit for this year. The Tesla Model X costs over $90,000+ to get one that has a decent amount of options. So the X5 is just way more cost affordable. With the amount that I drive in my commute, I will likely be in EV mode 95% of the time. Only long range trips will require any gas usage.

You received 8% off on the 2022 X5 45e you just ordered this past week? Is this pre-incentives? Where?

[DonKeedic]

Originally Posted by Kief

You received 8% off on the 2022 X5 45e you just ordered this past week? Is this pre-incentives? Where?

His post was from September 13, 2020.

[Kief]

Originally Posted by DonKeedic

His post was from September 13, 2020.

Yeah, I was confused. He mentions 8% off on a "2021" but it appears he just ordered, so IDK if he was referring to his old one or new one

[toofargone]

I have read this thread, but thought I'd ask to make sure I it right.

I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit/outlet in a convenient location. Not really needing to future proof because I am old

1. This Lectron Lvl 1 16 amp charger will safely work and decrease charge time by ~30% (e.g., reduce ~20 hours needed to ~14 hours)?
   
2. When traveling, I can use this charger on a regular 15 amp circuit by reducing the amps to 10 via the car setting (for safety and breakers).
   
3. When traveling, a J1772 to Telsa adapter will give me more flexibility finding public chargers.

Does that all sound about right? Gotta justify the purchase to the boss

Many thank to all who contribute here. Have learned so much.

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by toofargone

I have read this thread, but thought I'd ask to make sure I it right.

I have a dedicated 20 amp circuit/outlet in a convenient location. Not really needing to future proof because I am old

1. This Lectron Lvl 1 16 amp charger will safely work and decrease charge time by ~30% (e.g., reduce ~20 hours needed to ~14 hours)?
2. When traveling, I can use this charger on a regular 15 amp circuit by reducing the amps to 10 via the car setting (for safety and breakers).
3. When traveling, a J1772 to Telsa adapter will give me more flexibility finding public chargers.

Originally Posted by toofargone

Does that all sound about right? Gotta justify the purchase to the boss

Many thank to all who contribute here. Have learned so much.
hi. maybe take a look at this charger instead?
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBCSC1455

it's less expensive and also has level 2 charging capability if you need/have access to it (requires 20A NEMA 6-20P outlet). can also use the Tesla adapter

EDIT: I no longer recommend this device due to safety concerns!

[jad03060]

A 16A/120vac device SHOULD have a plug that will only plug into a 20A receptacle. Not all of them do, and they may also not have a UL approval. Actually, that's fudging it a little as the device itself has an internal powersupply and if the vehicle drew 16A, the total could exceed that 80% rule, but generally, the EVSE doesn't draw much, maybe 10W for a simple one, and maybe a little more if it has a display and WiFi capabilities.

But, using the 80% rule, on a 15A circuit, you should safely be able to draw up to 12A. Telling the vehicle to pull less may help if the circuit is not dedicated.

Power = volts * amps, so increase either component, and you'll be sending more power to the X5, and should shorten the charge time.

[sandrop]

Just picked up a X5 45e and been reading that Tesla is looking to either kill the ability to use an adapter, or switching to the universal plugs.

Both of those things would let me *not* spend $150-250 on an adapter.

Is there confirmed info or general consensus on what comes next?

Thanks in advance

[IS350]

Originally Posted by sandrop

Just picked up a X5 45e and been reading that Tesla is looking to either kill the ability to use an adapter, or switching to the universal plugs.

Both of those things would let me *not* spend $150-250 on an adapter.

Is there confirmed info or general consensus on what comes next?

Thanks in advance

Let’s hope not, been enjoying my adapter for years with the 45e, planning to do so with the 50e, too.

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by sandrop

Just picked up a X5 45e and been reading that Tesla is looking to either kill the ability to use an adapter, or switching to the universal plugs.

Both of those things would let me *not* spend $150-250 on an adapter.

Is there confirmed info or general consensus on what comes next?

Thanks in advance

Tesla is selling L2 EVSE with J1772 plug already. I don't think they will drop either one. It is not likely Tesla will ditch their own plug, because of Supercharge station, most are still with Tesla plug. Only very smaller deployment is with CSS.

As for "kill the ability to use adaptor", I think this applies to their new destination L2 EVSE only. They are adding authentication for Tesla car because it is free. But I think it is only for newer units. Older unit, I still still charge my 45e

[NorwegianBlue]

Resurrecting this thread just to confirm my plans and see if there is anything I'm missing -- as I like to say, I never underestimate my ability to get things wrong.

So I live in a townhouse with a dedicated carport parking spot about 75'-100' from our front door. I have been charging my '22 X5 45e with level 1 charger using a 10-gauge, 20 amp extension cord off a dedicated 20 amp circuit -- not an ideal solution, but it's worked.

The stars have aligned, and the concrete sidewalk surrounding our carport is coming up at the same time we are completely redoing our front courtyard, so we have an opportunity to have an electrician lay a 240V cable to our carport. It will be capable of running 50 amps off my panel.

I know the 45e can only pull 16 amps, but I would like to future proof and get the max charging ability in case we buy a fully electric car in coming years, or if we sell the house. We are the first in our 63-home townhouse cluster to install a charger in our carport, so we're pioneering things around here.

So I think I have settled on buying a hardwired ChargePoint Home Flex charger, which is capable of charging from 16-50 amps.

https://www.chargepoint.com/drivers/...BoC8oQQAvD_BwE

Is there any reason not to go with this one? Is there anything else I should be considering in the installation?

TIA

[jad03060]

Rather than putting in a socket, I'd prefer to just have a junction box and hard wire the thing. While it won't prevent theft, having to deal with the hot wires and then remove the box when it's hard wired would present another thing to help avoid that...plus, it's less likely to have issues with the higher current an EVSE can provide.

Should you decide to move and want to take it with you, even without a plug, it's like a 5-minute thing max to disconnect the wires...shut the breaker, remove the junction box's cover, remove three wire nuts, put them back on the supply wires, put the cover back on and it's disconnected.

Should you choose to put a receptacle in, insist on one made out of Bakelite versus the much less expensive plastic ones sold at big box stores.

[allinon72]

Random plug for Grizzl-e's warranty and customer service. My charger just randomly stopped working, all the terminals metered out as they should all the way back to my power plug - it was clearly something internal on the board. I had a replacement within 3 days, customer support was great to work with.

Something to consider when buying a charger - if it breaks, how will the warranty support be, and how fast can I get a replacement?

[ScaldedDog]

Originally Posted by nZtiZia

1. This Lectron Lvl 1 16 amp charger will safely work and decrease charge time by ~30% (e.g., reduce ~20 hours needed to ~14 hours)?
2. When traveling, I can use this charger on a regular 15 amp circuit by reducing the amps to 10 via the car setting (for safety and breakers).
3. When traveling, a J1772 to Telsa adapter will give me more flexibility finding public chargers.

Many thank to all who contribute here. Have learned so much.
hi. maybe take a look at this charger instead?
https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NBCSC1455

it's less expensive and also has level 2 charging capability if you need/have access to it (requires 20A NEMA 6-20P outlet). can also use the Tesla adapter

EDIT: I no longer referenced this device due to safety concerns!

Hey nZtiZia, are the "safety concerns" you mentioned above just the fact that the 45e sees the Schumacher as L2 and won't throttle it down from 16A, or something else? I'm actually looking for something that will provide 16A at 120v, so that part is a feature to me, but just wanted to make sure folks aren't seeing other problems.

The Schumacher's appear to be identical to the cheaper Lectron, but with a 7' longer cord. I've not decided whether that 7' is worth the extra cost, but I'll likely go with one of these.

Mark

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by ScaldedDog

Hey nZtiZia, are the "safety concerns" you mentioned above just the fact that the 45e sees the Schumacher as L2 and won't throttle it down from 16A, or something else? I'm actually looking for something that will provide 16A at 120v, so that part is a feature to me, but just wanted to make sure folks aren't seeing other problems.

The Schumacher's appear to be identical to the cheaper Lectron, but with a 7' longer cord. I've not decided whether that 7' is worth the extra cost, but I'll likely go with one of these.

Mark

technically, i don't know if the 45e "sees" the Schumacher as a level 2. the 'safety concern' is the risk for a thermal event is high mainly because it doesn't respond to lowering the level 1 charge rate in iDrive. there are many folks who aren't astute to some technical aspects of charging. they may lower the rate in iDrive, then plug in to a household circuit that can't support 16A sustained. if it doesn't trip properly... BOOM!

so far, it appears only the OEM level 1 EVSE by APTIV included with the 45e actually responds to the charge rate changes in iDrive

jad03060 purchased an EVSE capable of charging faster than 10A on level 1 where one can select a lower charge rate on the device itself, and i believe it's been working as designed.

[jad03060]

The level 1/2 devices typically come with a standard 120vac plug on it. Technically, when operating at 16A, it should have a different plug on it. But, on those plugs, ground is still ground. A level 2 device expects the two power leads to be 'floating' rather than having one of them tied to ground at the panel. I think that is what confuses the X5, for the thing to work, the two power leads are always floating. The current limiting only seems to work with properly configured devices. To support 16A, you need at least a 20A circuit. On a standard 15A circuit, you should only pull a maximum of 12A.

This is the one I bought. I think that it may have had some changes since I bought mine about a year ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

[ScaldedDog]

Originally Posted by jad03060

This is the one I bought. I think that it may have had some changes since I bought mine about a year ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...e?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thanks! Two questions:

1) Do you have the 5-15P model or the 6-20P model?
2) If the former, can you confirm that you are able to turn down the charge amperage from the device?

I'm just looking for a 16A Level1 EVSE for our place in FL, where I have a 20A circuit available. If I can turn down the amperage to 12A, then I can travel with it, too, though we probably won't actually do that much.

Mark

[eelnoraa]

Originally Posted by ScaldedDog

Hey nZtiZia, are the "safety concerns" you mentioned above just the fact that the 45e sees the Schumacher as L2 and won't throttle it down from 16A, or something else? I'm actually looking for something that will provide 16A at 120v, so that part is a feature to me, but just wanted to make sure folks aren't seeing other problems.

The Schumacher's appear to be identical to the cheaper Lectron, but with a 7' longer cord. I've not decided whether that 7' is worth the extra cost, but I'll likely go with one of these.

Mark

Originally Posted by ScaldedDog

Thanks! Two questions:

1) Do you have the 5-15P model or the 6-20P model?
2) If the former, can you confirm that you are able to turn down the charge amperage from the device?

I'm just looking for a 16A Level1 EVSE for our place in FL, where I have a 20A circuit available. If I can turn down the amperage to 12A, then I can travel with it, too, though we probably won't actually do that much.

Mark

Mark,

I am a bit confuse. If you are looking for 120V EVSE, then the plug has to be 5-15 (5-xx) version, right? The 6-20 (6-xx) is 240V plug (EVSE with this plug must be L2). Did I understand you correctly?

[ScaldedDog]

Sorry. Yes, I am looking for a 120v EVSE, but the one @jad03060 linked had the 6-20 plug. That may have just been an oversight, or an Amazon thing, since since the 5-15, 6-20 and 14-50 models can all be purchased from that same page.

I suppose there might be an EVSE out there that comes with a 5-20p plug, but I've never seen one. Given the choice, I'd rather have a 5-15 plug, anyway, if the amperage can be stepped down.

Mark

[nZtiZia]

Originally Posted by ScaldedDog

Sorry. Yes, I am looking for a 120v EVSE, but the one @jad03060 linked had the 6-20 plug. That may have just been an oversight, or an Amazon thing, since since the 5-15, 6-20 and 14-50 models can all be purchased from that same page.

I suppose there might be an EVSE out there that comes with a 5-20p plug, but I've never seen one. Given the choice, I'd rather have a 5-15 plug, anyway, if the amperage can be stepped down.

Mark

you didn’t read their respective descriptions carefully:
NEMA 5-15 model is level 1 only (120V)**
NEMA 6-20 and 14-50 models are level 2 only (240V)

**per the details, charge rate is adjustable 6A/8A/10A/12A/16A on the device itself

[WagonFan]

Originally Posted by ScaldedDog

I suppose there might be an EVSE out there that comes with a 5-20p plug, but I've never seen one. Given the choice, I'd rather have a 5-15 plug, anyway, if the amperage can be stepped down.

For travel I have the Tesla Mobile Connector. It comes with a 5-15 plug which you can use in 5-20 outlet, but it will be limited to 12 Amp.

In addition I bought the adapter bundle, which as well contains a 5-20 plug and uses 16 Amp. The 5-20 adapter stand alone is $35.

I have used the 5-20 adapter in the FL Keys at an RV site with a dedicated 20 Amp breaker. Didn’t charge it full overnight, but 80% was still quite useful.
For sure much better than the standard 10 Amp BMW adapter.

[jad03060]

It seems that the one I bought is no longer available. The one I have is level 1/2 up to 16A, and adjustable in current to allow for whatever it's plugged into.

I have not looked into what's available today. I originally bought the Schumacher unit, and returned it as it did not allow the X5 to adjust the max current, so would default to 16A, and a 20A circuit was not always available, sort of defeating the purpose. I only use it on trips, as that extra 2A is useful, and sometimes can get me 16A which is 60% more than the OEM unit that came with the 45e (and the 50e). I have a Clipper Creek unit for charging at home, but the portable unit, I thought might be a useful backup should that one die for some reason. That CC unit is almost 10-years old now and still going strong.

Bottom line, not all level 1/2 units will allow the X5's logic to adjust the maximum current, at least with the software in the 45e...the 50e MIGhT be different.

[ScaldedDog]

Originally Posted by jad03060

It seems that the one I bought is no longer available. The one I have is level 1/2 up to 16A, and adjustable in current to allow for whatever it's plugged into.

Thanks! That makes sense, as I found a link to the older one last night. It looked like it was the essentially the same one they are selling now with a cable to convert between 6-20 and 5-15 plugs.

The L1 version will work fine for me. Realistically I'd never use it when traveling, anyway. I've started just using Battery Control set to 100% when we travel for multiple days, and that works great. Mid 20's mpg, 400 miles of range and a full battery when I arrive if I need it.

Mark